Weekly Reflections

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10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 9, 2024

Whoever does the will of God is brother or sister to Jesus

Gospel: Mark 3: 20–35
Whoever does the will of the Father is my mother, sister, brother.

Whoever does the will of God is brother or sister to Jesus

Mark 3: 20–35

Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.” Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Music Meditations

Opening Prayer

Lord, help me to do what it takes to be included in the family of Jesus. Help me to welcome others into that family, as Jesus would. Help me to discern your will for the world and for me personally. Give me grace, insight and courage.

Companions for the Journey

Commentary from an unknown source: The King James Version totally removes Jesus' family from this part of the scene, saying: "And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, 'He is beside himself.'" The New Revised Standard Version puts the disparagement of Jesus in the mouths of others, saying: "When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, 'He has gone out of his mind.'" The authors of the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke, whose books were produced after the Gospel according to Mark and who included scenes similar to Mark 3:20-35, omitted from their narratives any suggestion that Jesus' family thought he was crazy. The story told in the wider context, Mark 3:20-35, sets Jesus' family in comparison to influential religious leaders (legal scholars based in Jerusalem). Both groups express an inability to understand who Jesus really is. The religious authorities conclude he is possessed by Satan. His family assumes he has lost his sanity. In an ancient setting, these diagnoses were roughly equivalent to each other. The scene underscores how those who presumably were in great positions to make sense of Jesus still were not immediately able to see him as God's agent. As Jesus announced and re-inaugurated God's intentions for human flourishing, many could not overcome the disorienting character of his message. Even close relatives and religious insiders were bewildered by what he said, which threatened to disrupt so many aspects of human society. Maybe Jesus' relatives were dismayed that the first-born son wasn't supporting his family but was gallivanting around Galilee as a self-appointed prophet. Or maybe they wanted him, as Messiah, to have bigger and better ambitions, such as promising a revolution instead of preaching and healing the sick. The Gospel of Mark does not explain; it merely sets up a showdown of sorts when the family arrives to seize Jesus. When the crowd says that his family is summoning him from outside the crowded building, Jesus answers with a shocking statement: "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? ... Look, here [these people seated around me] are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does God's will is my brother, sister and mother." It's good news for those inside the house, who seek to identify with Jesus and his message. It's also good news for Mark's earliest readers who found themselves estranged from their biological families (compare Mark 10:28-30). Bad news, however, for his relatives on the outside, and for others with high regard for customary notions of honor and social stability. Jesus redefines the criteria for who constitutes his true family. This goes beyond striking back at his mother and brothers' opinion about his sanity. More foundationally, Jesus makes a claim about what it might mean to belong to other people. He makes a claim about identity. Families, or "households," were the primary social and economic units of first-century society. Jesus speaks to deeply embedded cultural assumptions when he determines his true family not by blood relations or kinship ties but by doing the will of God. No wonder some people are bent on killing him in this book.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Whoever does the will of the Father is my mother, sister, brother.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

Has anyone in my family questioned my decisions to the point where it made me uncomfortable or caused a rift? What are the temptations we experience from forces averse to God’s plan for the full flourishing of all creation? (Barbara Reid, O.P.) Have I ever made a choice that my family or friends did not agree with or approve of? How did I handle that? What do I do when I think a friend or family member is really making a bad choice in life? When I have tried to listen to the voice of God, how often has that voice only been one of negativity and condemnation? Do I define "vocation" as only ministry of some sort? What else could be a "vocation"? Is my family those to whom I am related by blood, or others whom I have chosen to be family for me? What are the positive and negative aspects of each choice? Do I have to choose one or the other, or can I include both? We are shocked a bit by Jesus' reaction. However, he did not say that his relatives were not his family; He was making the point that there are non-family members who become Jesus' mother and brothers through doing God's will. Jesus tells us we are his brothers, sister, mother. Do we believe that? When I pray, do I ask God to grant my wishes, or to show me what He wishes for me? Do I think of doing God's will as some sort of cosmic game? When I think of doing God's will, am I choosing what movie to see, what to have for lunch, or where to love, or whom to marry? How specific is God's will for me? What if I make a mistake and choose wrong? The following verses: Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” very likely circulated as an independent unit before it was incorporated in this gospel. Why would that be? Are there words and actions of Jesus that might be offensive to some people today?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:
Adapted from “First Impressions”, a service of the Southern Dominican Province: Notice the implied popular belief the scribes expressed in their accusation against Jesus. They revealed a belief that evil possesses power and could do impressive acts. They seemed to believe that not all powerful deeds are of God and that these powers are not always well intentioned (“He expels demons with the help of the prince of demons.”). Their thinking is not too far removed from what we experience today: that there are powerful forces that can do horrendous evil in the world. At first glance these powers seem to be doing good for humanity; we call it: “progress” “modern discoveries,” “technology,” etc. But these forces can do harm and we need to ask if they are really advances, and at what price those advances? Who gains and who loses? And where does all this power lead us anyway? To be honest, a lot of people followed Jesus because of the wondrous things he was doing. And to be honest, we seem to be attracted to and in awe of power. Who are those “wonder workers” or those who possess great power in our own society? To what extent has social media amplified that power to influence masses? Can we say all this power comes from God ? Can we say this power comes from the devil? How do we tell the difference?
A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

