Pentecost Sunday-coming soon at a church near you

We're just 3 days away from Pentecost Sunday, which is the birthday of the Church. This is the day Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit-just 10 days after He ascended into Heaven-which is what we call the Feast Day of the Ascension. Until recently it was a holy day of obligation on Thursday. But in some areas of the United States, the obligation has been transferred to the nearest Sunday. In fact the diocese I live in is in one of the areas in which the Bishops voted to make the change. 

But our Bishop didn't like the change; he was outvoted. I didn't like the change either. And I now know the Bishop we had then and I are far from being the only two people who dislike the switch to Sunday. Last year Father announced that we were going to have a Mass on Ascension-that is on Thursday itself-not Sunday! He doesn't like the change to Sunday either and said "we traditionalists" don't like the switch either. 

He said if you don't like the move to the following Sunday, then either come to Thursday Mass or quit complaining. We're no longer obliged under pain of mortal sin to go on this particular Thursday but Father said we'll get extra graces for going to Ascension Mass.

I guess I kind of gotten off topic like I tend to do quite a bit.

Getting back to Pentecost, the Apostles were scared to be left alone without Jesus. They were afraid of persecution & spent the next nine days in prayer in an upper room. According to Father, it was our very first novena. Then the Holy Spirit came to the upper room and gave them all these gifts-including the gift of tongues. This allowed them to preach to people who spoke in other languages.

I can't think of a more important birthday to celebrate-the birthday of the Church-unless it's Christmas-the birthday of our Savior.

Father talked to the kids in the Confirmation class about Pentecost and the gifts of the Spirit. You receive the Holy Spirit in Baptism, but even more fully in Confirmation.  

He talked about seven gifts of the Holy Spirit which every Confirmed Catholic has. These aren't the "charisms" or charismatic gifts such as the gift of tongues or prophecy. He talked about Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel (right judgment), Fortitude (courage), Knowledge, Piety (reverence), and Fear of the Lord (wonder and awe.)

According to St. Thomas Aquinas wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and counsel direct the intellect and fortititude, piety, and fear of the Lord direct the will toward God.