IFTTT Autopost 
Today we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the Catholic Church in particular and Christianity in general. In today’s Gospel, we read:
“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. (Jesus) said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained’” (John 20: 19-23).
What an incredibly beautiful gift Jesus gave us on that Pentecost day, the Sacrament of Reconciliation. For over 2,000 years now, Catholic Christians have treasured this gift.
In the photo above, we see some of the parishioners of our sister parish, the Basilica of St. Mary, in Wilmington, North Carolina celebrating Pentecost.