In Jesus’ discussion of “family”, He went beyond biological kinship:(Whoever does the will of the Father is my mother, sister, brother.) But what about those who have tried and failed to either discern what God wants or to make that commitment completely? Through other stories in the scriptures, we learn that Jesus’ love was not confined to those whom he perceived to know and follow the will of God. His heart, and by extension, God’s heart is big enough to encompass all of us who are imperfect human beings or even abject failures. Consider the rich young man in the gospel who could not bring himself to give away everything and join Jesus. (Jesus looked upon him with love.) Consider Peter and the others who could not keep watch with Him, denied Him or ran away in fear. Many post-resurrection appearances started with Jesus saying: “Peace be with you”, and the charming little barbecue by the lake after a night of fishing certainly gave Peter a second chance ( or third or fourth chance, who knows?). I think of the times I have failed to live up to Jesus’ expectations and rejoice nonetheless in the love Jesus has for me, with all my faults and imperfections. I remind myself that God does not love me because I am good, but that God’s love helps me to be better. So I thank God for the many chances I have been given to listen and to follow, and know his love throught Jesus I writ my own personal prayer of thanksgiving.

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Choosing to do what God wants:
Many of us do not spend much time in contemplation of “the will of God” except as it pertains to big decisions. As a result, we are a little “rusty” in making decisions that align with what we perceive to be God’s will. I pick a decision, large or small, that I am wrestling with, and put it in the context of doing what is good for me and others, and apply some logic and prayer to the process: Here are some standards I can submit my decisions to: (From John Ortberg: What is Gods Will for My Life?) Is this decision congruent with the reality that "it is more blessed to give that to receive"? Is this decision leading me to trust my heavenly Father? Is this decision compatible with my sexual integrity? Will this decision enable me to follow the Golden Rule? Will this decision help me to love my neighbor? Then, end with this prayer from ‘Thomas Merton: MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Poetic Reflection:

We are all part of Christ’s family. This poem by Ed Ingebretzen, S.J., reminds us that that is what being “church” is all about:

EYES OF CHRIST In hope and in prophecy We are the saints Keeping the word alive. The Spirit of Our Lord Anoints us as holy We who are parents We who are daughters We who are pilgrims Who walk together Along the miles we take to God. The Spirit cares for us And teaches us to care We who are brothers We who are friends We who learn to live And how it is to love We who learn how we shall always Grow to God Because the Spirit cares for us. The Church is our eyes The depth of our vision The reach of our hands Circling the world Let us be for each other The Church A way of seeing In which we are born in hope Let us be for each other Roads to the freedom who is God Let us wear each other’s name As close as our own Brother, siser, friend mother’ Father, priest, consoler For when our hands join Where we shall meet God Our names shall be the same. We are the saints--loved by God Christ’s great desiring And He ours. We are the Church The rock, he bread, The glass, the wine that reveals the Lord; The eyes of Christ Opening into tomorrow Keeping this world alive.

Closing Prayer

Lord, there are those in my family whom I do not always understand. Give me the wisdom to see the goodness and integrity of their honest convictions. Free me from the burden of judgement of others that I am really not required to carry. Help our family, the church, as we do not always see eye to eye. Let us as church try not to judge the convictions and customs of others simply because they are different from what we are used to. Help me to discern your will for my life and for my Church. Then let me rest in your ineffable love and goodness.

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The Body and Blood of Christ, June 2, 2024

Gratitude for all God has done for us and for Jesus’ gift of Himself must lead to action

Gospel: Mark 14: 12–16, 22–26
Take it, this is my body. This is my blood of the new covenant, which will be shed for many

Gratitude for all God has done for us and for Jesus’ gift of Himself must lead to action

Mark 14:12–16, 22–26

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”

He sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.”

The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.”

Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Music Meditations

Opening Prayer

Lord, what shall we do with the gift you have given us of your very self? How can we learn to “see” you in the breaking of the bread? How can we go beyond wonder and gratitude to an actual living out of your presence in ourselves and in this world? How can we bring the comfort of your real presence to those we meet? [Call to mind particular people who may be especially in need of God’s presence.] Help us to be Christ for others.

Companions for the Journey

From First Impressions 2003, a service of the southern Dominican Province

I don't remember the first time I tasted wine, I was too young. While I can't say when, I can tell you with some surety how it happened, because as I got older, I saw how my younger siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews got their first taste of wine. At a holiday or special meal a parent would take a crusty piece of Italian bread, dip it in his or her own glass of wine and give it to a youngster to suck on and then eat. As we got older, say ten or twelve, we would be given a teaspoon of wine in a whiskey shot glass–our first "glass" of wine. Later, much later, we graduated to an "adult" glass of wine with our meal. I think we kids got to associate the graduations in the amount of wine we were given as signs of our fuller acceptance into the adult circle of the family. The full glass told us we were adults and, as adults, were expected to behave as responsible and full-fledged members of the family.

At this meal today, set initially at the feast of unleavened bread, I think we are like children around the table trying to mature and become full members of our new family—as Jesus' brothers and sisters. We have been eating this bread and, for many years now, drinking from this cup. We are being shaped and formed around the table. We know we still have a long way to go and hope that, little by little, this bread and wine will enable us to change---let go of whatever habits and ways of acting that are not befitting a family member. Happily this meal holds out a promise of completion, for someday we will eat and drink together with our Lord in the fullness of his reign. Before our meal begins today we listen to the gospel and Jesus' words, "this is the blood of the covenant which will be shed for many." In the eucharistic prayer we will hear the words spoken over the cup, "this is the cup of my blood which will be shed for you and for ALL so that sins may be forgiven." "Many"–"all"? Who are these people Jesus has in mind? The Jewish disciples around the table would have understood the "many" to be the Gentiles, those not at the table. The "many" referred to the very people the religious leaders told the Jews to avoid so as to keep their religious purity safe.

