Nineteenth Sunday of the Year - 2025

Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,

for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Mtt 24:42

It is likely few of us have experienced being a servant – that is in strict sense of word – no rights, no say, no union, no where to go if you try to leave. More likely our experience is more about being served; we are all the masters expecting to be served. This is my life, my stuff, I paid my dues (my condo fees) – I expect to be served and if not just watch me complain. This way of thinking may well colour our view of religion. “I have church membership, I profess my belief, follow the rules, so now God must meet my needs, answer my prayers, serve me when I prayer.” In today’s gospel Jesus talks about this view of servants.  “Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? Instead, won’t he tell him, ‘Prepare my meal and dress yourself to serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what he was told?” Lk. 17 So let us get this straight, we are the servants; God is the master who is to be served. As today’s gospel continues Jesus goes on to describes three kinds of disordered servants who must be dealt with: 1.       Those who say my master is delayed in coming - and to eat and drink and get drunk – might these be the ones risking a trip to hell? 2.       Those who knew what their master wanted, but were careless about doing what was expected of them – might these be those who require a stay in purgatory? 3.       Those who did not know they were servants at all – they must face a time of testing, repentance and conversion. Today, in our hearing of this word of God the question is put to us, what kind of servant am I? Luke ends this section with Jesus telling us how God actually will serve us: Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. 39 "But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour." Lk 37-40 Am I ready for His coming?

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Eighteenth Sunday of the Year - 2025

Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."  But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?"  And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."   Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, "What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?'  Then he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'  But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'  So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God." * * * * * *  The man in gospel finds himself overflowing with good fortune. An abundant harvest is a blessing from God, something every farmer prays for, indeed what all pray for. The problem here is not with harvest or the need for new barns, rather what happens in his heart. It changes him, blinds him to his true purpose in life and becomes the god he servers. Listen to his words ….. and I shall say to myself, now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, relax, eat, drink, be merry!” His problem is forgetting why he’s here, the true purpose of his life, what God he should be serving. Why am I here is the first question in the catechism: – to know, love and serve God. To use our allotted time to create a harvest of good works. The Gospel ends with that well known truth – “you can’t take it with you.” Materials things no, but there is something we do take with us; as the farewell blessing in funeral liturgy says, “Let them rest from their labours, for their good deeds go with them.” Remember these words … “For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Mtt.25:35. I thought of Mother Teresa on her moving day when packing up to return to the Father’s House, how many truckloads it would take to bring with her all her good deeds done. * * * * * * THE IMITATION OF CHRIST – Thomas a Kempis The First Chapter IMITATING CHRIST AND DESPISING ALL VANITIES ON EARTH HE WHO follows Me, walks not in darkness," says the Lord. By these words of Christ we are advised to imitate His life and habits, if we wish to be truly enlightened and free from all blindness of heart. Let our chief effort; therefore, be to study the life of Jesus Christ. The teaching of Christ is more excellent than all the advice of the saints, and he who has His spirit will find in it a hidden manna. Now, there are many who hear the Gospel often but care little for it because they have not the spirit of Christ. Yet whoever wishes to understand fully the words of Christ must try to pattern his whole life on that of Christ. What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone. This is the greatest wisdom -- to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of the world. It is vanity, therefore, to seek and trust in riches that perish. It is vanity also to court honor and to be puffed up with pride. It is vanity to follow the lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment later must come. It is vanity to wish for long life and to care little about a well-spent life. It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to make provision for things to come. It is vanity to love what passes quickly and not to look ahead where eternal joy abides. Often recall the proverb: "The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled with hearing." Try, moreover, to turn your heart from the love of things visible and bring yourself to things invisible. For they who follow their own evil passions stain their consciences and lose the grace of God. * * * * * *  First Reading for this Sunday - Ecclesiastes  1:2; 2:21-23 “Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities!   All things are vanity!” (Here is a link to an excellent video reflecting on this passage.) https://youtu.be/qWoPKMft2C4

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Seventeenth Sunday of the Year - 2025

