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Catholic News Herald

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060520 Bishop Pentecost 2CHARLOTTE — The Holy Spirit fuels the work of the Church and Her people, and two gifts of the Holy Spirit – love and peace – are among the most needed in the world today, Bishop Peter Jugis noted in his homily for the feast of Pentecost.

Pentecost celebrations across the Diocese of Charlotte looked a bit different this year, as churches resumed public Masses and celebrated many of the sacraments that had been postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Candidates and catechumens in the RCIA program and young people in faith formation classes received the sacraments of initiation: baptism, first Holy

Communion and confirmation. Celebrations remained limited, however, in line with public health restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

At St. Patrick Cathedral, 19 young people received the sacrament of confirmation during Mass May 31. The Mass was privately held because of limited space inside the cathedral, but the liturgy was streamed live on the cathedral’s YouTube channel.

In his homily, Bishop Jugis reflected on the gifts of the Holy Spirit that the Apostles received at that first Pentecost, and which we receive today through the sacraments.

“The Holy Spirit is responsible for everything in the Church,” he said. The Holy Spirit animates the Apostles to go out and preach the Gospel, “to begin the work of the Church, which is the work of salvation.”

“You are receiving the same Holy Spirit that the Apostles received on Pentecost,” he told the teens about to be confirmed, as he recalled Paul’s words from his first letter to the Corinthians: “We were all given to drink of one Spirit.”

“He comes to set you on your mission, to take your part in the mission of the Church, which is bringing Christ and His good message of salvation to the world,” Bishop Jugis said, adding that the

Holy Spirit also “comes for your personal sanctification, to make you holy.”

The first fruit of the Holy Spirit – love – empowers us to follow Jesus’ commandment to love God and each other, he said.

“God has loved you, and because He has placed His love in your hearts, you are able then to know and to love God, and to love your neighbor as yourself,” he said.

Another fruit of the Holy Spirit – peace – is needed to convert hearts to Jesus, particularly today as we confront racism, violence and destruction, he continued.

“We need to pray for peace in the United States, considering what happened this past week in many cities throughout our country,” he said, referring to the police killing of George Floyd and the sometimes violent protests that have shaken communities including Charlotte.

Bishop Jugis prayed that God will “convert the hearts of those who intend to do violence and destruction and to hurt others.”

Love, peace and the other fruits of the Holy Spirit – joy, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faith, modesty, self-control and chastity – are necessary in sanctifying us and enabling us to help spread the message of Christ in the world today, he said.

Thanks to the help of the Holy Spirit, he said, we are able to become more like Christ.

He urged the newly confirmed to share the love and peace of Christ in their homes, their schools and workplaces, in everything they do.

“You are on mission now as a confirmed Catholic to bring the goodness of Christ, the light of Jesus Christ, with you,” he said.

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor


Pictured: Bishop Peter Jugis administers the sacrament of confirmation during Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral on the feast of Pentecost, May 31. Many parishes around the diocese celebrated the sacraments of initiation – baptism, first Holy Communion and confirmation – at Pentecost since churches had been closed for much of the Easter season, the usual timeframe for such celebrations. (Photo provided by James Sarkis)