How about us, we who are gathered around this table? Who are the "many," the "others," not at our table today? In our comfortable parishes the "many" may be the less financially secure, the poorer dressed, the foreign newcomers whose language, customs and education set them apart from us. In a poor white community the "many" may be those who have just arrived and threaten our jobs; for the black community they may be the Latinos; for Asians they may be their African-American neighbors, etc.

Jesus is not just blessing our parish community with his "real presence" in this eucharist. The meal, if we hear his words, is also a challenge to include the "many"; to make them welcome and a part of our worship, working, and social worlds. On the cross where Jesus poured out his blood, his arms were stretched out to embrace all. As we raise the cup at this eucharist, we ought to look over its rim to see who is here with us and think of those we have avoided, but must now include—the "many." We were also included in Jesus' embrace; we at this eucharist who are asking for forgiveness and inner growth. We also remind ourselves that his loving embrace extended to those who would never think of entering our church building. He bled for the polite and schooled; but also for the loud, boisterous and unkempt; the perfumed, manicured and hairsprayed, but also for the tattooed, tongue-pierced and shaved heads. Mark's gospel invites us to Jesus' vision. Someday he will come and we will drink the "fruit of the vine...in the kingdom of God" with him and one another. Jesus anticipates the "many" who will be one with him there. We have work to do, for eating his body and drinking his cup means his outreaching-vision is becoming ours.

We don't all have to become the same at this meal—how boring that would be! But we do have to be open to God's presence in those gathered around this table. We all eat the same food; we hope it draws us close to the risen Christ and closer to one another. Lord knows we need help! We are a divided community: those favoring quiet and "respect" before, during and after the service; others wanting to "build up the community" by visiting members they only see here at the eucharist; those wanting more social concerns preached; others saying the pulpit is "no place for politics; some want a new church building; others a parochial school. There are political liberals and conservatives, the newly married, recently divorced and the long-time widowed. Some come on a Saturday or Sunday evening to "get mass in," others come at eleven am to hear the choir at the more "traditional mass." And so it goes, we all gather at the table—not always thinking the same theologically, politically, culturally or liturgically. Nevertheless, we hope that eating this meal and drinking the wine will make us one "in Christ." We hope that, as Hebrews says, "the mediator of a new covenant," the one who died to reconcile our alienation and wipe out our sin, will "covenant" us anew with God and each other. In eating the bread and drinking the cup, we hope that we can look beyond our differences and see the body of Christ we already are--- and are becoming. We hope we are growing up, becoming mature Christians, around this table. We come to the meal knowing our personal and communal shortcomings. We want to change and this is the meal that affects the change for which we long. The Word we heard proclaimed has shared a vision and opened our eyes to a not-yet reality, a kingdom coming, but not yet fully arrived. Come, let us eat, for we hunger and thirst for the day when we will drink the cup in the new and complete kingdom.

Today the eucharistic ministers will repeatedly say, "the body of Christ," "the blood of Christ." I have gotten into the habit of looking at the person to whom I am offering the eucharist. I consciously remind myself that each person receiving the eucharist is the body and blood of Christ and is coming to receive his life so as to become even more conformed and shaped into this identity. It is as if we eucharistic ministers are saying, "You are the body of Christ and this food and drink is helping you more and more to become Christ in the world." We used to have a big procession on this feast. Many parishes still do. Whether we have one or not at the beginning of this liturgy, we will have one at the end when each person processes out into the world to be the Body and Blood of Christ. Today we celebrate Christ and we celebrate our true reality as well.

Jude Siciliano, O.P., Promoter of Preaching, Southern Dominican Province, USA

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today's session….

Take it, this is my body. This is my blood of the new covenant, which will be shed for many

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today's reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions which follow:

Reflection Questions:

What are your favorite memories of meals?

Have you ever sat down to eat a meal with people you do not know?

What happened during the meal?

How do your family meals reflect the relationships that exist within the family?

Jesus gathered his disciples around the table to offer himself to them. Who is gathered around the table with me today?

Who are the “many” who are not at the table with me today? (This could be those from whom I am estranged, or it could be those who don’t feel comfortable in the setting I find myself in, or those who mightn’t feel welcome because they are poor or don’t speak the language, or who are not educated enough)

What am I doing to gather others to the table of life?

What are some of the things you associate with blood?

What memories, emotions, experiences come to mind?

What are the things you associate with the word body?

How are they different from your associations with blood?

What does it mean for you, personally, that this feast is the body and blood of Christ?

From Walter Burghardt, S.J.:

Do I marvel in what I see, or in the fact that I see?

There is a saying : “You are what you eat”. If this is so, those of us who partake of Jesus body and blood in the Eucharist PUT ON Christ, BECOME Christ. Do I believe this?

In what ways this week have I done so, or failed to do so?

What does it mean for you that you and God share a bodily identity in Jesus, with all the wonderment, joy and messiness that our humanity encompasses?

Can others see Christ in me?

Are any of the daily sacrifices I make similar to the ones Jesus made?

How does my life reflect the true presence of Christ in the world?

Have I ever had to summon courage to do the right thing?

Was there a cost?

There is a temptation to turn this feast into a theological discussion of “transubstantiation” or the “real presence. If instead, I allow myself to submit to both joy and wonder I maybe the richer for it.

For me, what is wonderful about this feast?

How does this miracle fit into some other wondrous acts of God in history?

In my own life?

