Jesus told his disciples that the Father would send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who would teach them everything they needed as his followers. The Spirit would help them to learn the Divine truths and grant them His peace at all times. We should always try to be aware of God’s abiding presence within us. It enables us to face the future with courage and unwavering hope.

To do so, it helps if we find time each day for personal prayer when we can talk to God and also listen to him. When we listen to Him we gradually become aware of His plan for our lives and His solution to any problems we are encountering become clearer. In turn our hearts and minds are converted and we are able to love our fellow human beings as he intends us to. That love should be evident to all we meet daily.

There is a story of Benjamin, a young Jew who fell in love with a Catholic girl. When Benjamin proposed to Catherine she immediately went to her parents to ask for advice. Her father said ‘Convert him to Catholicism’ while her mother simply advised ‘Love him tenderly and Gods Spirit will work wonders’. Her Dad wouldn’t give in and eventually Benjamin was duly converted. But, weeks later Benjamin called off the wedding. The young girl was distraught and in tears. ‘What’s wrong?’ her father asked. She replied: ‘Benjamin wants to be a priest’!

Fr Gerry