In today’s gospel we have Luke’s account of Jesus’ teaching on prayer. The disciples see Jesus continually praying and they want to learn Jesus’ way of prayer. Jesus begins with an example of the kind of elements that prayer may include – adoration, thanksgiving, petition, reparation for sin. In today’s gospel we have Luke’s form of the “Our Father”.  Matthew’s version (we say in the liturgy) is found in Chp. 6 with the wording we commonly use when praying the “Our Father”. Luke continues with Jesus pointing out the need for perseverance as a necessary character of prayer. This follows with Jesus guaranteeing with certainty the efficacy of prayer. How often have you heard others complain, or even yourself, that God never answers my prayers? James in his letter points out (. . . you do not receive because you are asking for all the wrong things. Chp. 4:) Look, if you want to win the lottery buy a ticket and cross your fingers. Prayer is not about lotteries. For Jesus prayer is all about learning and knowing and understanding the will of God – who is God – who am I – why am I here – what is God’s plan for my life – what do I need to do to cooperate with his will for me; Lord show me. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness Jesus says in Matthew, and all these things will be added unto you. Mtt. 6:33 Our world today is so materialistic, believing that real value is found only in things, in wealth, in power, in material security. Is this not at the heart of why so many are turning away from religion – growing in a knowledge of God and God’s will – how will that help me to have a better life is their question? I encourage you to go to Matthew chapter 6: read and reflect on Jesus words about prayer where we hear . . . . .         Vs.19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal;          Vs.21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also          Vs.24 No one can serve two masters – God and money.         Vs.25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?    Vs.33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. For Jesus, prayer is a relationship, a dialogue between us and our loving Father who wills only our good. “. . . for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Mtt. 6:8” It is we who do not know what we really need as we go to prayer. Prayer is discovering how the Father plans to take care of us. Vs.34 "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.

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Sixteenth Sunday of the Year - 2025

Once again – visit this tender story of Jesus with Martha and Mary. We know from John’s gospel that Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus – here, Luke may be telling us about the beginnings that relationship. It is from John that we learn that this “certain village” is Bethany. To better understand the dynamics of this scene it helps to have some understanding of the importance of hospitality in the Jewish culture of this time. Hospitality to travelers was a religious obligation – it was God’s way of caring for those who must travel. Hospitality would include lodging, food, water for man and animals and to be given in as spirit of welcome and genuine kindness. Luke does not tell us exactly who of Jesus’ disciple may have joined him – but Martha clearly felt the pressure facing her. Those of you who have been the hosts for major family gatherings know what it’s like. But remember, Martha could not simply go to the freezer and fridge for what she will need, or call “Skip-the-Dishes.” Preparations of food where new from scratch every day. But here is Mary, siting at Jesus feet; a place only for disciples, a place that was not allowed for women. Martha seeing her sister Mary neglecting her religious obligations of hospitality, sitting among the men where she should not be, and leaving her to do all the preparations complains to Jesus; “do you not care . . . tell her to help me!” The way Jesus repeats Martha’s name no doubt was a tender expression. But now for Martha and for all Jesus’ disciples to come, a new obligation is given superseding all else – that of devoted attention to every word that Jesus speaks. Recall Jesus’ response to the Devil’s temptation in the desert: "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Harvesting from the world’s abundant resources for our daily needs is a real necessity. But to understand who provided them for us, what they are meant for, and how to use them wisely and well must take priority. When people of this world neglect to seek first the Wisdom from God, the negative consequences will surely be evident in a disordered world – a reality quite evident in our world today. Here in the liturgy of the Mass we have a perfect model laid out. We come seeking the Lord our God. We listen attentively to the Wisdom of God revealed to us in the Liturgy of the Word We come to the Lord’s table to have or hearts transformed by entering into communion with the God’s Divine Will. We go forth, to invite others into this Divine hospitality of salvation by our service to them. We come as Mary's' and we go forth as Martha's'.