Which action of God do I marvel at the most?

What in the text has meaning for me and my relationship to God?

What of God’s desire for me is reflected in this text?

Meditations:

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Adapted from First Impressions, written by Father Jude Siciliano, O.P.:

Jesus offers his disciples the cup. In the Scriptures the cup is a symbol of suffering and death. For example, after the supper Jesus will go with his disciples to the garden of Gethsemani. In his distress and fear he will pray to Abba, "take this cup away from me" (14:36). But he will accept the cup of suffering before him; he will offer his life for us. When we take the cup and drink from it today we are saying our "Yes" to Jesus' way of life and we are receiving his life so that we can live the "Yes" we are professing.

What might partaking in the "cup" cost me personally? How willing am I to drink from that cup?

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

A celebration of the food of life can lead to reflection on the importance of food (health, education, and shelter as well) … The US Catholic bishops on the Christian response to poverty:

Perhaps the first step that needs to be taken in dealing with poverty is to change our attitudes to the poor.

Everyone has special duties toward the poor; all who have more than they need must come to the aid of the poor.

Seek solutions that enable the poor to help themselves through such means as fairly compensated employment.

The policies we establish as a society must reflect the hierarchy of values in which the needs of the poor take priority over the desires of the rich.

Share the perspectives of those who are suffering.

Which of these suggestions is the most challenging for you to agree with or adopt?

What concrete action can you take this week to bring the care of Christ to those in need?

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Christ is truly present in the wine and bread after it has become the body and blood of Jesus… Have we ever reflected on the ways that Jesus is truly present at our Sunday banquet?

He is present in the Word. How actively do I really listen as Scriptures are proclaimed?

He is present in the presider. Do I see the priest as a true representative of Jesus at each Mass?

He is present in the gathered community. Do I see in the assembly the presence of Jesus? Do I see myself as the actual presence of Jesus in Mass and in the world?

I offer a prayer of thanksgiving and humility for the privilege of participating in the Eucharistic banquet.

Poetic Reflection:

Sometimes we need to look at the mystery of the body and blood of Christ with our hearts and not with our heads:

“The Vast Ocean Begins Just Outside Our Church: The Eucharist”

Something has happened
To the bread
And the wine.

They have been blessed.
What now?
The body leans forward

To receive the gift
From the priest’s hand,
Then the chalice.

They are something else now
From what they were
Before this began.

I want
To see Jesus,
Maybe in the clouds

Or on the shore,
Just walking,
Beautiful man

And clearly
Someone else
Besides.

On the hard days
I ask myself
If I ever will.

Also there are times
My body whispers to me
That I have.

—Mary Oliver, from Thirst

Poetic Reflection:

This is a wonderful meditation on Eucharist:

"Gather the People"

What return can we make
for all the Lord has done in our lives?
We bring bread, wine, our clay dishes
and our clay feet
to this altar
and we pray that we may here
make a beginning—
that somehow in our days
we can begin to see the promises
the Lord has made us.

The promises do not always
glow with obvious light, or
overwhelm us by their obvious truth.
No matter what anyone says,
it is difficult to understand an invisible God
and belief is not always
the easy way out.

So we gather the people
and we tell the story again
and we break the bread
and in the memory of the one
who saves us,
we eat and drink
and we pray and we believe.

We gather, we pray, we eat.
These things are for human beings.
God has no need of them.
Yet he himself gathered the people,
prayed, broke bread
and gave it to his friends.

And so the invisible God became
visible
and lives with us.

—Ed Ingebretzen, S.J., from Psalms of the Still Country

Closing Prayer

I beg you to keep me in this silence so that I can learn
from it
the word of your peace
and the word of your mercy
and the word of your gentleness to the world:
and that through me your word of peace may perhaps
make itself heard
where it has not been possible for anyone to hear it
For a long time.

—Thomas Merton

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Trinity, May 26, 2024

The Triune God is always with us. We have been commissioned by Jesus to evangelize.

Gospel: Matthew 28: 16–20
I am with you always.

The Triune God is always with us. We have been commissioned by Jesus to evangelize.

Matthew 28:16–20

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Music Meditations

Opening Prayer

Your name, O God, is the name of love. You exist in a Trinity of love. When we make the sign of the cross, we place your badge of love on our bodies. Help us to accept that we are loved and lovable, and help us to embody that love in all that we do.

[Take a moment to think of and pray for any particular people who may especially need it, that they experience God’s love and are comforted and sustained by it.]

Companions for the Journey

From “First Impressions” (2009), a service of the Southern Dominican Province:

The title of today’s feast can be misleading to both congregation and preachers. This is not a day we celebrate a dogma of the Church. Dogmas are important, but we don’t worship them as we gather for liturgical celebration. Nor is a day for a catechism lesson on how one God can have three faces and be called by three different names. I don’t plan to take a shamrock into the pulpit this weekend to show how God could be one and three at the same time.

Someone said once, “Anyone who talks of the Trinity, talks of the cross of Jesus and does not speculate about a heavenly riddle.” (Sorry, I don’t know the source or this quote.) Christians know about God through our experience and key to that experience is something we have in common – suffering and the cross. I know a 56 year old woman who is a vibrant and fun-loving woman. She loves her family and they return that love. She has been described by her children as “the glue that holds the family together.” She had severe back pain and an X-ray revealed a broken vertebrae.

But when she was in surgery they discovered cancer. Further tests showed the cancer had spread to her lungs. It had metastasized. Her daughter called a young woman friend and wept hysterically over the phone asking, “Why did God do this to her?” It is a question we have all heard during similar crises and maybe is a question we too have asked at similar times in our own lives. It is the question we ask out of pain and confusion, when life takes a harsh turn and threatens our faith.

