Baptize them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teach them to observe all that I have commanded you. I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
LECTIO DIVINA:
Read: Jesus returns to the Father, leaves his disciples to continue the work he began,
but now promises to send them the Holy Spirit to guide them in their mission. In the Acts of the Apostles,
Jesus is asked whether he was now going to restore the kingdom of Israel
– to which he replies that it was not for them to know the time which the Father had determined.
But they had only to patiently wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Reflect: Jesus leaves but does not abandon his disciples as orphans.
Instead he sends them the Holy Spirit to guide them to fullness of truth and to strengthen
them in their continuing mission of bringing the Good News of salvation to all peoples.
And he gives them the same authority that the Father had given him, in order to carry his message to the ends of the earth,
promising to be present to them always. As followers of Christ and ambassadors of his message,
we are never alone. We never do the work of preaching the Gospel by ourselves.
The Church is there to sustain and guide us. The Holy Spirit is there to strengthen us.
And Jesus will always be there, present in our midst, in his Word and in the Breaking of the Bread.
Pray: Lord Jesus, you have made it abundantly clear that we have everything we need in order to fulfill the task you have given us.
Help me to always be mindful of the many gifts,
graces and aids that you have made available to me as I seek to proclaim your message to all that I meet.
Act: Say a prayer of thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit and ask for his guidance and aid as you seek
to witness to your faith in your day to day life.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2020