Pentecost - 2026

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Jn. 20:19

PENTECOST When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Acts 2:1

PRAYER FOR THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

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. (From the Eucharistic Devotions)

PRAYING WITH MARY ON PENTECOST

Holy Mary Mother of God, on Pentecost Day you gathered all the friends of Jesus in that meeting room of prayer.  Jesus had instructed that all must come together in prayer, to wait in trusting hope for the Promised One to come.  In the mystery of God’s grace, let us gather with you now.  We desire with all our hearts that the Anointing of Pentecost may come upon us once again.  Pray for us dear Mary, that the Mighty Wind of God’s Breath will come and fill our house of prayer.  Pray that Jesus your Son will send down upon us now, those tongues of flame, to enkindle in our hearts the fire of love and the light of faith.  Pray that our tongues be freed so that we might fill this house with the praises of God.  Pray O Queen of heaven that the Holy Spirit will give to our hearts a song of joy and thanksgiving for His mighty works now done in our midst. Come Holy Spirit, come.  Come down upon us now. Melt our frozen hearts, reshape our distorted minds renew our sagging spirits with your Breath of Life. (From the Eucharistic Devotions)

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GRACE of RENEWAL

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Prayers from the Mass of the Vigil of Pentecost Dear brethren (brothers and sisters), we have now begun our Pentecost Vigil, after the example of the Apostles and disciples, who with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, persevered in prayer, awaiting the Spirit promised by the Lord; like them, let us, too, listen with quiet hearts to the Word of God. Let us meditate on how many great deeds God in times past did for his people and let us pray that the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent as the first fruits for those who believe, may bring to perfection his work in the world. Grant, we pray, almighty God, that the splendor of your glory may shine forth upon us and that, by the bright rays of the Holy Spirit, the light of your light may confirm the hearts of those born again by your grace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Ascension of the Lord - 2026

He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for "the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts 1:3-5

Meditation for Ascension Sunday You may have heard it said that you get an entirely new body every 7 years - that the cells of the human body are regenerated over a 7-year period. This is not quite accurate – but the cells of our bodies do regenerate and at various rates. Red blood cells live for about four months, while white blood cells live on average more than a year. Skin cells live about two or three weeks. Colon cells have it rough: They die off after about four days. Sperm cells have a life span of only about three days, while brain cells typically last an entire lifetime (neurons in the cerebral cortex, for example, are not replaced when they die) and it takes an average of 10 years to grow an entirely new skeleton. So there is some truth in saying that we are not the person we used to be. The down side is that the new cells are usually not as good as the ones they are replacing. This is what aging is all about. St. Paul has a different take on our “regeneration “ So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. 2Cor. 5:17 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 We are concluding our Easter celebrations with this feast of the Ascension of Jesus, and we now anticipate the feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church – our birthday too. The gift of the Holy Spirit is a sharing in the very life of God. Those who receive this Gift begin living a new life, one that has a new destiny, a life that death cannot destroy. “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” Rom. 6:5 Even as the cells of this physical body decline and die, within we are living a new spiritual life. The question for today and this week leading to Pentecost is: am I truly living a spiritual Life, the New Life of the Spirit, that I received in baptism? Now, if I am concerned about the condition of my physical body I go to the doctor and he will do tests to diagnose my condition. This week could be viewed as a time of diagnosis, a time to examine the health of my spiritual life. Is my faith-life growing stronger or weaker? Are my works of holiness increasing or decreasing? May I suggest you take St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, especially Chap. 5. Here Paul is a physician, giving us an excellent examination and diagnosis of our spiritual lives: For you, brothers and sisters, were called to freedom. Only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity to gratify your flesh, but through love make it your habit to serve one another. For the whole Law is summarized in a single statement: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you are not destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will never fulfill the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh wants is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, and so you do not do what you want to do.  But if you are being led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the actions of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, witchcraft, l hatred, rivalry, jealously, outbursts of anger, quarrels, conflicts, factions, envy, murder, drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that. I am telling you now, as I have told you in the past, that people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. Now those who belong to Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also be guided. Let’s stop being arrogant, provoking one another and envying one another. Galatians 5:13ff.

