In today’s Gospel Jesus, speaking to the disciples at the Last Supper, continues to prepare them for the time of his departure. Looking beyond his crucifixion and death, he speaks of how when he finally leaves them in his bodily form, God the Father will send his “Spirit of Truth” to guide them in a new way. Jesus promises them “I will not leave you orphans”, explaining that he will be sharing with them his own relationship with his Father.

So this is a time of transition, change and new beginnings for the disciples. They must let go of their familiar way of being with Jesus and embrace their new contact with him through faith. They will no longer be physically following a man they admire and love but will be invited to make him present to others by becoming his living witnesses. And the power behind this change is the Holy Spirit. The word ‘Spirit’ in Hebrew means ‘breath’. The air we breathe is unseen but absolutely essential to life. In the same way it is through the gift of the Spirit that we come alive spiritually. Through this breath of God within us we are called to no longer rely on our purely human strengths but to let God live in us, work in us and love through us!

We now enter into the final 2 weeks of our Eastertide journey –this Thursday is the feast of the Ascension when Jesus returns to the Father in heaven 40 days after his resurrection. Then in 2 weeks we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The election results this week show that there is a deep hunger for change & renewal in our society, but also how divided we are about how to achieve this. We are all in constant need of renewal - as individuals, as a parish… This is the role of the Holy Spirit. May these be days when we give our lives more fully to God, and pray for the healing and renewal of our families, parish and wider society. Come Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth.

With blessings & prayers from Fr Richard, Fr Ephrem & all the parish team
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