In the Name

They looked down from heaven – the Father, Son and Holy Spir­it – with love for their people. They could see men and women of all races, colours, ages, faiths, holiness and sin. They knew help was needed for the human race and waited a long time before the time was right.

The word of God, son of God, born before all ages, became one of us. We know the rest of the story. One of the persons of the Trinity became one of us, so that we could become like them. Jesus, Son of the eternal Father, was born, lived and died like us. In death, cruelly murdered and then laid in the tomb, the Spirit became alive in him, and now the Spirit of Jesus and the Father is alive in each of us since baptism.

The life of the Trinity becomes very ordinary in the love, care and forgiveness we offer to each other. It is also there in the ways in which we try to better the lives of the poor, the depressed and the anxious. It’s in how we try to teach a younger generation the best lessons of humanity and faith, and introduce them to this mystery of God. We are active partners in the work of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the world today.

Slowly make the sign of the cross a few times today,
asking to believe in the mystery of God’s love within God and for us.
By the mystery of water and wine in the Mass,
help us, Lord, to share in the divinity of Christ,
who humbled himself to share in our humanity.

Fr Donal Neary, S.J

Spirit Alive

Someone dies and we say he kept his spirit alive to the end; or we say that ‘his spirit lives on’. A word we talk of easily. It’s something elusive, you can’t pin it down. It comes from somewhere. Maybe from parents, a spirit of endurance or being able to make it through tough time; or from our prayer and faith. We talk of good team spirit, or of a person who kept joyful and courageous to the end. Today is the feast of the Spirit of God, alive, active and joyful.

The flame of the Spirit of love is the flame of God. The tongues of fire over the apostles and the followers of Jesus were flames of love, the Spirit of God that would burn on the inside forever. Pentecost is the flame of God’s own love, given to his followers to mark the birth of the community, the body of Jesus, the church.

It is the spirit of forgiveness always, a gift of the first Pentecost. Did this blow in Ireland during the Royal visit of the British queen Elizabeth a few years ago, or  when the Good Friday Agreement and other peace agreements were signed, when the call came for a new reconciliation among people hurt badly in the times of the troubles?

Compassion, mercy, forgiveness and a hope for justice for all, are gifts we ask from the Spirit who blows among us strongly today.

On each inbreath, pray
‘Come, Holy Spirit’,
 live in me and in all of us
as you lived in Mary and the apostles.

Fr Donal Neary, S.J

Fully Alive

I asked a woman once if Johnny was in the house. She pointed at a chair and said, ‘If he was here he would be there.‘ He never moved far! Jesus – he is here and there. The risen lord has moved on, but he has not fully left us. His Spirit dwells in us.

The one who came to earth has now gone back to heaven, bringing with him all that is human. His body – the man of heaven and the God of earth – is now the church, and that’s us.

Before we are of any denomination or group, we are Christ’s. We are baptised into the church of Christ; and yes, we live out our faith in different denominations. Today is the feast of the whole church – we begin in him and end in him, like the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, on the paschal candle. Our faith is also renewed through living with Jesus – we are partners in our mission. Our faith is also renewed in reading and praying the gospel each day.

On earth we are his body, with all our strengths and weaknesses, goodness and sin. Icons have Jesus smiling as he reaches heaven, smiling on us and living through us. We prepare for the way he is with us now next Sunday – in the Spirit. Where the qualities of the Spirit are alive, he is alive and well among us.

A breathing prayer – as you breathe in notice you are
breathing in the gift of life from God.
Holy Spirit, living in the church, living in Mary,
draw me more fully into your life.