Active Membership Pillar: Engagement in at least one parish ministry

This Sunday’s Gospel reading from John offers a powerful message of peace and promise. Jesus tells His disciples, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” As Catholics we understand this passage reveals the intimate relationship God desires with us—one rooted in love, obedience, and divine presence. As we reflect on the Lord’s Ascension, we are reminded that Jesus, though no longer physically present, has not left us alone. Instead, He ascended to the Father so that the Holy Spirit—the Advocate—might come to dwell within us.

The Ascension is not a moment of departure, but of commissioning. Jesus entrusts His mission to the Church and promises the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit, as promised in John’s Gospel, teaches us, reminds us of Christ’s words, and fills us with peace not of this world. It is through the Spirit that we come to understand our call to serve others in humility, charity, and truth.

In a world often marked by fear and division, the Holy Spirit strengthens us to be witnesses of Christ’s love and peace. How might the Spirit be encouraging us to serve our neighbors this summer and engage in one of the ministries at Lumen Christi that amplifies Christ’s love and diminishes hate and division? As Catholics, we are not only invited but compelled to bring Christ’s presence into the world, trusting that the Spirit continues to guide, comfort, and empower us in all we do.