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Sixth Sunday of Easter - 2026

Toward Pentecost

We are continuing through these Easter days as we approach the final two weeks of the Easter Season. This Sunday, May 10th begins the Sixth Week of Easter, followed by Sunday May 17th the feast of the Ascension of the Lord and the beginning of the final Week of Easter. The Easter season then ends with Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church, and the outpouring of the Gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the very source of the Life of the Church and the Spiritual Life of every member of the Church. The more we expand our understanding of this mystery the better we will be able of cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit within us. On Friday May 15 begins the Novena to the Holy Spirit, the nine days of prayer in preparation for the Feast of Pentecost. I have posted on this blog a Novena to the Holy Spirit . . . LINK . . .

Fifth Sunday of Easter - 2026

Fourth Sunday of Easter - 2026

I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, ... “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” John 10: In Jesus time, it was the practice for shepherds to coral several flocks into a single sheepfold over night for their protection and safety. In the morning, a shepherd would come to the gate, call out to the sheep, and only his sheep would come out and follow him. Such was the recognition and influence of the shepherd's voice. Knowing this gives us insight into why Jesus chose to use it as an image of his influence in our lives. To be a follower of Christ, we must have His Voice imprinted on our hearts. This imprinting happens through our reflective, meditative prayer. When the Lord speaks, it has a positive effect on our hearts. When it is not the Lord's voice we are hearing, its effect is negative. In our previous Post, we discussed identifying these movements of our hearts as we prayed. In this Post, we will look at identifying and naming the specific things that are attached to the different movements of heart we feel.  This is particularly helpful in matters having to do with choices. Here is an example of what I mean. Supposing a friend invites you to spend a week with them at their new summer home. You are delighted with the invitation, especially since you are desperately in need of a break. You are about to accept when you remember, that it is the same week you promised another friend, that you would help them with some much needed renovations at their house. Both are good propositions; and after some thought, you decide to beg off helping your friend in favour of taking the week at the summer home.  But, having made this choice makes you feel conflicted. You feel sad for turning down a friend in need. What to do? Now, a third friend calls you to commend you for offering to help your friend in need. They remark how kind and generous you are, especially since your friend could not possibly have done the work without you. This makes you feel very positive about yourself. So you reconsider your decision and choose to decline the holiday in favour of helping your friend in need. That call from the third friend is likened to the Lord's Voice in prayer. Having been presented with choices, you make a decision. Now you take your decision to prayer. You stack your decision up against the images, examples and thoughts you see as you pray the scriptures. This sheds new light on the process that lead to your decision. In the light of the "grace of prayer", ether a confirmation or a rethinking of your choice emerges. Like the friend's voice in our example, the Voice of the Lord will lead you to a better choice, confirmed by its positive thoughts and feeling.  We can rationalize ourselves into all manner of choices. But there is no deceiving the Lord. A heart sincere and open to listening in prayer, will hear the Good Shepherd's voice. If your choice is a bad one you will want to move away from it. If it is a good one, it will draw you closer to the Lord.  For a more complete and comprehensive treatment of this subject, prayer and choosing, visit the Ignatian Spirituality Site.  "The sheep of the shepherd hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out."

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Third Sunday of Easter - 2026

Link to Catholic Productions commentary on Third Sunday

Link to VOICES post on the  Third Sunday

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Second Sunday of Easter - 2026

