Pastor's Reflection - May 31, 2026

Fanning The Flame

Our celebration of Pentecost last weekend gave us a wonderful opportunity to thank the Lord for fulfilling his promise to fill us with power from on high to face the challenges of discipleship. I am well aware, as I have stated in my homilies, that not every Catholic has experienced baptism in the Holy Spirit, which is a tragedy since God wants everyone to have this grace. Trying to live out our vocations without the grace of Pentecost is like trying to play soccer with a half‑inflated ball — a timely image in light of the World Cup being hosted in Seattle in a few weeks!

Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a tremendous gift, and I am so grateful that the Lord put people in my life who showed me how to yield to this grace. What drew me to open my heart was the witness of those who had already experienced it: the way they lived, the joy radiating from them, and the affectionate way they spoke of their relationship with God in Jesus Christ. They spoke about the Lord as if he were a real person who had dramatically changed their lives.

We need powerful renewal in the Catholic Church so people can experience the reality of discipleship and be able to draw others to Christ. We cannot give what we do not have.

Below is part of the Novena for Pentecost I received last October when I attended a powerful conference in Houston, Texas. The full text of the prayer can be found on the Pentecost Today website (www.pentecosttoday.org):

Come, Holy Spirit! Fall afresh on us that we might receive an experience of the love of the Father and fully surrender to Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Come, Holy Spirit! Fill us with your power and presence. Transform us with your sanctifying gifts to make us holy, and equip us with your charismatic gifts for the building up of the Church and the evangelization of the world. Create in us a new heart, that we may be conformed to your will and be one in Christ.

Have a blessed week, and may the Holy Spirit be fanned into flame in our hearts and in our Church.

In Christ,

Fr. James Northrop, Pastor