Weekly Bulletin - May
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- 04- Seventh Sunday of Easter - Ascension of the Lord
- 11 - Pentecost Sunday
- 18 - Most Holy Trinity
- 25 -Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
This seventh Sunday of Easter is somewhat like the proverbial “calm before the storm.” The Lord Jesus has ascended into heaven and Pentecost has not yet occurred. Rather than immediately taking up Jesus’ command to go out to all the nations, the disciples gather in the upper room “with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers” (Acts 1:14). There they all devote themselves to prayer. The Gospel recounts the great prayer for the disciples that Jesus offered to his Father in heaven. If the words of Jesus while he was on earth finally began to sink in for the disciples, then gathering to pray was certainly the right choice, for the second reading lets us all know that to follow Christ means to have a share in his sufferings. © Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.
Last week we heard that following the Ascension, the disciples, Mary, and other followers of the Lord retreated to the upper room in prayer. This week we hear that, while praying in that room, the Holy Spirit comes upon them. Jesus’ post-Resurrection promise, recounted in today’s Gospel, is fulfilled: the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus’ followers. Saint Paul tells us that all of us, in some way, are given gifts of the Holy Spirit, gifts that can be used to spread the Good News. Today is one of the Church’s greatest festivals. Let us carry the refrain of the responsorial psalm with us throughout the coming week: “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth!” (Psalm 104:30).© Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.
The God of the universe is mysterious. Science has not been able to solve the mystery of how the universe came into being or explain exactly what continues to give it creative energy and masterful design. No religion asserts that it has found words to name fully the ineffable mystery of God, for no matter what name we use, God always transcends our limited ability to understand. God is a mystery to be believed, not known. And yet, we Christians believe that our name for God best expresses that inexpressible mystery: God is the Most Holy Trinity of three persons united in a communion of love, pouring forth that creative, saving, sanctifying love into the world. Today’s scriptures celebrate the mystery of the Trinity and give us clues for living that mystery in our lives.
© Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.
