Readings: Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47:2-9; Eph 1:17-23; Luke 24:46-53

As we draw closer to the end of the Easter season, the Feast of the Ascension marks the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry and his return to heaven. As Jesus states in today’s Gospel he must ascend for the Holy Spirit to be with us. Such references to the Holy Spirit point us toward Pentecost. 

The Holy Spirit is God’s ongoing presence in the world. It stirs our hearts and reminds us of everything we have been taught about Jesus, about God. It is through the action of the Holy Spirit within us that we can put it all together by acting in faith with integrity in our lives.

It is through the Holy Spirit that ‘the eyes of our hearts are enlightened’. The Holy Spirit is the ‘promise of my Father’ in today’s Gospel. It is the Holy Spirit that allows us to speak as witnesses of Jesus. It is only through the Holy Spirit that we can praise God.

The feasts of the next few Sundays draw us to the heart of the mystery of our faith. We are each broken vessels, yet also imbued with God’s gifts. Our task is to discover and share those gifts with the community. It is only through the eyes of faith, opened by the Holy Spirit, that we can glimpse such gifts in ourselves and others. So we marvel at the work of God – Father, Son and Spirit – in our lives.