Fr. Michael writes: Today we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on Our Lady and the Apostles, and how as a result of that coming they were given the gifts to go out and preach the Gospel to all the world. It is also the birthday of the Church in that the disciples developed those early communities into the Church. It would be a mistake to see Pentecost as something that happened only once and that can never happen again. Pentecost began the Church and growth is a gradual thing. All of us need the Spirit of Jesus. We need the Holy Spirit to release that power so that we too can become fearless, witnesses of Christ. Thus, even though he is no longer physically among us, his truth and his love can still illumine the world in which we live. That is why he sent them the Spirit and the Spirit comes to us so that we can do the work of Jesus. Pentecost Sunday