The Holy Spirit profoundly transformed the disciples and sent them into the world with the Good News. May we today open our hearts to the Spirit as we seek to offer our lives in service of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We conclude the daily Masses of the Easter season with St. Paul now in Rome – where he will spend the last two years of his life, preaching and teaching others about Jesus.
The three-fold exchange between Jesus and Peter reveals the Lord’s desire to both meet us where we are and challenge us to grow. Our love for the Lord will thus lead us to follow him with greater intensity as we open our hearts and offer our lives.
The prayer of Jesus in the Gospel of John reveals the crucial work we carry out every time we share our faith in Christ with one another. As we bring the Good News to the people in our lives, we foster Christian communion and extend God’s grace and mercy to the next generation.
Paul’s farewell is personal and powerful, reminding us that transitions in our lives provide an intense opportunity to speak from our hearts about our faith in Christ.
The feast of Pentecost brings the season of Easter to a stunning conclusion with several Scripture options, depending on the Mass you attend and the choice of the presider. Let’s take a look:
Vigil Mass
Genesis 11:1-9 – The tower of Babel
Exodus 19:3-8,16-20 – Moses leads the people to meet God at the foot of Mount Sinai
Ezekiel 37:1-14 – God brings the Spirit and restores the dried bones to life
Joel 3:1-5 – God will pour the Spirit upon the people
Psalm 104 – “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.”
Romans 8:22-27 – The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness
John 7:37-39 – Jesus speaks of the Spirit as a living water that flows from within
Mass during the Day
Acts 2:1-11 – The Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples and they speak many different languages
Psalm 104 – “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.”
1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13 – The Spirit gives many different gifts and unites the many parts of the body
Galatians 5:16-25 – Live and be guided by the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit
John 20:19-23 – Jesus breathes on the disciples, offering them peace and the Holy Spirit
John 15:26-27; 16:12-15 – Jesus speaks of the Spirit of truth, the Advocate
These readings are all powerful reminders that the Holy Spirit is among us! May we call upon the Spirit each and every day for the strength and wisdom we need as we strive to offer our lives for the Lord.
Come Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ our Lord. Amen!
The Ascension of the Lord reveals how God works in our lives during times of transition and change. May our trust in Christ help us to respond to divine grace, especially in those awkward and uncomfortable moments that are part of daily life.
Three Great Things 