Easter - Cycle A - Cycle B - Cycle C
Lord!
You have
rescued me
and not allowed
my enemies to
rejoice over me!"
-Psalm 30
The key to solving the problems of the Apostles was that they listened to the Holy Spirit. The Apostles, by God's grace, were able to set aside their personal agendas and make the agenda of the Holy Spirit their own. They put aside selfish motivation and died to their pride and politics for the good of the Church. They looked for what they Jewish-Christians and Gentile-Christians had in common, namely, the Holy Spirit. Both groups were called to be heralds of the gospel. From this dying to self, the Church flourished and the Gospel went to all parts of the world.
We cannot escape the call to die and rise. No one of us is outside of the Paschal Mystery. What we need to do then is follow the example of the Apostles. We hear Jesus in the Gospel telling us that he cannot remain with us forever. Remember, the Resurrection is a transformation of the entire person: Jesus is forever changed and as his followers, so are we. Things can never be the same again. But, Jesus does assure us that we will have all that we need in the Holy Spirit to continue the work that he started on earth. Each of us shares in the gift of the Spirit. It is our common bond so that whether we are liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, black or white, man or woman, rich or poor, we are all on the same level. The Holy Spirit strips off the labels that we place on other people and ourselves and builds us into the Body of Christ.
As we begin to move toward the celebration of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, let us pray that we may realize the gife that Jesus has entrusted to us. May we respond to that gift! We have the Spirit of the living God sealed upon our hearts. The Spirit is our hope, our strength, and our glory. It is the key to Resurrection. It is all that holds us together. Let us not take that gift of unity for granted for our striving for unity is a foreshadowning of greater things to come.
Peace,
Shaun Lowery
Easter - Cycle A - Cycle B - Cycle C