Denver Catholic

2 MAY 26-JUNE 8, 2018 | DENVER CATHOLIC Archbishop's Page Archbishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila PHOTO OF THE WEEK ARCHBISHOP'S SCHEDULE MAY 26: Confi rmation Mass, Holy Cross, Thornton (10 a.m.) MAY 27: Confi rmation Mass, All Souls Catholic Church, Englewood (1:30 p.m.) MAY 30: Confi rmation Mass, Holy Rosary, Denver (7 p.m.) MAY 31: Confi rmation Mass, St. James, Denver (6 p.m.) JUNE 2: Confi rmation Mass, St. Clare, Edwards (10 a.m.) JUNE 2: Confi rmation Mass, St. Clare, Edwards (2 p.m.) JUNE 3: Mass for 60th Anniversary Mass of Fr. Peter Urban, St. Anthony of Padua, Denver (2:30 p.m.) @ArchbishopDen May 18 Let us pray for those a ected by the shooting in #SantaFe TX. Lord grant them com- fort in their sorrow, healing to the injured, conversion of the hearts of all, & help us give witness to you so all innocent life is respected & senseless violence comes to an end. Amen. +sja Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 Denver Catholic (USPS 557-020) is published bi-weekly, except monthly in January. Denver Catholic is printed by Prairie Mountain Publishing, LLC in Boulder. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $50 a year in Colorado; $57 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $57 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $63 air; Canada, $70 air. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or email circulation@archden.org. CIRCULATION: denvercatholic.org/circulation Editor AARON LAMBERT Business Manager MICHAEL O'NEILL The Holy Spirit speaks with saints' lives T he Apostles, cowering in fear, locked in the upper room, were waiting until the threat to their lives had subsided. While they hid, Jesus appeared to them, gave them his peace, and explained the Scriptures to them. We have all had moments where we felt overwhelmed and, just as he did with the Apostles, Jesus desires to break into these peri- ods of fear and di• culty, strengthen us and give us a mission. This past Sunday, we received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church by celebrating the Solem- nity of Pentecost, recalling his action throughout history. When he created the world, God the Father breathed his Spirit over the waters of the earth and created life. Then, after he ascended into heaven, he sent his Holy Spirit to us in a new and powerful way at Pen- tecost, giving the Church "power from on high" (Lk. 24:49). That same promise of power, in the form of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, is meant for each of us today. The Apos- tles received the gift of being able to speak in other languages, accompa- nied by the visible sign of a fl ame over them. Their words, like the Prophet Elijah's, "burned like a torch" (Sir 48:1) and brought many to the faith. The Solemnity of Pentecost and the sending forth of the Apostles in power is closely tied to a theme Pope Francis writes about in his recent apostolic exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and be Glad), the theme of "Your Mission in Christ." Given the richness of the pope's document and its importance for living out the faith, I am writing about it this week and in my next column, when I will touch on two other key sections: "In Constant Prayer" and "Combat and Vigilance." In Gaudete et Exsultate, Pope Francis dedicates the "Your Mission in Christ" section to examining how each person, like St. Peter, has a pur- pose in life: to become a saint. "That mission," the pope explains, "has its fullest meaning in Christ, and can only be understood through him. At its core, holiness is experiencing, in union with Christ, the mysteries of his life" (GE, 20). After the Apostles received the Holy Spirit and glorifi ed God in many languages, Peter stood up, boldly proclaimed what God was doing and called on the thousands of people gathered to repent and be baptized. In doing so, Peter was fulfi lling the unique mission that God had given him. As we know from the Scriptures, Peter continued to follow his unique path to sanctity as the fi rst pope, eventually giving his life for the faith. Your journey in holiness will have diš erent features, just as every saint is unique in his or her relationship with the Lord. It could range from small things like comforting a sick child, to sharing with others the joy of the Gospel, or accompanying someone who is dying. But you can be sure that no matter the path, you will experi- ence both Christ's death and resur- rection in a unique and personal way. Walking in the footsteps of the Lord means allowing your heart to become more like his. You experience "the var- ious aspects of Jesus' earthly life: his hidden life, his life in community, his closeness to the outcast, his poverty and other ways in which he showed his self-sacrifi cing love" (GE, 20). This journey underscores that each of our lives conveys a word from God to the world. "Every saint is a message which the Holy Spirit takes from the riches of Jesus Christ and gives to his people," (GE, 21) the Holy Father teaches. During his earthly life, the heart of Jesus was fi lled with the Holy Spirit, who moved him and inspired him. After his Ascension into heaven, he poured out the very same Spirit on us. The Spirit does in us what he did in Jesus Christ. If we let him, the Holy Spirit will bring forth the virtues of Christ in our hearts and we will become living images of Christ. While this might seem impossible, Pope Francis counsels us to focus on each saint's entire journey of growth in holiness," rather than getting caught up in details, where we might also encounter "mistakes and fail- ures" (GE, 22). This is an important point for our carefully crafted social media age that promotes facades of perfection. Real life is messy, and the strength of the Gospel is the truth that Jesus loves and redeems us despite knowing our sins. One can see this in the lives of the saints in their journeys of following Jesus. Our lost and confused world needs the word that God desires to speak through each of our lives. Open your hearts to the Holy Spirit and pray for a receptive docile heart, hear the Lord speak to your heart, "...for with God all things are possible" (MT 19:26). I join Pope Francis in praying, "May you come to realize what that word is, the message of Jesus that God wants to speak to the world by your life. Let yourself be transformed. Let yourself be renewed by the Spirit…" (GE, 24). Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila stands with Denver's newest priests fol- lowing their May 19 ordination ceremony at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. PHOTO BY ANYA SEMENOFF

• Cover