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Blog: May 14, 2023

Fr. Jeff and others share reflections on the Sunday readings.

May 14, 2023

“Now when the apostles in Jerusalem

heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,

they sent them Peter and John,

who went down and prayed for them,

that they might receive the Holy Spirit,

for it had not yet fallen upon any of them;

they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Then they laid hands on them

and they received the Holy Spirit.”


“For Christ also suffered for sins once,

the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,

that he might lead you to God.

Put to death in the flesh,

he was brought to life in the Spirit.”


“Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

And I will ask the Father, 

and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,

the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,

because it neither sees nor knows him.

But you know him, because he remains with you,

and will be in you.’”


In more or less subtle ways, each of the three readings begin to shift our focus from the resurrection of Jesus to the sending of the Holy Spirit. We remember, of course, that the scriptures, the inspired word of God that communicates all that God desired for our salvation, are the result of a process that began with lived experience. The one and only God, eternal, all knowing, all powerful and ever present, was understood as a father: creating the universe, forming a people through covenant and commandment, leading them out of slavery and out of exile, always faithful, , merciful, righteous, and true. It is his will that made us and saved us. Yet, the lived experience also included priests, prophets, and kings. It included the wisdom of God personified. In the incarnation of Jesus, the eternally begotten Son became flesh for the life of the world. He walked, talked, healed, taught, proclaimed, suffered, died, and rose again, perfectly fulfilling the will of the Father. The disciples experienced his presence in the flesh and his return to the Father. Then they experienced a new presence. It was a different encounter with the divine. It was power and empowerment, it was life giving, it was guiding, it was gift, and it was indwelling. This new encounter was the Holy Spirit!


In the Gospels, Jesus must still ascend to the Father, but today we begin to anticipate the gift of the Holy Spirit. The gift is given at baptism and we are sealed in the Holy Spirit at confirmation. The Holy Spirit dwells within each of us. Like a spring of living water, he is life giving. He empowers us by God’s grace. As the Spirit of truth, he guides us in right paths. It is the Holy Spirit that makes us one. While every action of each person of the Trinity is the action of all, we await the celebration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It is the birthday of the Church, Jesus’s body now on earth, you and me. May we prepare our hearts for a fresh encounter with the divine. May our hearts burn with the fire of His love. Come, Holy Spirit, come!