by Father Patrick Longalong
More often than not, there is a period of adjustment when life begins to move beyond what we are used to. Even something good can feel unsettling at first. I remember speaking with a parishioner not long after his family welcomed a new child. He told me, “Father, I thought I was ready. But everything changed. The house feels different. My routine is gone.” Then he paused and said, “But I know this is something good. I just need to learn how to live with it.”
In many ways, that is what the Resurrection did to the disciples. It was not just a moment of joy. It disrupted everything. What they had experienced with Jesus could no longer remain where it began. They had to learn how to see differently, move differently, and allow the message to reach places they never expected.
We see that shift clearly in the Acts of the Apostles. Philip goes to Samaria, a place many would normally avoid because of long-standing divisions. And yet that is exactly where the Gospel takes root. People listen. They are healed. There is joy in the city. The message of Christ is no longer confined. It begins to cross boundaries.
When the apostles in Jerusalem hear about it, they send Peter and John. They pray over the people and lay hands on them so they may receive the Holy Spirit. This moment matters because it shows that the Church is not just expanding outward, but also being held together. What begins in one place is recognized and affirmed in another. The same Spirit is at work, creating unity even as the community grows.
In the Gospel, Jesus prepares his disciples for this kind of change. He does not give them a detailed plan. Instead, he points them to love. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Love becomes the anchor that holds everything together. And then he gives them a promise. He will not leave them orphaned. The Advocate will remain with them.
That promise is what makes growth possible. The disciples are not simply organizing something new. They are learning to trust where the Spirit leads, even when it feels unfamiliar.
We are beginning to see something similar in our own time. Lately, more young people, especially from Generation Z, are showing up in church. Not everywhere, but enough to notice. Some are asking questions. Some are returning. Some are encountering the faith for the first time.
What draws them is not always what we expect. Many are searching for something stable, something meaningful, something real in a world that often feels fragmented and uncertain. In many ways, it echoes what we see in Acts. The Gospel reaches people who are searching, even from places we did not anticipate.
At the same time, this moment challenges us. Growth is not just about numbers. It is about how we receive people, how we accompany them, and how we remain rooted in the Spirit. St. Peter reminds us to be ready to give a reason for our hope, but to do so with gentleness and reverence. The way we witness matters just as much as the message itself.
The early Church grew because it was open, accepted people as they were, and was personal. They did not keep their distance or wait for others to figure things out on their own. They entered into people’s lives, walked with them, and allowed the Gospel to be experienced, not just explained.
And maybe that is the real invitation for us. Not just to notice that the Church is growing, but to take responsibility for how it grows. To be the kind of community where someone can walk in searching and actually feel seen, heard, and welcomed. To trust that the Spirit is already at work, and to have the courage to meet people there.
Father Longalong is the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, Queens Village, and coordinator of the Ministry to Filipino Immigrants