It is really a Trinity question, isn’t it? Who is our God? What is our God like? It isn’t a question about church dogma or “heavenly riddles.” When Jesus looked at what was coming at him in the Garden of Gethsemane he felt it was more than he could bear, so he asked God for it to be taken away. But God wanted to stick it out with us, not pull the emergency brake and get off. If Christ had been given a quick exit that night in the garden, then we would feel even lonelier in our struggles and pain. Instead God stayed with us; Christ showed us in his obedience that no matter how many physical or emotional stresses we have on us, God is not a stranger to our pain: no stranger to emotional pain – Jesus wept; no stranger to physical pain – Jesus was broken on the cross. That’s in the scriptures.

What’s not in the scriptures is that God sends us pain and suffering to test our faith. After all, what good parent would do a thing like that to a beloved child? And we do believe God loves us and that we are God’s children, don’t we? Paul reminds us in the letter to the Romans today, “The Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God,...”

What is also not in the scriptures is what some people say to others who are in pain to console them. “God never gives us more than we can bear.” When people say things like that, I imagine God pressing down on someone to test their faith, but stopping just short of their breaking point. What a miserable and harsh God that would be! That’s not the God we celebrate on this feast of the Trinity. Here’s another one: “God helps those who help themselves.” I can’t tell you how many times I have heard that quote used to describe God. I have even heard people say that in scripture groups with open bibles on their laps and they quote it as if it were in the Bible they were holding. If we could help ourselves we wouldn’t need God, would we? When we are struggling and feeling lonely in our pain, we don’t need to hear about a God who will help us, but only if we can first help ourselves.

No – life has its ways of testing us; sometimes giving us more than we can bear. God is the one who helps us carry what life piles on us. Not only so we can just bear up under our burdens, but that we can even grow and mature through them. God can get us through to the other side of suffering stronger than when we first entered in. Now that’s the triune God Jesus sends his disciples into the world to proclaim.

When Jesus sends out his disciples to baptize, it is in the name of the God we have come to know through him: “Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” God the Creator – the source of life, the Creator who loves the works God had made. God the Christ – God in our flesh, who walked our walk all the way through death to resurrection. God the Spirit – the very life of God, in Jesus, offered us again here today as we celebrate and pray together.

How do we define the Trinity? Jesus tells us – “I am with you all days, until the end of the age.” Jesus has “defined” God for us – revealed God already with us. So, when someone calls us on the phone or weeps on our shoulder, and asks, “Why did God do this to me? What have I done to deserve this?” We can respond, as the young woman I mentioned above did, “I don’t understand all this. But I know God didn’t put this suffering on your mother. God is with us in this and God is crying with us too.” This young woman who said this to her friend is a high school graduate with three small children – she was balancing the youngest on her hip as she gave this response to her friend. There she was, a theologian, explaining the Trinity in a way her grieving friend could understand and embrace!

Further reflection:

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

I am with you always.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • When I think of “God” what image comes to mind? (Father, Son or Spirit? … Something else?)
    When I pray, to whom do I pray?
  • What does each “face” (persona) tell me about the nature of God?
    What gifts and support does each element of the Blessed Trinity bring to my life?
  • What has the natural world around me taught me about God?
    How have I responded to the God I discover in nature? Is it praise, awe, thanksgiving, or something else?
  • How does the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Spirit) reflect the relational nature of love in our salvation history? In my own personal history?
  • Do I believe that I am a reflection of the loving relationship that exists in the Holy Trinity?
    If so, how do I let others know that they, too are such a reflection?
    If not, what can I do to foster this confidence in myself as the very reflection of a loving Godhead?
  • What does this gospel tell me about my status as a child of God?
  • What frequent behavior of mine diminishes me as a child of God?
  • How do I experience the dignity I have as a child of God?
  • What do I do to make the love of God available to all those whom I meet?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Why do you think the term “Trinity” does not show up in scriptures? Fr Jude Siciliano, O.P., thinks it is because when we in the institutional Church think of Trinity, we often think of theology and doctrine; the people who lived and wrote the scriptures were instead thinking of a people’s experience of God…what God has done for them.
What has been my experience of God?
What has God done for me?
What is God doing for me right now?
When I think about the Trinity, do I think of theology and doctrine, or do I think of my experience?

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Individual Christians and the church as a community, are expected to be a beatitude people: always hungering for growth in love; merciful to enemies; single-minded in our commitment to our Lord, and ready to accept persecution in Jesus’ name. Jesus taught that our response is to be total, not only in observable religious practices, but also in our unseen thoughts and attitudes. His disciples are to teach the world to act as Jesus acted, giving to the poor, and vigilant in prayer and fasting. The essence of Jesus’ commands was that we are to act in love and he told us that we will be judged according to how we loved. (—Fr. Jude Siciliano, O.P.)
How does this challenge me personally?
The gospel says that the disciples worshipped, but they doubted. Is it possible to worship and doubt at the same time?
What are my doubts?

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Meditation:

Adapted from Love a Guide for Prayer (a five volume guide to the Ignatian Exercises) by J.S. Bergan and Sister M Schwan:

Read the following psalm slowly, several times. As you read, breathe in the kind, tender and understanding love of God. Imagine the strength of this love flowing through you, permeating your entire being. Consider a time when you felt the strength of God’s love in you. Allow yourself to delight in the energizing refreshments the awareness of this love brings.