The Church celebrates Easter Sunday day for a whole week. For the liturgy of the Word, the Gospel texts are taken from all four gospel writers and their accounts of resurrection of Jesus. Following the close of this day, the Easter season will continue for fifty days – ending with the celebration of the Ascension and Pentecost. As a preparation for Pentecost, the first reading of the liturgy of the word will be taken from the book of the Acts of Apostles and continue reading through the whole book. Acts of Apostles is the second part of Luke’s gospel. It takes us through the unfolding history of the first generation of the Church. This is our story – it is who we are – where we came from – how we got here and why we have gathered in this way to celebrate the sacred mysteries. There are also a couple other things that make this weekend special. It is Divine Mercy Sunday, established by pope John Paul ll on this day in the year 2000. And on this very Sunday, Pope John XXlll and Pope John Paul ll were canonized, Saints of the Church. I find all this quite significant for us at this time in the history of the Church. It is not uncommon to hear it suggested that the Church is in decline and no longer relevant; that perhaps the Church might even disappear, braking into fragmented pieces, replaced by rational thought and technology. It is because we are surrounded by such a cloud of doubt, that this time in Church is so important for us, and why we must make reading the Acts of the Apostles a central part of our personal faith life, just as the Church makes it so in the liturgy of the Word. When we turn to Acts and the story of Pentecost, we quickly see that our Church was not made up by the design of a group of people, a work of human enterprise. It comes from God and is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ followers were not great revolutionaries, rather they were a group of frightened and confused and very ordinary people. Then comes Pentecost Day and all is changed in a dramatic moment. On that very first day, Pentecost day, Acts shows us clearly, that the Church comes under attack. The joyful and exuberant faith of these Spirit-filled people is written off as nothing more than a product of too much alcohol, they are a bunch of drunks. From that first day up to today, the Church is constantly attacked and discredited. This is our constant history. Acts also shows us how the members of this new Church will be, “a-work-in-progress”, made up of frail humans being, sinners now saved, learning and growing under the constant presence of the Holy Spirit. So here we are today, the latest additions to this long history. I strongly encourage you to take up your scriptures and read and study the book of the Acts of the Apostles. May these Easter days be as powerful days of healing and building of your faith as they were for that first generation of believers, we celebrate through these Easter days.

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HOLY WEEK / EASTER MEDITATIONS - 2026

These meditations from previous posts focus on Jesus' battle with Satan and His Victory on the Cross. Palm Sunday begins with Meditation 01, and continues through each day of Holy Week and the Easter Season.

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HOLY WEEK / EASTER MEDITATIONS
Meditation 01	Meditation 05	Meditation 09
Meditation 02	Meditation 06	Meditation 10
Meditation 03	Meditation 07	Meditation 11
Meditation 04	Meditation 08	Meditation 12

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Fifth Sunday of Lent - 2026

The Fifth Sunday of Lent gives us yet another of Jesus great signs, the raising of Lazarus. It may seem strange to this generation that the problem some of the Jewish officials were having with Jesus’ signs was that he was performing them on the Sabbath. Today the problem is whether or not they even happened at all. Added to this there is even a further problem. If God who is professed to be a loving and merciful God exists why is there so much suffering in the world? (This is known as the “problem of evil”.) That is not to say that devout believers are not challenged by the suffering they see all around them or that they suffer personally. Meditating on the healing miracles of Jesus builds up one's faith in Jesus and becomes a source of encouragement for every believer. But then there is the Cross of Christ. In this Sunday's gospel, the account of the raising of Lazarus, we see lived out by Jesus' devout believers the challenge of the greatest of all evils, death. It is in this event that the mystery of the problem of evil is revealed. Let us examine the details of Lazarus death and how Jesus leads the people, and us, through the mystery. + Jesus loves Lazarus and His sisters Mary and Martha. If anyone deserves the touch of Jesus' healing hands it is Lazarist. + Jesus is informed of Lazarus' serious illness but deliberately delays going to him, waiting until he knew Lazarus would be dead. Jesus does this because he is going to disarm suffering and death of its power crush faith and hope in God's love. + The Quetion; Jesus, why? "If you had been here ..." Lazarus would be alive. The problem of evil solved. + The Answer: "Lazarus is not dead but sleeping - I am going to awaken him." Physical death is not the problem. Those who believe that all life offers is these few years of mixed blessings and making the best of them is what life is all about find no comfort in Jesus. But it is different for those who allow Jesus to take them into the mystery of why suffering, why death into the fuller picture in which death is scene as only a passage into the fulness of life. Jesus and his revelation now become the whole purpose of life. By calling Lazarus back from the sleep of the death Jesus demonstrates that death is not what is appears to be. Lazarus will again face his natural death but the life he will now be living will be filled with unshakable confidence that the fulness of life awaits him.  Dr. Pitre has an excellent commentary on today's gospel. >>>>> LINK <<<<<

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Fourth Sunday of Lent - 2026

Doctor Brant Pitre - Catholic Productions The Man Born Blind So they say "who sinned, this man or his parents?” And Jesus says "neither, neither this man nor his parents, but his blindness in this case is so that the work of God might be manifest in him." LINK to the Video

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From an Earlier Post. 

