While reading through the scriptures for Pentecost Sunday, I was reminded of a famous line from one of the earlier Spiderman movies where one of the last things Uncle Ben says to Peter before he dies is the iconic “With great power comes great responsibility.” As Catholics, through the Sacrament of Baptism, and then even more so through the Sacrament of Confirmation, we have received the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

We have received this power and this power comes with a call. It is not meant to be received and then stored in the proverbial attic collecting dust. We are called to actively engage with the world around us and the people that God has placed in our lives in order to live out and share the truth of Christ’s passion, death and Resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and the redemption of souls. We have been given great power and are now called to wield it each and every day in the service of Love and of Truth.

So how do we use this power? The answer might seem a bit too easy. It starts with a simple prayer: “Come Holy Spirit” Saying those three words (either vocally or mentally) with conviction and meaning unleashes the divine power of the God of the Universe and infuses our lives and our actions with a force and a potency beyond our comprehension. If we continue to live in the Spirit and be open to God’s will in our lives then this power, moving through us, will truly change the world. It all starts with our simple yes – a yes to God to allow Him to work in our lives and to be transformed by the Spirit of Life and Truth. So, let’s choose to engage this awesome power and to change the world today through the praying of the simple prayer: “Come Holy Spirit.”