Close with: “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.”

Psalm 103

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all within me, his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and never forget all his benefits.
It is the Lord who forgives all your sins, who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with mercy and compassion,
who fills your life with good things, renewing your youth like an eagle’s.
The LORD does just deeds, full justice to all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, and his deeds to the children of Israel.
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
He will not always find fault; nor persist in his anger forever.
He does not treat us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our faults.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so strong his mercy for those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far from us does he remove our transgressions.
As a father has compassion on his children, the LORD’s compassion is on those who fear him.
For he knows of what we are made; he remembers that we are dust.
Man, his days are like grass; he flowers like the flower of the field.
The wind blows, and it is no more, and its place never sees it again.
But the mercy of the LORD is everlasting upon those who hold him in fear, upon children’s children his justice,
for those who keep his covenant, and remember to fulfill his commands.
The LORD has fixed his throne in heaven, and his kingdom is ruling over all.
Bless the LORD, all you his angels, mighty in power, fulfilling his word, who heed the voice of his word.
Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his servants, who do his will.
Bless the LORD, all his works, in every place where he rules. Bless the LORD, O my soul!

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

Adapted from “First Impressions”, a service of the Southern Dominican Province, 2021:

From today’s Gospel reading:

Jesus said to his disciples: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given me. Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations…”

Reflection:

Jesus chose to give power and send out as witnesses, the least likely of his day. Doesn’t that speak to us “ordinary folk” who may not feel particularly gifted in matters of religion? Still, we are the ones upon whom Jesus pours his Spirit and appoints to “make disciples of all nations.”
So we ask ourselves:
How do we give daily witness to our faith in Christ?

There is a tale repeated in “Sacred Space” that a man went out on a starry night and shook his fist at the heavens yelling: “God what a lousy, rotten world you have made. I could have done much better.” Then a voice boomed from the clouds saying: “that’s why I put you there. Get busy!”

St. Francis of Assisi said: “All friars should preach by their deeds.” It is not enough to be telling people that they ought to follow Jesus; we need to demonstrate the love and care for others in an active way, as Jesus did. Many of us do not exert ourselves, beyond writing a check, to be active in helping the poor, the ill or the otherwise marginalized. We cannot preach the love of Jesus effectively if we ourselves are not the embodiment of that love in the way we treat those most desperate. Do some research. Find out where you can get your hands dirty in the service of Jesus.

Poetic Reflection:

How does this poem (from To Keep From Singing) by Ed Ingebretsen, S.J. illustrate that Jesus' mission was also His Father's mission?

“From Narrow Places”

From narrow places
the strength of our voice
rises:

our every breath
is prayer,
the great poem of need,
a constant scattering
of praise.

Early
we reach to God
in the claim of our hearts,
while he,
our father,
mothers us
in his

Closing Prayer

Lord, you terrify me with this command: “Go and teach all nations”. Help me to be rooted in you so that what I teach is actually your message and not mine pretending to be yours. Help me to have confidence in my ability to do as you ask—this in the face of my own lack of experience and theological knowledge. Help me to have the courage to keep going in the face of derision or lack of attention to your words, and finally, Lord, help me to believe that you—Creator, Word and Sustainer—are with me always.

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Commentary on the Trinity

When we say we believe in God, we are really saying we believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—the Trinity. And without this there is no Christian faith.

Adapted from “First Impressions”:

When we say we believe in God, we are really saying we believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—the Trinity. And without this there is no Christian faith.

When I was young the notion I had was that the Son would try to intercede on our behalf with the Father, to get God to change God’s mind and intentions towards us. Or, to put it another way, to save us from God’s wrath… God the Son at odds with God the Father. We cannot attribute to one person in the Godhead what we wouldn’t to the other two. The Son is our Savior—but so are the Father and the Holy Spirit. Thus, when we look at the Son we are also seeing the Father’s thoughts and feelings towards us. The Father is not the angry judge ready to smack us delinquent creatures down, were it not for the Son interceding on our behalf.

The same is true for the Spirit, who is not an independent agent working at odds with the Father and Son. If God is a Trinity, then Jesus has revealed the truth about God and our relationship to God and one another, which cannot be surpassed by any other teacher, as renowned and good as they may be. Certainly God works through many people of many faiths and lifestyles, but what draws us to them and enables us to discern God at work in them is that, for us, they reflect what we know of God through Jesus’ words and actions. God speaks to us in Jesus and God draws us to God and in service to others through the Holy Spirit.

When we turn in our searching to God, what do we discern? That our God is a tender parent who wants to show a parent’s loving face to us, all the time. We find a compassionate brother in Jesus, who came to serve us and offer us forgiveness, before we even asked for it. We find a liberating Spirit, who invites us into the very life that the Son shares with the Father.

Jesus sent his disciples to “make disciples of all nations.” All nations. They were to preach to others what they learned about God in Jesus. Through their life with Jesus and by living his way, his attitudes and his actions, and by taking up his cross and experiencing his resurrection through Word and Sacrament, we come to know God as an intimate who is with us always, until the end

To know the Spirit is to know the divine life which is present in us, to experience the free gift of grace and love and to be able to respond to it by living in the image and likeness of Jesus. The Spirit lifts us above fear and beyond slavish adherence to laws. Paul tells us today that the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Receiving Paul’s words in faith we believe that we are already beloved children of God, freed from sin, freed to love as God loves.

