Reflections from the May 15 Gospel
John 14:15-16, 23b-26
“And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.” Pentecost fulfilled this promise. The Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and nothing was ever the same again. This event is often referred to as the “birthday” of the church. It took Pentecost—and the power of the Spirit—to embolden the apostles to begin their ministry of preaching and baptizing. Conversions began to happen and the early church began to grow. And all of this took place without Jesus’ earthly presence among them.
This is one of the most encouraging elements of the practice of our Christian faith. We believe that through the Holy Spirit, God dwells within us and empowers us. We believe that even though we never walked with Jesus and the apostles, we are nonetheless accompanied by the same Spirit who is always available to us! We only need to stir up this Spirit within our souls by praying sincerely, “Come, Holy Spirit!”
Questions of the Week
John 14:15-16, 23b-26:
What evidence do you see that shows
the Spirit dwells in the church today?
Acts 2:1-11:
What do you find most interesting in Luke’s narration of the birth of the church?
Romans 8:8-17:
How do you interpret Paul’s saying, “the flesh cannot please God”?