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Fifteenth Sunday of the Year - 2025

The three Evangelists, Matthew, Mark and Luke include this encounter with Jesus and the Scribe and the Pharisee in their gospels. Mark’s version suggests that the scribe questioning Jesus is impressed with Jesus’ teaching and wants to see if he and Jesus agree on the popular question of which is the most important of the commandments. But in Matthew as well as Luke, our gospel text for today, those questioning Jesus are trying to discredit Jesus’ teaching with trick questions about the commandments. First, they ask a popular question, ‘which is the most important commandment of the law’, and Jesus’ answer seems to agree with theirs. So, they try to entangle Jesus in the highly disputed question of ‘who is my neighbour’. It’s Luke who includes the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Jesus’s answer. There are some important lessons here for us Catholics who may consider ourselves to be truly devout believers because we go to church every Sunday no matter what. The Priest and the Levite in Jesus’ parable are no doubt on their way to fulfill their obligations of service at the temple or returning from doing so. But to do so they must be ritually clean. Coming into contact with blood would make them ritually unclean and unable to perform their religious duties in the temple. So they pass by the bleeding victim laying on the side of the road. Our coming to Mass on Sunday is a most profound religious act of which there is no greater. But we must come with hearts that are worthy. Consider these words of Jesus,  “So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.” Mtt. 5:23-24 Our religious practice must come from hearts that are humble and true. John, in his first letter asks how you can say you love God whom you have never seen when you fail to love your brother or sister right before your eyes. (1 John. 4:20) Jews at the time of Jesus’s parable hated the Samaritans for not following all the prescripts of the Law. But in Jesus’ parable it was the Samaritan who got it right, who fulfilled the essence of the Law. As you come seeking God’s forgiveness before the altar of God today, ask that your heart be filled with forgiveness and reconciliations for others. Our world is plagued by brokenness and division. It needs healers not haters. The Samaritan got it. Am I getting it?

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Fourteenth Sunday of the Year - 2025

The gospel for this Sunday has Jesus speaking these words; "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." There are two other texts that contain a similar reference: Isaiah 14:12 - "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! Revelation 12:7 - The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. It may surprise us to realize that the call to Evangelization is a call to warfare, to a spiritual warfare, to be fought here and now in our daily lives. This may be hard to get our heads around given that we are being anesthetized by a growing secularism in our society that has lost all sense of the reality of the spiritual. 'Follow your dream, whatever makes you happy, that's all that matters. Truth is subjective', so it goes. It's like we are sitting in our rec-room sipping a coffee and munching a cookie, watching T.V. while in and out of our house stretcher bearers are bringing in the wounded on stretchers, as a fierce war rages on outside, and we take no notice, oblivious, continuing watching our program. The casualties I refer to are those who are loose their faith, their connection with the spiritual life, their connection with the communion they had with their spiritual home; loosing their union in the Spirit with the Father and Jesus - this especially true of the younger generation. They are being dragged down into a world without God. I recommend you read chapter 12: of the Book of Revelation; its imagery helping us to see what Jesus is seeing.   ... a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. The Church the Body of Christ.   ... She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. The Body of Jesus dying on the cross. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. Originally the seven hills of pagan Rome - now the cities of the world, contaminated by atheism, imposing a secular world view.  The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. Mary the first Church and Jesus her son now born into the world. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. (the days remaining until the Second coming) The ascension of Jesus and the Church dispersed to all the world; under the protection of divine providence, never to be destroyed. Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus. And so the Church lives on in this ongoing struggle with the Deceiver and his cleaver lies. "Roaming the world, seeking souls to devour." (Prayer to St. Michael)  Are you in? St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and the other evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul - 2025