While we have been accustomed to calling on the triune God as Father, Son and Spirit, in the history of the church theologians and poets have used other metaphors for the Trinity. For example: God as fire, light and heat. God as composer, singer and song. And one we are more familiar with from our Scriptures, God as speaker, word and breath (“ruah”). These metaphors may give us some insight into the nature of our God, but still, God’s mystery is beyond all words and images. We put names on God as a valiant effort to describe our experience of our infinite divine Being. In retreats with women participants it is not unusual to call on God as Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier.

From your experience in prayer what images would you use for God? Remember, the bottom line is, as hard as we try, we humans can never capture who God is—yet we can try. Who knows what God will reveal to us in our efforts!

Note: while Jesus used the masculine noun “Father” to refer to God, we know God has no physical body. God is not a man. Julian of Norwich, the mystic, referred to our Almighty God as Father and that we have our being in our Mother of mercy… “Our substance is in our Father God Almighty, and our substance is in our Mother, God all wisdom…” Julian said.

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Pentecost, May 19, 2024

The Spirit of God is always with every one of us

Gospel: John 20: 19–23
He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

The Spirit of God is always with every one of us

John 20:19–23

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Music Meditations

Opening Prayer

Come Holy Spirit, fill the heart of your faithful one, and enkindle in me the fire of your love. Help me to recognize your presence in my life, help me to act on that presence and help me to love [name a particular person here] more each day.

Companions for the Journey

A Pre-Note:

Remember, the Gospels are NOT history, they are a theological testimony of the disciples’ experience of Jesus on this earth. Do not attempt to reconcile the first reading and the gospel into one narrative. The story from Acts takes place on the Jewish feast of Pentecost; the gospel story takes place on the evening of the Resurrection. It is enough to know that after his death, Jesus fulfilled his promise to send a helper to the disciples, an advocate who would help them be His witnesses in the world. And so this Advocate has been sent through them to us as well.

PENTECOST SUNDAY May 23, 2021
Fr. Gerard Austin, O.P.
Southern Dominican Province

For the first generations of Christians of the early Church, the liturgical year consisted of only a weekly celebration of the Resurrection: the Day of the Lord, the Sunday. At this celebration all the various elements of the Paschal Mystery were recalled. God was blessed, thanked, and praised for all the wonderful works of creation and redemption—especially for the wonder-of-God par excellence, God’s only-begotten Son, who gave of himself for us. By the end of the second century, we see attestations of an annual celebration as well. It was modeled upon the weekly celebration, but it lasted for a period of fifty days, thus being referred to by St. Athanasius as the “Great Sunday.” Thus our present “Norms Governing Liturgical Celebrations” state: “The fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost are celebrated in joyful expectation as one feast day, or better, as one ‘Great Sunday’.” This fifty-day period has its roots in Jewish tradition, sharing for example, in the notion of being a “seal,” a completion.

At first, no particular day or days of the fifty-day period was privileged; rather, during the entire period was celebrated: the death, the resurrection, the later appearances, the ascension, the sending of the Spirit, and the waiting for the final coming of Christ. Nevertheless, before the second half of the fourth century, certain churches and certain Fathers of the Church did emphasize different aspects of the Paschal Mystery on particular days (as the Ascension on the fortieth day, the sending of the Spirit on the fiftieth day), but never destroying the notion of whole as whole. This approach was called the “global view of the Great Sunday,” and during this time the notion of “Pentecost” extended to the entire fifty days. The entire period was a “period of the Spirit.” Jesus had promised his followers that he would not leave them orphans; he would stay with them but in a new way: through his Spirit, the Holy Spirit, which he would leave to them as his departing Gift.

Thus, one can well argue that the entire period from the Ascension of Christ to his Final Coming at the end of time is the “Era of the Holy Spirit.” This era, in which we are now living, is an era where Jesus is no longer with us in bodily form, but in a new way—in the presence of his Spirit. We have been assured the Gift of that Holy Spirit, but still down through the ages the Church never ceases to cry out, “Come, Holy Spirit, come”—not just on Pentecost but each and every day. I think my favorite book on the Holy Spirit is I Believe In The Holy Spirit by Fr. Yves Congar, O.P. I find it significant that the final chapter of that highly respected three-volume work is entitled “The Life of the Church as One Long Epiclesis” (the Greek word meaning ‘invocation’ of the Spirit). We know that Jesus’ promise not to leave us orphans is true, but still we pray each day that the Holy Spirit who already abides within us (and among us), might penetrate even more deeply into every fiber of our being! Yes, pentecost is not just a once-for-all event of history; it is an ongoing mystery of faith.

Let us allow the global view of the Great Sunday, the view that contains all the multiple aspects of the “Paschal Mystery” to be reflected in our own private prayer as well. In conclusion, may I suggest your praying slowly the following trilogy of mantras:
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.”
“Lord Jesus, Crucified and Risen Lord, send me your Spirit.”
“Come, Holy Spirit, come!”

