Happy Good Shepherd Sunday!  I always love this time of year right when our parish welcomes new members of the faith at the Easter Vigil and celebrates Confirmation and First Communion.  These are crucial events in the life of a Catholic Christian.  As with baptism, we need to remember and celebrate the day the God of the universe entered into our very bodies and souls at First Communion.  First Communion is May 2 this year.  We also need to remember and celebrate that the power of the Holy Spirit was deepened and sealed within our hearts on the day of our Confirmation.  We indeed have a Good Shepherd who through the sacraments feeds and guides us all the days of our lives.

Last Tuesday, on April 21, our 8 graders celebrated Confirmation.  It was a beautiful celebration!  April 21 was a special date for the life of the Church as it was the one-year anniversary of the death of Pope Francis, who brought great mercy and hope to our Church.  It is also a special day to me because it is my Baptism anniversary.  On April 21, 1985, I was baptized by my uncle Fr. David Merzweiler at St. Vincent in Akron.  Fr. Bline always told me, and I’m sure he told you too, that we need to go visit the place of our baptism on our anniversary and pray a prayer of thanksgiving for how the Lord blessed us with the gift of baptism.  Pope Francis said to celebrate it like a great feast day.  Pope Francis said this about baptism…“At baptism, it is God who comes to us, purifies and heals our heart, makes us forever His children, His people and family, heirs to paradise…Let us ask ourselves:  Am I aware of the immense gift I carry within me through baptism?”  Are you aware of this awesome, supreme gift in your life—the gift of God living within you?!  It is awesome and needs to be pondered daily.  Believe it or not, the gift of the Holy Spirit is at work within you.

If you want to learn more about the gift of the Holy Spirit within you, please mark your calendar for Tuesdays at 7:00pm in June, July and August.  I will share more next week about the journey we will take this summer in learning about the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Come Holy Spirit,
Fr. Jeremy