Pentecost: Birthday of the Church

"You will receive Power when the Holy Spirit falls upon you,
And you will be my witnesses to the ends of all the Earth." Act 1:8

Today the Church celebrates the solemnity of Pentecost. We remember how the Holy Spirit filled the disciples gathered in the upper room and gave them the power to spread the gospel and grow the Church. Almost 2000 years later the third person of the Trinity continues to bring hearts to Christ through this pillar and foundation he built. During the words of consecration of the Eucharist today at Mass, I again marveled that the same prayers described by St. Justin Martyr in the 2nd century continue to be prayed.