Further reflection:

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

With that he breathed on them and said: ”Receive the Holy Spirit”

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • A longer version of this gospel is read on the second Sunday of Easter. The action takes place on the evening after the empty tomb was discovered, and the disciples are cowering in fear in the upper room. Why are Jesus’ first words to the disciples (Peace be with you) so important?
    Is this a wish or a statement of fact?
    What does “Peace” mean to you?
  • The gifts of the Spirt are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, long-suffering, gentleness, faith, modesty, chastity and self-control.
    Which ones do I feel I have been blessed with?
    Which ones do I still need help with?
    What does the gift of the Spirit of Jesus mean to me in my life right now? What are the challenges of such a gift?
    What are my gifts that I am commissioned to use for the good of others?
  • Do I have any personal wisdom to impart to others?
    What is the source of my personal wisdom? (my education, my religious community, my family and friends, the culture I live in, my prayer, personal reading, for example)
  • How do I define wisdom as opposed to knowledge or intelligence?
    When I say that today is the birthday of the Church, am I thinking of the church hierarchy and structures, or am I thinking of all of us in the “cheap seats”?
  • How are we “church” in our homes, workplaces, communities and in this parish?
  • Do I see reconciliation as something reserved to the sacrament and not requiring any agency on my part?
    What is my role in forgiving the sins of others?
    Do I see myself as an agent of reconciliation?
  • Can I think of a sin that might not be forgiven?
    Is forgiveness the same as license to continue destructive or bad behavior?
    Is forgiveness optional?
  • Is there anyone in my life that I have failed to forgive (“kept bound”)?
    How does this failure keep ME bound?
  • Is there anything I have to forgive myself for?
  • “As the Father sent me, so I send you”. What is God sending me to/for?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

From “First Impressions” by Jude Siciliano, O.P.:

The Spirit isn’t up ahead of us, cleaning out and arranging our heavenly quarters for our arrival—someday. Rather, the Spirit is here and now, urging us out to work at community building, peace and justice, love and reconciliation; helping us overcome destructive addictions, opening our eyes to God, so present in the world around us—in others, nature and in the wonders of our own beings.

In other words, I am being sent forth by the Spirit of Jesus. I am individually sent. What, in concrete terms, is my mission?
To whom am I being sent? (My family and friends, my worship community, the wider world?)
I pray to the Spirit for guidance and strength as I live out my calling in Jesus’ name.

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

Read Acts of the Apostles 2:1–11. Imagine that you are one of those disciples in the upper room. How do you react to the noise of a strong wind and then tongues of fire? What are the expressions on the faces of the others there with you? How does it feel to speak in a strange tongue? Do you actually feel the energy of the Spirit entering you? When the people, alerted by the commotion, gather around, do you wish for a little more time to be with this new experience? What actually, are you saying to thee people who gather? What is your purpose? After the excitement has died down and you are once again alone with your fellow disciples, how do you process this experience? Have you ever experienced a time when you were able to reach a group of people and convey an important truth to them? What was the message or insight you were trying to impart? How did it feel to be so empowered? Did you feel exhilaration, pride, humility, fear, or awe? Take some time to pray to the Spirit, not only for yourself, but to ask for gifts and the strength to allow you to make a difference in the world. Exactly what difference would you like to make? What message of Jesus is important enough to you that you would expend the energy and take the risk to share it?

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Adapted from Sacred Space, a Service of the Irish Jesuits:

When have you experienced Pentecost in practice?

When you feel an inner urge to be kind, constructive, forgiving or compassionate, do you sense the Spirit at work in your heart?
When you settle down to pray, do you sense the Spirit bringing you into the world of God?
When you take up a demanding task because it is the right thing to do, do you sense the Spirit encouraging you?
When you protest against injustice or falsehood, do you sense the Spirit protesting in you?
When you stand up for gospel values and try to be inclusive, do you sense the Spirit calling you?
When you find yourself watching out for the needy, do you sense the spirit making you aware of others?
When you experience deep-seated joy without any special reason, do you sense the Spirit of God working in you?

Once you begin to catch on, you find that the Spirit is everywhere! You begin to attend to your inner promptings, asking “is this a nudge from my friend the Spirit?”. Life will take on a new color and will cease to be boring and predictable. You become free to dance with the Spirit.

Literary Reflection:

What does this poem by Denise Levertov say about trust in the Spirit of God?

“The Avowal”

As swimmers dare
to lie face to the sky
and water bears them;
as hawks rest upon air
and air sustains them,
so would I learn to attain
freefall, and float
into Creator Spirit’s deep embrace,
knowing no effort earns
that all-surrounding grace.

Literary Reflection:

This beautiful, profound little poem, “Primary Wonder,” by Denise Levertov (1923–1997), reminds us what is important when we get overshadowed by life’s little problems. When she became present to the mystery, experienced that joyful cosmic stillness within, she realized her life, and all of creation was sustained by the Creator. Life’s problems receded, became insignificant when presented with such primary wonder. (—from a commentary by Philip Goldberg)

“Primary Wonder”

Days pass when I forget the mystery.
Problems insoluble and problems offering
their own ignored solutions
jostle for my attention, they crowd its antechamber
along with a host of diversions, my courtiers, wearing
their colored clothes; caps and bells.
And then
once more the quiet mystery
is present to me, the throng’s clamor
recedes: the mystery
that there is anything, anything at all,
let alone cosmos, joy, memory, everything,
rather than void: and that, O Lord,
Creator, Hallowed one, You still,
hour by hour sustain it.

Poetic Reflection:

The coming of the Spirit into our lives is not always as dramatic as it was described in the Acts of the Apostles. Sometimes the Spirit works within us slowly and deliberately, quietly teaching us how to be and teaching us where we are meant to go in our lives. This sense of the gradual working of the Spirit, especially through the beauty of the natural world, is captured beautifully by Theodore Roethke in the following poem:

“The Waking”

I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go.

We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.

Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.

This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.

Closing Prayer

Dear Jesus, help us to radiate your spirit, and by word and example help us to share it. Help us to understand that the gifts of your Spirit are not for us alone, but are to be shared. Help us to tell others how much God loves each and every one of them… Help us to BE God’s love for them.

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