To the Ends of the Earth: Character – Week 4, Day 5 - We Look Forward to a Kingdom of Light and Love
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When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:1–4
We cannot see the wind as it blows around us, but we can certainly see its effects. So it is with the Holy Spirit. We cannot comprehend the will of God as it moves upon our lives, but we experience its effects the more we try to live as he asks us to live. In a similar way, we may not initially sense the way the sacraments of Confession and Eucharist impact us, but over time we see how they transform us. It is only as the events of our lives unfold that we come to a dim understanding of how God is working all things out to the good (cf. Rom 8:28).
The Apostles found freedom and power through the Holy Spirit to go forth boldly to proclaim the Gospel to all the world. As we surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit, we too become caught up in the flow of God’s power and are moved along as Gospel agents of holy transformation. As we go forth to build the kingdom, loving sacrificially, sharing God’s truth in love, and meeting the needs of the lost, lives are changed, the Church grows, and God’s purposes are fulfilled in the working out of our salvation and our outreach to those in need of this great hope.
Questions for Reflection
Where have you seen evidence of the Holy Spirit working in your life?
In what specific ways do you see the Holy Spirit leading the Church today?
How is the Holy Spirit moving you to have influence in the lives of others?
Praying with Scripture
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (Jn 20:22)
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Mark C. McCann is an author and Ministry Consultant with more than 30 years of writing and ministry experience. He has published articles for a number of Catholic magazines and websites including St. Anthony Messenger, Emmanuel Magazine, Liguorian Magazine, Catholic Stand, the Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He recently published the 4-volume Catholic men's devotional, To the Ends of the Earth, as well as the 2021 Advent Daybreaks devotional and 2022 Lenten Daybreaks devotional with Liguori Publishing. He has also released his End Times novel series, Jacob's Dream: The Vision and Jacob's Dream: The Final Battle. He was a radio host and producer for 8 years at a Connecticut Christian radio station and has worked as a Catholic religion teacher/campus minister and a parish youth minister. He has also served the Norwich, CT Diocese as a Youth Ministry Director and Family Life Director. He currently lives in Connecticut with his Proverbs 31 wife, where together they have brought up three incredible children. He strives each day to live out his call to be a man of words. You can learn more about Mark and his writing at www.wordsnvisions.com.
