Pentecost is the culmination and the beginning. We are sent. We have a mission. And it is not optional.
Author: Fr. Michael Brungardt
Fr. Michael Brungardt (S.T.B, M.Div.) is a priest of the Diocese of Wichita and the pastor at St. Paul, Lyons and Holy Name of Jesus, Bushton in Kansas.
A Great Commissioning
As the school year winds down, it is our natural tendency to sit back and relax for the summer. And yet, the Ascension (and Pentecost next week) are pointing us in a different direction: taking up the mission Jesus has entrusted to us.
Acts 2:42 – Dedicated to Prayer
We spend time every day in school, or at the gym, or at practice. But when it comes to the most important element of life, do we have the same kind of dedication, or better? Our life of prayer is a place to begin.
Acts 2:42 – Not Just 57 Minutes on a Sunday
I hope you have a personal relationship with Jesus. But that doesn’t cut it. As annoying as people might be, we are still called into a communal life as followers of Christ. In fact, in the communion of believers, we encounter him!
Acts 2:42 – Who Is Your Influencer?
We spend massive amounts of time following influencers. They help focus our attention. They help us to know what to spend our time and energy and money on. All of them promise us a better life! But, who can I follow to receive the life Jesus promises in John 10:10?
Acts 2:42 – Together on the Road
Many argue that following Jesus can be done on our own terms, however we see fit. But Jesus proposed a concrete method, and he proposed it on Day 1.
Acts 2:42 – How Do I Let Him Change Me?
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! But how does this life-changing fact begin to affect me? How do I let it affect me?
“Rerouting…” Week 12: Everything Has Changed
Here at the end of our journey through “Rerouting…” we ask one final question: Why are you here?
“Rerouting…” Week 11: Toll Road
At the heart of Holy Week is a prayer made in a garden, a stunning reversal of the rebellion in the garden in the beginning with Adam and Eve. This is the prayer each of us must make our own.
“Rerouting…” Week 10: Do Not Enter
Many of us are a little wary of signing our life over to Jesus. “Eh, I think I’ll just go to Mass on Sunday, Father. I don’t need any of this uber Catholic stuff.” So our goal today is to discover, “What is holding me back from surrendering my life to Jesus?” And when we know that, to be strengthened in confidence that I can (and should) surrender my life to Him.
The Beggar 