Beloved Parishioners,

I warmly welcome you to the month of June. The sixth month is usually special. In the Jewish calendar, the sixth month, Elul, is a time of deep introspection and spiritual preparation as people prepare for the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It comes off as symbolic that we too are in spiritual preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

More so, the Bible records remarkable events in the sixth month. Most notably, in the Gospel of Luke, it was “in the sixth month” that the angel Gabriel visited Mary to announce the miraculous conception of Jesus (Luke 1:26-38). This same period also marked the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with John the Baptist, another testimony to God’s ability to do the impossible (Luke 1:36). Additionally, in Haggai 1:13- 15, the people of Israel were stirred by God’s Spirit in the sixth month to rebuild the temple, signifying a time of renewed purpose and obedience. As we enter this new month of June, be assured that the God who visited Mary and Elizabeth, who stirred the hearts of His people, and who opens doors of mercy and favor, is with you. Just as the sixth month in Scripture was marked by divine encounters and fulfilled promises, may this June bring you God’s visitation, answered prayers, and abundant blessings.

Liturgically considered, we find ourselves in a sacred and expectant time—the final week of the Easter season. The Alleluias of resurrection still echo in our hearts, yet our gaze now turns upward and inward, as the Church throughout the world enters into the Novena to the Holy Spirit. Like the apostles and Mary gathered in the Upper Room (Acts 1:4-14), we are waiting in prayer and opening ourselves anew to the promise of the Father: the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This is definitely not a week for distraction, but an opportune season for us to steep ourselves in prayer and spiritual preparedness. I pray that the Holy Spirit will grant us all the spiritual gifts that we earnestly ask of him through our novena.

We wait expectantly for the coming of the Spirit because we know His role in our Christian life. The Spirit consoles, guides, sanctifies, and empowers us. Without the Spirit, the Church would be a lifeless institution; with the Spirit, we become a living, dynamic community, radiant with Christ’s love and mercy. In fact, the Holy Spirit is the very soul of the Church. As Pope Pius XII teaches in Mystici Corporis Christi, the Holy Spirit is “the principle of every vital and truly saving action in each part of the Body” — the Church’s divine life-breath, animating every member and uniting us to Christ our Head. St. John Paul II, in Unitatem et Vivificatem, reminds us that the Spirit is the “source of unity and diversity in the Church,” making us one in faith, hope, and love, while bestowing diverse gifts for the building up of the Body. Further, it is the Holy Spirit that helps us to confess our faith in Christ. St. Paul says “Therefore I want you to know no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.“ (1 Cor. 12:3). It is the same Holy Spirit who inspires our prayers and helps us to pray efficiently. St. Paul also reminds us that “… the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (Rom. 8:26).

What message must we take home today? The first disciples, united in prayer and hope, received the Spirit not as individuals, but as a community. As a community therefore, their unity, their love for one another, and their trust in the Lord created the very space where the Holy Spirit could descend in power. Today, we are reminded that unity and charity among us are essential for the Spirit’s work to flourish, therefore as we pray the Novena, let us never forget the example of the Upper Room: unity and love are the soil in which the Spirit’s fire takes root. Let us therefore strive to live in harmony, forgive generously, love deeply, encourage one another, and seek the good of all. Let us make our parish, our families, and our hearts a new Upper Room—places where the Holy Spirit is welcomed, honored, and allowed to work wonders.

On an individual level, let us not be passive observers in this holy season. Step into prayer with renewed fervor. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you, guide you, and transform you. May our parish be set ablaze with the love of God, and may we go forth as joyful witnesses of the Risen Lord.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love. Amen.

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