May 12th, 2024 - Seventh Sunday of Easter

In the prayer from Jesus’ Farewell Discourse that St. John records in the gospel today, Jesus prays that his Father will consecrate his disciples in the truth. This happens by the movement of the Holy Spirit in us. To be consecrated in the truth means to be anointed and set apart for the mission of Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we were all anointed at our baptism, when the holy water was poured over us, and the sacred chrism was smeared on our heads. And so, because of the work of the Holy Spirit, we have all been set apart to bear witness to Christ.  But the Holy Spirit needs us to say “yes” to his offer of assistance, and that’s up to us. During this month of May we honor Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Jesus’ first and best disciple… she always said yes to the Holy Spirit… and with the help of her prayers and example, she can help us say “yes” to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives.