(Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 103; Romans 8:8-17; John 14:15-16,23-26)

I think I have lost count of the number of times my wife has asked me “Did you pray about it?” To add to my frustration; because she usually asks when I have had an issue with something or I’m worried about something, my answer is often, ‘No’. I have taken part in online courses reminding us to pray and reminding us that we can’t always do things under our own power; and that we need to ask for God’s help.

In fact, if we listen to today’s second reading from St Paul’s letter to the Romans, we hear that we ‘have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry ‘Abba! Father!’’ As children of God, we are expected to stay in close communion with the Father; by loving the Son and allowing the Spirit to guide us.

We also hear Jesus in the Gospel, telling us that if we love Him then we will keep his commandments and that He will send the Holy Spirit to teach us and to help us to remember what He has shared with His disciples.

How often do you call on the Holy Spirit to help us?

How often do you try to do things under our own power?

I remember just a few short years ago, on my ordination day, one of the priests saying to me to call on the Holy Spirit during the service to help calm my nerves. I seemed to spend much of the first part of the Mass saying over and over again, ‘Come Holy Spirit!’. For months afterwards I experienced a period of calm; the likes of which I had never experienced before or since. Things which would normally stress me or get me angry just didn’t touch me. That day I know I was blessed with special grace from the Holy Spirit.

In our Scripture readings today, we hear how the Holy Spirit first came on the apostles and those gathered with them in the Upper Room. The Spirit didn’t come gently that day, He came with so much power that He drew all those visiting the City to their vicinity. The apostles were transformed by the Holy Spirit from fearful men hiding together in the upper room into men filled with evangelical zeal. The Spirit allowed the apostles to obey Jesus and go out to the whole world and share the Good News.

This is not something reserved for apostles, popes, bishops, priests or deacons. This is something which every Christian is called to do. Last week Pope Leo addressed a seminar and said that Christian families are called to be “missionaries of the Gospel to new generations”. He added that “it is the responsibility of the Church – bishops and the laity – to reach out to families who are spiritually distant from us and become ‘fishers of families’, fishers of couples, young people, children, women and men of all ages and circumstances, so that they may encounter the one Saviour”. He added that “through baptism each one of us has been made a priest, king and prophet for our brothers and sister and a living stone [1Pt 2:4] for the building up of God’s house.” As a Christian Community we need to engage with God to discern what He needs us to do in our community. Just like St Peter listened to Jesus when He was instructed to cast his net in a specific place, we need to listen and cast our net outside of the Church building; where the Spirit leads us; and become the type of fisher which Pope Leo is reminding us we need to be.

Pope Leo also asked us “all to join in the work of the Church in seeking out those families who no longer come to us, in learning how to walk with them and to help them embrace the faith and become in turn ‘fishers’ of other families.” He added that “spreading the ‘gospel of the family’ is a mission that can only be sustained by prayer and an encounter with Christ. Consequently, if we want to help families experience joyful paths of communion and be seeds of faith for one another, we must first cultivate and renew our own identity as believers.” He then encouraged us to seek the guidance of the “Holy Spirit in discerning criteria and methods that support and promote the Church’s efforts to minister to families and to let us help families to listen courageously to Christ’s words of encouragement.”

So, the next time Pam asks me if I’ve prayed about something, my sincere intention is to be able to say that I have and to be able to tell her in what ways he has supported me to do whatever it is I’ve had to do. Of course, this isn’t just for me, it’s for you too, so over to you to call on the Holy Spirit yourself more often, and if you don’t normally do this, I strongly encourage you to give it a go; you’ll be amazed what happens when you become more conscious of how He works in our lives. It’s as easy as it sounds…’Come Holy Spirit’

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Solemnity of Pentecost

CCC 696, 726, 731-732, 737-741, 830, 1076, 1287, 2623: Pentecost
CCC 599, 597,674, 715: apostolic witness on Pentecost
CCC 1152, 1226, 1302, 1556: the mystery of Pentecost continues in the Church
CCC 767, 775, 798, 796, 813, 1097, 1108-1109: the Church, communion in the Spirit

Please keep in your prayers this week

  • Those who are sick, housebound or in hospital, that the care they receive matches all of their needs.
  • Those waiting for the results of medical tests, examinations or scans, that the results can pinpoint the treatment they may need or alleviate their fears.
  • Our Pastoral Area as we continue to take the first steps towards moving from Maintenance to Mission.
  • Fr Patrick in Tadley as he celebrates his 75th birthday this week.
  • Those starting the Alpha course this week.

Deacon Tony

5th June 2025.