Pentecost

 In the Gospel Jesus tells his disciples: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth" (Jn 15: 13) and St Paul instructs the Galatians: "If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit." (Gal 5: 25) A guide is someone who helps me to find my destination or to explain the significance of what I am looking at, when I am in a museum or tourist attraction. Called to be missionary disciples we do not presume to have full knowledge. As disciples we are apprentices to the Holy Spirit however, as missionary, we are sent out into a world that is often difficult to navigate. Thus, we need the Holy Spirit to guide us to fulfil our vocation to serve the Lord. Guidance can come in many forms: prayer, Scripture reading, the papal Magisterium, holy parishioners, etc. What is crucial is the openness of the individual to the Holy Spirit and a willingness to discern the spirits. Not all spirits come from God: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 Jn 4: 1) Let us take courage, nevertheless, this Pentecost and open ourselves to the Holy Spirit who bestow on us, as a sign that we are on the right path, those fruits listed by St Paul: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Gal 5: 22)

Feast of the Ascension

After the Lord's prayer, during Mass, the priest continues: "Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ." (Roman Missal) Is this an Advent prayer or an Ascension prayer? In both cases we: "...await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ." The Jewish people, throughout the Old Testament, anticipated the coming of the Messiah. Their prayers were answered in Jesus of Nazareth. At the start of Advent, we anticipate the eschaton, the last days, when the Lord will come again in glory. We believe that our prayers, too, will be answered in God's time. Likewise, when we think of the Ascension we await the return of our Lord Jesus, whom the Apostles witnessed as passing from their sight to the heavenly realities, leaving them to the continue the mission he had given them. Either way we are not left alone to continue this mission. The prayer after the doxology: "For the kingdom, the power, etc.", is addressed to the risen Lord, present in sacrament on the altar: "Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. Who live and reign for ever and ever." Ascended in glory, present in sacrament, powerful in majesty, it is Christ the King who unites the spiritual and temporal orders and brings us together as one while bestowing diversity of charisms and ministries: "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift." (Eph 4: 4-7)

6th Sunday of Easter

 Today we are challenged by the mystery of God's will. Jesus says: "You did not choose me, but I chose you." (Jn 15: 16) That Jesus chose the Twelve is evident from the other gospels where Jesus summons his disciples and selects the Apostles from among them (Mk 3: 13-14). In baptism all of us have been called by God. The doctrine of prevenient grace teaches us that whatever we have said or done to cooperate with God's grace his grace has preceded any act of our will. Part of the challenge of our Christian vocation, as missionary disciples, is to discover God's will for us and what he wants for each of us to do to his greater glory. Sometimes this is not readily apparent to us in the present moment. St Paul exclaims: "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counsellor?' 'Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen." (Rm 11: 33-36) Let us, therefore, set ourselves to discern God's will in our lives and not be discouraged by our weaknesses or sins. God has chosen us, and we are obliged by his love to respond for: "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded." (Lk 12: 48)