Monday of the
Seventh Week of Easter
(Acts 19:1-8; John 16:29-33)
A lay minister describes how he brought back to church a
fallen away Catholic. He met a man named
John in a sports bar. One Saturday
afternoon, the minister invited John to accompany him to mass. John seemed to enjoy the experience and was
most impressed with hearing his friend proclaim the word of God. Since then, John has attended mass every
Saturday evening. The experience exemplifies the work of the Holy Spirit.
In today’s first reading St. Paul meets some followers of
Jesus who have never experienced the Holy Spirit. Indeed, as it says, they never “never even
heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” The immediate
effect of their receiving the Holy Spirit in Baptism is their prophesizing or
speaking in the name of God. It
certainly involves evangelization. The
Spirit moves Christians to tell others of God’s love witnessed in Jesus Christ.
As we prepare to celebrate the Holy Spirit on Pentecost this
Sunday, we should anticipate His gifts and also the mission to which He calls us. He will provide understanding and courage to
speak to others of how we have experienced love and mercy through our
relationship with Jesus.
