‘The gifts of the holy spirit’: Message from Archbishop Comensoli

‘Hello friends,

Good to be with you again. Last week as I was sharing a few thoughts, you might remember I was talking a little bit about that we are unable to get to the Sacrament of the Eucharist, particularly at this time, and it did strike me afterwards that the sense in which we are participating in the life of grace during this pandemic time is worth saying something about. Because we can perhaps think, well in being denied this opportunity to receive the Lord in the Eucharist, we’re somehow being deprived of our sacramental life in totality. But that's not the case.

Aren't we all baptised? Those who asked who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation... In these ways, the life, the sacramental life, of grace continues to be poured into our hearts and into our lives.

So the Lord is present to us, he has already washed off as us of our original sin, is offering us entry into the life of his kingdom in baptism.

We who have been confirmed have received those extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are active right now in our lives. For me and my brother priests and deacons we have each received the sacramental gift of the ordained ministry and that lives in our lives right now.

Many of you who are watching this video are married, and your marriage sacrament is, in this pandemic time, getting (I hope) a great renewal and a living of that sacrament.

So in so many different ways, the sacramental life continues to be present to us, that we continue to receive the Lord's grace. He's promised to be always with us. And he's indeed with us right now.

So that's all I wanted to say today just to, to remind myself and to encourage you to remember that you are participating right now in the sacramental presence of the Lord through some of the sacraments that indeed you are present to at this moment.

Yes, let us find ways of coming back to the source and summit of our Christian life as we call the Eucharist, and that we might be able to come back to the receiving of the Lord in Holy Communion.

But we are not deprived of our baptism, or our confirmation. I am not deprived of the gift of ordained ministry, you are who are married or not deprived of that. And we continue to receive the Lord.

So may the Lord's blessing be upon you, fill you which is tenderness and goodness, and may those gifts of the Holy Spirit come alive in you this coming week.’

Archbishop Peter A Comensoli