Central to the teaching of the Catholic Church is the doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity which in simple terms holds that in the One undivided God are three persons: God the Father, the Creator of the all that exists; God the Son, the eternal Word of the Father who is begotten not made by the Father and who was sent by the Father to redeem creation after the fall of man; and God the Holy Spirit, the finger of God who proceeds from the Father and the Son and who animates all that the Father and the Son wishes to empower and renews the face of the earth.

Happy Pentecost Sunday! Happy Birthday to the Catholic Church! The Feast of Pentecost comes ten days after the Ascension of our Lord, and fifty days after we celebrated His Resurrection at Easter. God the Father and the Son chose to send the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday in fulfillment of the promise made by the Son to His Disciples, in order to embolden, animate and empower them to witness to the Truth without fear. It was on the day that the Church, the Assembly of the new people of God, was birthed even though Jesus had long conceived and nourished it with His teaching while he ministered here on earth.

The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is the commemoration of the day when Jesus ascended into Heaven forty days after the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Some of the Gospels describe Jesus blessing His Disciples, separating from them and being carried up into Heaven where He is seated at the right hand of The Father. Acts of the Apostles 1:6-11 explains the importance of the Ascension, as it marks the departure of Jesus from interaction with His Disciples in this world and His entrance into the Realm of God. The Ascension of the Lord is considered the climax of the redemption story, and the gateway to Jesus’ priestly work of intercession. It also shows that Jesus has overcome death and is alive with the Father in Heaven.

The twelve men chosen by Jesus to be His Apostles were all Jewish. Similarly, most of the area that Jesus went about teaching and healing was Jewish territory. Little wonder when the Apostles began to make Disciples of all nations, they naturally went to fellow Jews and shared with them the Good News about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the salvation that His death and resurrection purchased for all people. However, there were non-Jewish people who heard of the growing “way” and desired to be part of it.