The work of the Incarnation, the union of human and divine, is the work par excellence of God. It is a great work of love that comes directly through the spirit of love, namely the Holy Ghost. And so it should come as no surprise that it is the Holy Ghost that continues on with the great work of Christ from the day of Pentecost to our own day. It is incumbent upon every Christian to be another Christ. And while we cannot do this by our natural powers alone, the Holy Ghost assists us in charting a way forward toward this beautiful end.

The sacrament of baptism is our initiation into the Catholic Church. It is not just the washing away of original sin; it is also a revelation of the mystery of the Holy Trinity. By our baptism, the life of grace is opened to us. Sadly, today there are many invalid baptisms due to a lack of proper form. It is imperative for every Catholic to know how this essential sacrament should be administered, both for their own salvation but also those who may need to receive it in a state of emergency.

In our culture we are tempted to be infatuated with others, whether they be movie stars or athletes. Sadly, it makes us think our own lives are falling short. Yet we should recall as Catholics, we have an opportunity for a glorious and wonderful life in Christ. The world may tempt us to believe otherwise but the Faith gives us the path to what God has prepared for us.

Our Lady’s participation in the act of redemption gave her a unique role in the salvation of the human race. Although there has been a recent attempt to obscure or reduce this fact, that does not take away from the longstanding understanding that she is the queen of heaven. She has been divinely appointed to disperse the graces that can lead us to eternal beatitude.

Pride has plagued mankind from the advent of our creation. So often the devil invites us to seek after achievements that are an affront to Our Lord. In a time long past, our race thought they could attain to the heights of heaven by their own artifice. This sinful pride was met with the dispersion of tongues. Yet God, in His infinite mercy, bequeathed His Apostles with the known languages of man, so that those sheep once lost due their own sinfulness may find a way back to Him for everlasting life.

Following Our Lord’s Ascension, we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, when the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Ghost enters into the world to guide the Church and the faithful. Although the Holy Ghost did not become incarnate like God the Son, He appears throughout history in many forms. One of those forms is fire. For fire provides illumination, warms our otherwise cold hearts, and purifies us. The fire of the Holy Ghost is not provided to merely dispense pain. It is offered to consume our faults and transform us by God’s immeasurable grace.

The feast of Our Lord’s Ascension celebrates one of the greatest miracles in human history while also calling attention to the joy the Apostles felt when Jesus entered heaven. By entering heaven, Our Lord sets the path that we, too, must follow to be with Him for eternity. Christ is preparing a place for all of us in heaven, so long as we are willing to follow Him. Moreover, we know that after His Resurrection, Christ’s body was glorified. And through this glorification, the only natural place for Him to be is not on this earth, but in heaven until his glorious Second Coming. 

In this life, we keep our feet on earth, but keep our minds and hearts in heaven. By keeping our feet on earth, we mean that we must be realistic and confront the world as we find it. We must accept our reality, but we must not be overcome by it, particularly when confronted with everything from private desolations to the public crises in the Church and society writ large. However, the whole of reality is not just what we face on earth; it includes the supernatural realm and promise of heaven for those who part this life in God’s good grace. We must see the trials of this life as fleeting and affix our hearts and minds ever on the promise of eternal life with Our Lord.

What is heaven? It is being with God for all eternity. And though God is everywhere, heaven is not everywhere, for we cannot see Him in this life nor detect Him with our senses. Because we cannot perceive Our Lord, we need the light of faith to know that He is there always.

We often pray for things and God does not answer them in the way we desire. Why is that? Prayer is not a magic formula; it is a petition to God. However, the efficacy of our prayers depends on the disposition of our souls. Prayer must be a priority in our lives rather than a mere afterthought. This is distressing, since not only our salvation, but the salvation of others depends on prayer. Everything that is important in the universe depends on prayer. With this in mind, we must reflect on the place of prayer in our lives and whether we place it before the frivolities of this world.