Let Christ Be Center of All: Pentecost Reflection

The Catholic Church celebrates its birthday. Pentecost commemorates the day when the apostles received the Holy Spirit to share their gifts in proclaiming the gospel. It brought the Paschal Mystery of Christ to a conclusion.

It is a day to be reminded that Christ is using us to fulfill his apostolic church on earth to obtain the rewards of heaven.  St. Thomas Aquinas reminds us that the Holy Spirit interiorly perfects our spirit, communicating to it a new dynamism so that it refrains from evil, not simply out of fear of punishment, but for love.

St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”

Christ calls us to suffer with him when we embrace our sufferings on earth.

Before his death, Pope Francis launched the Jubilee Year, which takes place every 25 years in the church. Throughout the jubilee, Catholic groups will be in Rome to celebrate their ecclesial ministry.

Recently, Pope Leo XIV met with leaders of ecclesial movements. His message to them was, “Keep Christ at the Center of your work.” Christ being at the center “is the essential thing, and charisms are meant to serve this purpose.”

Whether we’re serving the poor, giving a voice to those without a voice, or bringing people back home to the church, we are called to emulate Christ when we deliver his message.

As we celebrate the 50th day of Easter, we are reminded that Christ must be the center of our faith and in all that we do. Practicing our faith without Christ is like driving without directions. We need Christ to guide us in our decisions, discernment, and prayer life.