Acts 1:21-14
Psalm 27:1,4,7-8,
1 Peter4:13-16,
John 17:1-11 Full Readings Ascension of the Lord Reflection
Praying for the Coming of the Holy Spirit
As we draw near Pentecost, it's right and just that we should pray unceasingly that the Holy Spirit will come into our hearts, and also prepare our hearts and minds to welcome Him. The Apostles in the first reading, though afraid of Jews, didn't cease praying for nine days before the coming of the Holy Spirit who took away their fear and commissioned them for the ministry which Jesus had spent forty days after Easter preparing them.
The church also gives us this opportunity to pray the novena to the Holy Spirit for nine days just as the Apostles did after being instructed by Jesus. Let us pray unceasingly on our knees that the Holy Spirit who is soon to come in a new way may find us worthy to receive Him as well as His seven gifts.
When the Holy Spirit comes, He will transform our lives and always lead us to do God's will. God's will is for us to trust in Jesus, His Son, and sharing in His life both his sufferings and his service to all the people. The second reading stresses this boldly that if we can share in the sufferings of Christ then we should rejoice because, when His glory is revealed we shall have greater joy with Him. It's better to suffer for for the sake of Christ and truth for there is a reward which surpasses that suffering, than to suffer for being a criminal where there no reward but paying for the wrong done. Let us then rejoice that we suffer for Christ and ask the Holy Spirit to give us strength and courage to pass through this life untroubled by unbelief in Christ.
The perfect example from which we can withdraw inspiration to pray is from the Gospel which presents to us Jesus' prayer. In fact, John’s Gospel, Chapter 17, is referred to as Jesus’ High Priestly prayer which sums up the life and mission of Jesus. This prayer consists of some aspects like.
Firstly, Jesus knowing that the time had come to leave the earth, he expresses that He had done the mission which the Father gave Him and had glorified the Father and so He prays that the Father should glorify Him too. How did Jesus glorify the Father? By accepting to reveal what God really is, making known His name, gathering a people together for Him and also accepting the Father's will to be done through Him even giving up His life. Having done this, God also glorified Him by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand as the Lord of all.
Secondly, He prays for us that we may remain one, united as a family of God who heard and accepted His word from the lips of Jesus Christ. He knows what really takes place in this world, how temptations are many, and how faithless the world is and so since we are in it, we need divine intervention to remain firm in faith and believing in God. That's what Jesus really prays for us. Furthermore, He knows how hard it may be to do Father's will and so he had to pray for us to have courage and strength to undertake that mission. Jesus' prayer for us will be fulfilled when He sends the Holy Spirit to us to enable us to live in this world.
Reflect today on Prayer. Are you praying for the coming of the Holy Spirit in you? How often do you pray? Do you like praying or you don't pray? If Jesus who is God can pray, then who are we not to pray unceasingly? Let us continue to pray for the Graces to always communicate to God in prayer.
Let us pray.
Plant in us O Lord the seed of Hope that we who await for the coming of your Holy Spirit may rejoice at His coming and in the world to come. Amen.
Blessed Sunday.
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