Monday, May 17, 2021

 Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter

(Acts 19:1-8; John 16:29-33)

Unlike the disciples in Ephesus we have all heard of the Holy Spirit.  But few of us may be aware of the Vigil of Pentecost when the Church prays fervently for the coming of the Spirit.  Vigils themselves puzzle many.  Technically they are not just the evening before a Sunday or a solemnity.  Vigils have a unique set of readings and presume that participants will return the next day for the celebration of the feast.  All of us know of the Easter Vigil and, perhaps, the Vigil of Christmas.  The Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist also has a proper vigil as does the Ascension, St. Peter and St. Paul, and the Assumption.

When the disciples in Ephesus receive the Holy Spirit, they begin to speak in strange ways and also give testimony to the Lord.  We should hope for no less after preparing to receive the Spirit on the Vigil of Pentecost.  We may not speak “in tongues,” but we should boldly attest to the Lord’s love for us and for everyone. 

How might we provide such testimony?  A preacher once told of the love in his family while he was growing up.  He said that there was such harmony in his home that when his father returned home from work, he would dance with his mother in their living room.  The two, father and mother, in turn showered love on their three children.  The preacher began to cry.  We could add that the love shared by this preacher’s family is but a shadow of God’s love for us.

 

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