Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful!

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the heart of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy his consolations, Through Christ our Lord, Amen

The call to live a Christian life is reliant on receiving the Holy Spirit. The gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, courage, knowledge, reverence and wonder draws us into a closer union with God. They help us to experience that we do not live a life of splendid isolation but rather one which draws us deeper into the mystery of God. The gifts are entrusted to us to help us engage with life as it is and live in a way which gives expression to God’s love for the whole of creation.

As a Christian community this calls upon us to see how we manifest the gifts in our daily lives. The signs of the spirit are that it brings life not death to those who hear the Good News. It allows people to gain a deeper appreciation of how God is at work in their lives and the lives of those around them. It helps to sharpen our gaze to see what brings holiness and wholeness. What helps us to experience that the glory of God is a person fully alive!

A Domestic Jesus?

Has Jesus truly risen? This question hangs on how we respond to this question. Is it a matter of a historical event or a living reality? The Ascension brings these questions into sharper focus. We are called not just to believe because of what we have been told but who it is that we have experienced. Our faith is not a matter of just dusting off ancient tomes but it calls us into a living relationship with God. A God who cares so passionately about us that he does not want to see us destroy ourselves. At the heart of the matter is that we are called to see rightly so that our lives display what it means to be a disciple. To love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and your all your mind and to love your neighbour as yourself. This is not a faith which is only theoretically possible it is one of practically applying ourselves to the proclamation of the Gospel by how we live our lives. We are called to be people who gather to celebrate the Good News in Word and Sacrament so that we can live the mission of being his disciples in the world. We are called to be disciples in every place, in every nation and in every age,

To whom do we belong?

The question of ownership can often cause us to ask what belongs to us and what rights do we have to make claims over a particular item. We are called to recognise that in owing something we invest part of ourselves in what we own. This is not just a matter of sentimentality but rather a way of becoming aware that our lives have an impact on others. However, while we need to know our legal rights and obligations we also need to ensure that the very thing we own does not own us.We can easily see how the more we invest in something the more it can preoccupy our thoughts and actions. What we need to discern is how do I discover what and who truly brings me life? What the Gospel articulates is that our lives are not solely our own we are called into relationships with God and each other which share a mutual obligation. We are called to experience how our lives formed in the image and likeness of God make us coheirs to the Kingdom. This is not ours by right but by adoption. God calls us into a relationship which is radically liberating so that we can live as sons and daughters by discovering what truly brings us life.

Do you have a plan?

Do you have a plan? This question rings down to us over the ages. Many of us, like Thomas, want a clearly established guideline or policy document about what it means to Christian. This blueprint or how to document would point us in the right direction. We know that we have many documents which can help us to draw on the wisdom of those who have walked the pathways before us. There is a careful and prayerful study of scriptures, a seeking after the truths handed on to us in the catechism and there are also the teachings provided to us by theologians and Church leaders. Each of these sources can help to clarify both our thinking and things which we should consider in living lives which are faithful to the person of Christ. They help us to recognise that our faith is relational both with God and with each other. We do not enter into the pilgrimage as solitary individuals but as disciples who accompany each other along the way. Yet like Thomas, each of us is called to encounter the person of Christ and be prepared to live with our questions. Our faith is relational and draws its foundation with how we become Christian through our thinking, our praying and by our actions. This is not just an abstract commitment which wishes us into the presence of God but one which engages us more deeply with our own lived reality. We are called to be Christian not just in theory but in practice. This calls us to be people who reflect on our faith each day and discover how we meet the person of Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full!

I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full! Being guided to good pasture where we can be sustained is essential in living the Christian life. Jesus calls us to listen to his voice and his lead. He seeks us out so that we may discover what truly nourishes us. This comes about not just by our willingness to hear his voice but to find where it may lead us. It calls us to be people who are prayerful, attentive and aware of how God prompts us into action. This reflective stance of being open to God's guidance and to find out what truly fills us is at the heart of the Easter journey. It calls us to notice where God is present to us and invites us to discover how the Spirit is at work in our lives. Each day provides us with an opportunity to give thanks for the people we meet, in the place where we live, in the work that we do and in the times when we relax. In all things, we are called to be present to what brings life to us and to others.