Fr. Charles Irvin, Diocese of Lansing at 402-A E. Madison Street, DeWitt, MI 48820 US - Is The End Upon Us?

On this Sunday between the Ascension of Our Lord and the Solemnity of Pentecost the Church places before us the promises of Christ to be with us always. "I will not leave you orphans" He promises. "I will send you a new Presence of God, the Holy Spirit". "He and I will take you to the Father -- He and I are your Advocates, those who will plead your cause before the Lord and Judge of the Universe, God our Father." The world argues that you are merely useful. The Holy Spirit and I argue that you are worth dying for and raising up to the life of God by filling you with God's life! We don't accuse you -- we extol you!

There are those among us who today are wringing their hands and filling us with fearful anxieties concerning the future. Will the world come to an end on December 31, 1999? Will we ever see the clock read 00:01hrs, 1 January 2000A.D.? Will the Y2K "bug" shut down computers world wide and bring untold havoc and destruction upon us all? Will Jesus come in glory to end the world and bring judgment upon us?

In another area, there are those among us who today are wringing their hands and telling us that the Church is being destroyed, that the Devil has taken over and our priests and bishops have been seduced by the anti-Christ. There are those who tell us that we are in a terrible CRISIS and that the Church will be soon destroyed. Were, I ask, is there faith in the promises of Christ? Do they really believe that the Holy Spirit subsists in the Catholic Church or don't they?

Our faith tells us that Christ's Holy Spirit ever quickens, directs and enlivens Holy Mother Church, that Jesus Christ has built His Church on rock and that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. Our faith also demonstrates that His Healing Spirit is present among us as evidenced by the lives of the saints and the many miracles of healing, inspiration and vision He has given us. May we all have eyes to see and ears to hear what He is offering us in His Spirit.