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Third Sunday of Lent - 2026

Ancestrally, Samaritans claim to be descent from the tribe of Ephraim and tribe of Manasseh (two sons of Joseph, O.T.) as well as from the Levites. They occupied the region of Israel between Judea in the south and Galilee to the north. Some Religious their beliefs: That there is one God, YHWH, the same God recognized by the Hebrew prophets. That the Torah, the Law, was given by God to Moses. That Mount Gerizim, not Jerusalem, is the one true sanctuary chosen by Israel’s God to worship Him. Samaritans were considered unclean heretics by the Jews whom they despised even more than they despised Gentiles. Now the Samaritan woman’s life is a total mess and by engaging with her Jesus is breaking all the conventional norms of shunning the Jews practiced toward Samaritans. The woman is totally surprised by Jesus’ willingness to engage with her and his disciples where dumbfounded when they saw him doing so. But Jesus tells them that he has come not to perpetuate division but to unite all peoples by taking them to a higher state of religious belief and practice. “The hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” This proclamation by Jesus is no less relevant for us to hear today than for these in today’s gospel. True religion, true worship comes down from God – it is God acting on the believer – it is a work of the Spirit. The worshipper cooperates by seeking after this outpouring of God’s grace. We create rituals around this “sacred act” of the Spirit. They are intended to help us to recognize and cooperate with the Spirit acting in us. We must never forget that it is not the rituals that make worship true, it is our humble surrender to the action of the Spirit working within us that makes our worship true and fruitful. Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that it is not the mountain that makes worship true. During lent we are asked to examine the quality of our worship. Just showing up in church on Sunday is not enough. Merely reciting prayer formulas by rote while our mind is way off shopping is not true prayer. Rituals play an important part, and when they are performed with reverence and devotion, they serve to help us rise up into God’s grace acting upon us. Let us always come to worship with such disposition of mind and heart.

Second Sunday of Lent - 2026

The Second Sunday presents us with the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus. The word transfiguration comes from a Greek word from which we get the word metamorphosis, meaning a radical change. An example that illustrates this well is the butterfly. It begins as worm like leaf eater, then after a time wrapped in a cocoon it emerges as a beautiful butterfly able fly. So here Jesus appearance is being radically transfigured, radically transformed. And as this happens Peter, James, and John can see Jesus’ divine glory. Remember Matthew gospel was first written to first century Jews. When they heard these details of the transfiguration, they would immediately make the connection with Moses on Mount Sinai. Some of these connections with the Transfiguration of Jesus and Moses’ experience on Mount Sinai are: * Moses goes up the mountain taking three companions – Jesus take with him Peter, James and john. * When Moses went up the mountain of Sinai, it says that “when he came down his face shone with the glory of having been in the presence of God,” * When Jesus goes up the mountain, his face is transfigured and it shines like the sun with its own light - similar to Moses but is greater than Moses, because he's being revealed as the divine son of God. * In the Moses experience a cloud descends upon him; it says that “God spoke to Moses from the cloud.”   * In the Transfiguration of Jesus the voice of the Father speaks from the cloud and says the words, “this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” So, for the first century Jews they would see in the Transfiguration the revelation of one who is even greater than Moses. Jesus is acting like a new Moses, but he's a new and greater Moses, and he's bringing the disciples up that mountain to encounter God, to enter into the mystery of God and to also reveal to them his divine Sonship. What is the meaning of the Transfiguration for us today? As for Peter, James and John Jesus is preparing them for the scandal of the Cross. When they and the other disciples see Jesus’ passion and death their faith will suffer a crushing blow. So for us we also see in the Transfiguration the glory and power of God revealing Jesus as our Lord and Saviour – for  we too must face the crushing blows that our own trials will bring against our faith – faith that for some will be lost. This is why Lent is such an important time because it is during Lent that through prayer and meditation, we seal in one unbreakable bond the glorious Transfiguration with the passion of Jesus. So that we can face our trials with the vision of the victorious Christ - so seared into our memory that no suffering we face will ever separate us from our confident trust in the Lord. May I recommend that this be the way for you pray and meditate this Lent. As you look up at the Crucified Jesus, see also the vision of the glorious risen Christ.

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