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” This gospel passage for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, contains two of the most important questions we may ever be ask to answer. We might characterize them in this way;  the first is about religion ( “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ) the second is about faith (“But who do you say that I am?” ) Few questions receive more attention than questions about religion. What people say about religion can vary greatly:  about God, is there a God or not? if there is a God what is God like? are there many gods? why does God matter to us? which religion has got it right? So many questions like these make up the discussion, or the debate, or the argument about religion. In places like the Middle East, religion and conflict seem to go hand in hand. Here in our country the question seems to have become more muted, deciding instead that it no long matters that much, or just keep it to yourself if you have an opinion about religion. In the gospels, we see Jesus very much engaged in the religion questions of the day, but his purpose is to get to the deeper question, the question of faith, for it is what you believe that shapes the way you conduct your life. It is one thing to form theories and have opinions about religion, it is quite another to embrace with certainty what you are convinced is true. St. Paul made it quite clear when he said, that if it is not a certain fact that Jesus has been raised from the dead, our whole faith structure collapses into nothing. (1Cor. 15:14) It is the official position of our liberal, democratic society not to have a definitive answer to the questions of religion. As long as we do not impose our beliefs on others, or deny them their rights granted them by law, we can practice what ever religious beliefs we have. It is our country's guarantee of religious freedom under the law. So question one asks, "... what are people saying about ...?" After exploring the question of religion, Jesus turns to the question of faith. Jesus has come into the world to bring together and form a communion of people over which he will be the head. ("I will build my church." ) The nature of this communion will be to have a real yet mystical union with Jesus as head and a true and fraternal union with one another. Their instruction will come, by way of revelation and inspiration by the Holy Spirit forming and guiding their minds and hearts. ( “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”) Their purpose is to live holy lives and be a sign and example for all the world to follow. (Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy.) In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. 1 John 4:8-16 The fact that in this county we have the freedom of religious belief and practice, which we respect, and see as a blessing, does not diminish the importance of the fundamental question: What do you believe - "who do you say I am?". And if your answer concerning Jesus is the same as Peter's, what is the state and condition of your "communion" in the Church that Jesus builds in the world? And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.

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Corpus Christi - 2025

Two months ago, in the liturgy of Holy Thursday we celebrated the institution of the Sacred Eucharist, the Mass. Today’s feast of Corpus Christi, was established to create a feast focused solely on the Holy Eucharist emphasizing the joy of the Eucharist being the body and blood of Jesus Christ through the mystery of Transubstantiation. The origins of this feast began in Liège, a Belgium city, toward the end of the 12thcentury. In the city there were groups of women, known as the Norbertine canonesses, who lived together and devoted their lives to prayer and to charitable works. One of them, Juliana of Liège, had a vision of Christ in which she was instructed to plead for the institution of the feast of Corpus Christi. The vision was repeated for the next 20 years but she kept it a secret. When she eventually relayed it to her confessor, he relayed it to the bishop. So in 1246 the Bishop ordered a celebration of Corpus Christi to be held in the diocese each year thereafter on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. Pope Pius V revised the General Roman Calendar and Corpus Christi was one of only two "feasts of devotion" that he kept, the other being Trinity Sunday and it remains to this day. This feast is all about the real and true presences of Jesus, body, soul, and divinity in the elements of the Eucharist. This has been a part of the Church’s belief beginning from the Last Supper but understanding just how this happens has been a developing work over time.  The Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215 spoke of the bread and wine as "transubstantiated" into the body and blood of Christ and this was later elaborated on by St. Thomas Aquinas, as well as other medieval theologians. In the end in remains a Divine mystery to our understanding. Martin Luther was not a fan of the Feast of corpus Christi. He wrote: "I am to no festival more hostile ... than this one. Because it is the most shameful festival. At no festival are God and his Christ more blasphemed, than on this day, and particularly by the procession. For then people are treating the Blessed Sacrament with such ignominy that it becomes only play-acting and is just vain idolatry." He also rejected the theology of transubstantiation. So what of this mystery of the real presence today and devotions to the Blessed Sacrament? Many remember the time when Mass could not be said after 12 noon. So during Lent, on Wed. Fri. and Sun. evenings devotions with benediction of the blessed sacrament was norm. Exceptions to this restriction began with Pope Pius XII, and with the new liturgy of the 60’s evening mass was common. So in Lent Mass replaced devotions in most parishes. The Mass and the reception Holy Communion rightfully hold the highest place in our devotion, but other forms of Eucharistic devotion have an important place in deepening our communion with Christ. At the heart of today’s feast of Corpus Christi is the wondrous mystery of Jesus’ real presence, body, soul, and divinity in the elements of the Eucharist. May we never lose sight of this. May our devotion to this mystery grow ever stronger.

