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One of the very first religious lessons that we all learned as children: There is one God in three Divine Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I grew up and received my early religious instruction in a parish staffed by priests who came directly from Ireland, so you better believe that we heard the story of St. Patrick teaching about the Trinity by using a shamrock…more than a few times!

Most Catholics would probably identify Christmas and Easter as great feasts of the Church. Perhaps not as many would think of Pentecost in that way. But indeed, it is! Pentecost is called the “birthday of the Church.”

Thursday or Sunday? Some years ago, I was visiting Vatican City and was present for Ascension Thursday Vespers in St. Peter’s Basilica. The following Sunday, however, I attended Mass elsewhere in Rome and the Ascension was celebrated there! The fact is, in many places, even in the Diocese of Rome, the Ascension is now transferred to the Sunday before Pentecost. The mystery, of course, remains the same: After his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Today’s readings are among the most tender in the lectionary, in terms of expressing God’s love for us. Not only is God’s love emphasized but also his choice, his initiative in loving us first (cf. 1 John 4:19). Psalm 115:3 says: “Our God is in heaven; whatever he wills, he does.”  God has freely decided to love us, save us, and give us the best of all good gifts, the Holy Spirit. The first reading is a prime example of this.

I had a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye as I heard the organ intone the first notes of the Veni Creator Spiritus. It was June 2, 2017, at the Circus Maximus in Rome – the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal with some 35,000 people from all over the world in attendance. I couldn’t help thinking that this very hymn, with the Gregorian chant melody, was sung often on the Duquesne Weekend. And here we were, 50 years later, singing it in Rome, with two of the original participants – my wife Patti and David Mangan – present on the stage. It was a special moment for me and, indeed, for all attending.