The Holy Spirit
April 2027
Isaiah 30:21: "No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, and your ears shall hear a word behind you: “This is the way; walk in it,” when you would turn to the right or the left"
John 14:26:"The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name - he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you."
This month we will focus on Renewal and Charisms. The Holy Spirit, the love between the Father and the Son personified, introduces us into this trinitarian unity. He uses modern charisms to make God less ‘unknown’ to people today, helping the Church to fulfill its role as a sign and instrument of unity for the entire human race.
The Holy Spirit: The Spirit draws us into the communion of the Trinity and makes communion possible among us.
The Holy Spirit is not merely a divine power that helps us accomplish God’s work. He is Love personified, the eternal Love between the Father and the Son.
The Spirit therefore introduces us into the very life of God.
The Christian vocation is ultimately a vocation to Trinitarian communion: to live in the relationship of love that is the very life of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
And the Spirit continues to act in history through the charisms he gives to the Church. Modern charisms are not competing spiritualities or private gifts added onto Christianity. They are ways in which the Holy Spirit makes some dimension of the Gospel particularly visible and accessible in a particular age.
Through the charisms, what can seem abstract or distant becomes concrete. God becomes less unknown. His love acquires a face, a language, a way of life.
This is why charisms are always ordered toward communion and mission. The Spirit gives them not simply for our personal sanctification but for the building up of the Body of Christ.
The Church, animated by the Spirit and enriched by her charisms, can increasingly become what she is called to be: a sign and instrument of communion with God and of unity among all humanity.
MONTHLY GATHERING:
Sunday, April 11, 2027
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Located in the Main Church
The speaker will be Fr. Don Nesti
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Rev. Donald S. Nesti, C.S.Sp.
Rev. Donald S. Nesti, C.S.Sp., is a Catholic priest, theologian, professor, and member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. Ordained to the priesthood in 1963, he has devoted more than six decades to priestly ministry, theological education, formation, and helping people encounter the Gospel in the midst of contemporary culture.
Fr. Nesti earned his Licentiate and Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and has taught theology at institutions including Duquesne University, the Pontifical College Josephinum, and the University of St. Thomas in Houston. He also served as the tenth president of Duquesne University and as Provincial Superior of the Western Province of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit.
In 1994, Fr. Nesti founded the Center for Faith and Culture at the University of St. Thomas, where he has served as its director. The Center seeks to explore the relationship between the Gospel and contemporary American culture, reflecting Fr. Nesti’s longstanding commitment to helping the Christian faith engage the world with wisdom, conviction, and love.
A gifted teacher and retreat master, Fr. Nesti has lectured extensively and written on theology, faith, culture, and Christian engagement with people of different religious traditions. His work and ministry have given him a rich perspective on how the Gospel is not simply something we believe, but a life that must be lived through the power of the Holy Spirit.
For the Embers Evangelization Program, Fr. Nesti will lead us in reflecting on the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who gives life, transforms us from within, and enables us to bring the presence of Christ into the world.