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Trinity Sunday - 2025

When you look back on the history of the human race you find that in every age people understood well that everything that exists must have had a creator; every age that is except this age. Within the scientism of our age there are those who insist that everything in the universe just spontaneously happened on its own. However, knowing who the creator of all things, who is called God, truly is has been a long work in progress. History is full of gods that man put forward to describe who God is; some of whom are still today thought of as true gods. Knowing who God is, is impossible for mere humans to discover on their own. As his first letter, John points out “that no one can see God”. God, who is beyond sight, must reveal Himself to us. And so, our Jewish-Christian tradition has been that long historical experience of God revealing who he is to us. First God is seen as having the nature of a father, the giver and protector of all life. Then in the New Testament, Jesus is revealed as the Son of God. Finally, Jesus reveals that there is a third person, the Holy Spirit, who comes to take us up into the very life of God. In the early generations of the Church, these revelations were pondered and studied, not without conflicting opinions. Then, in the year 325 AD, that is Anno Domini, the year of the Lord, not of the Common Era; the bishops of the Church gathered in the City of Nicaea to discuss and define who God truly is. From this Council of Nicaea we now have the Nicaean Creed in which we profess our faith. In 1 John 4: we read: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is already in the world at this time. Today the big problem facing Christianity has more to do with whether God exists at all. Atheism is strong today. John continues: Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous. The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. vs. 7-8 Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth. And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence: If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things. vs. 18-19

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Pentecost - 2025

It is impossible to over state the importance of this day of Pentecost. Stating the importance of Easter St. Paul says: “…  if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” 1Cor 15:17. So too, of Pentecost Paul states with equal consequence: “… and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor. 12:3 As examples of the necessity of the Holy Spirit let us look at just two figures in scripture, the Apostle Thomas and the Apostle Paul. The disciples’ faith in Jesus was scandalized and totally crushed by the Cross of Jesus and they fled in despair – as the two disciples on the road to Damascus lamented “we had hoped …” They believed Jesus had come from God, as Luke describes it, "And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” Lk 4:36). But to believe Jesus WAS God, and all things were under his authority, including our very lives – this required a direct intervention of Grace. Thomas put it well (especially for our generation): "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Jo. 20:25. Only when, he gazed into the face of the risen Lord, could he then exclaim: “My Lord and my God!” Jo. 20:27 And St. Paul after being knocked to the ground on the road to Damascus – when he saw and heard: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”, could he realize who Jesus truly was and turn from being an enemy to apostle.  Acts 9:5.  But as convincing as these visions and encounters were, there was about to happen a different plan for revealing Jesus and convincing believers. This plan was to become the norm for all generations to follow – so for us today. It began on Pentecost. A true living faith would be the result of a direct encounter with the Holy Spirit – an encounter that would take place in the depths of a believer’s soul. And the unfolding of this plan is what we have just witnessed as we have been pondering and praying through the Acts of the Apostles these past Easter Days. Here are just two examples from Acts: While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Acts 10:44. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. Acts 19: Remember that amazing and prophetic prayer Pope John XXIII offered up to open the Second Vatican Council 1961:  “Divine Spirit, renew your wonders in our time, as though for a new Pentecost, and grant that the holy church, preserving unanimous and continuous prayer, together with Mary the Mother of Jesus, and also under the guidance of St. Peter, may increase the reign of the Divine Saviour, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love and peace. Amen” At nine o’clock on the morning of October 12, 1962, twenty-four hundred Roman Catholic bishops began a lone procession through St. Peter’s Square toward the Basilica for the solemn opening of the Second Vatican Council, and a new Pentecost is what has been happening in the Church these last many years since that prayer.  And it’s not over by a long shot. A new Pentecost awaits any and all who desire to know the Lord. Let us be like the father of the possessed boy seeking Jesus help, when Jesus said to him that all things are possible for those who have faith: “… cried out to Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Mk. 9:24 Cry out your prayer, loud and clear: Jesus my Lord, I confess to you and to all the world my need for your presence in my life. I am alone and in darkness without you. I am influenced and controlled by the many forces that surround me. Even though I struggle against them, it is sin that so easily dominates my life. Who can save me but you alone, my Lord and my God. Deliver me from the Evil One. Touch my life with that power which flows from your resurrection. Cause your Holy Spirit to be born in me anew. Prince of Peace and Lord of Glory reign now in my heart. Baptize me with your Holy Spirit and Fire. Raise me up to a New Life in you. Amen.

Here is a link to a guide to praying for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit +++ LINK +++

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