Sixth Sunday of Easter

The Advocate

“Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” Oh, how I need to hear those words Jesus spoke to his disciples! There is so much in this world, in our community, and in my family that troubles my heart. What is troubling yours?

Can you imagine Jesus softly, tenderly saying, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid?” And then he reassures us: “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” How is the Holy Spirit teaching us these days? How is the Holy Spirit speaking? What reminders do we have of what Jesus would do? How are we witnesses to the teachings of Jesus?

In our weekly listening sessions for the Synod, we pray for the presence of the Holy Spirit among us, to inspire us, and to give us reminders of what Jesus taught us about living as a community of believers. As we listen to the Holy Spirit, we are giving voice to many of the things that trouble our hearts. And we look to the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, to give us the courage to advocate for others.

The following meditation and prayer are attributed in part to Sister Joan Chittister:

The Holy Spirit embodies the life force of the universe, the power of God, the animating energy present in all things and captured by none. On this great feast of Pentecost, the coming of the Spirit of God, we pray:

May the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
bring fire to the earth
so that the presence of God
may be seen
in a new light,
in new places,
in new ways.

May our own hearts
burst into flame
so that no obstacle,
no matter how great,
ever obstructs the message
of the God within each of us.

May we come to trust
the Word of God in our hearts,
to speak it with courage,
to follow it faithfully
and to fan it to flame in others.

Give me, Great God,
a sense of the Breath of Spirit
within me. Amen.

(Adapted from a prayer by Sister Joan Chittister, OSB)