Sun. May 31, 2009 (Charles Paris)

Charles Paris opened his Pentecost message by thanking us for singing “Come, O Creator Spirit Come” (#27); a hymn he recalled from his time as a youth in the Benedictine monastery many years ago. An ancient hymn, it reminds of of the importance of continuity in Christianity. Charles described Elijah’s experience of a wind that tore up mountains, an earthquake and a fire; pointing out that God was not in any of these elements. God came in a gentle breeze: God is found in symbols, poetry and sound of a gentle breeze. The early church was promised an advocate; a comforter who will teach you everything. Pentecost is feast inseparable from Easter; it offers us the fruits of Easter. The Catholic confirmation prayer is for the Spirit to be our helper and guide - a spirit of reverence, knowledge, wonder and awe – a Spirit we should continue to pray for. (HN) Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday May 31st, 2009 using your browser's preferred media player.