Happy Birthday! (Pentecost)
It is often said that Pentecost is the birthday of the Church. But why is this? First, let us look at the purpose of the Church, if we may speak in those terms. We can identify three reasons why the Church exists. Each is distinct but intimately connected. Each is clearly visible when the Church as a whole, or a local parish community, is healthy and balanced. Each nurtures the other two and, together, they build up the Christian community. They are: the exaltation of God, the edification of the saints, and the evangelisation of the world. In other words: to praise God, to increase the holiness of its members, and to spread the Good News to others. These three are the signs of a living, Spirit-led Church or parish community. Looking back on my youth, there seemed to be a culture of ‘franchising out’ our evangelical responsibilities. We raised money for the missions, in much the same way that we raised money for chariti...