Today we end the Pentecost novena, the reading of the Acts of the Apostles, and the reading of John's Gospel. Jesus ends as He began when we first met Him – by calling us to follow Him (Jn 21:19, 22). We may think we're already following Him, but we may be doing our own thing and trying to get Jesus to follow us. For instance, when we pray, are we asking God to do our will or are we denying ourselves (see Lk 9:23) and seeking His will? When God does what we don't want, do we follow Him anyway or balk?
To receive the Holy Spirit of Pentecost, we must follow the Leader, Jesus, rather than trying to be the leader for Jesus to follow. This means repentance, self-denial, doing what we have refused to do, and no longer doing what we have persisted in doing. We must go to Confession and follow the Leader, Jesus, to the cross. Then we can follow Him to Pentecost, for the cross precedes Pentecost. When Jesus has quite "a following," we will have quite a Pentecost.
| PRAYER: | Father, may leaders first of all be followers of Jesus. May they lead us in following Jesus to a new Pentecost. |
| PROMISE: | "With full assurance, and without any hindrance whatever, he preached the reign of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." –Acts 28:31 |
| PRAISE: | St. Rita, the Saint of the Impossible, lost her husband and both sons to early deaths. She then embraced a religious vocation, joining the Augustinians to live a life of penance, gospel poverty, intercession, and charity. Her prayers led many to return to the Church. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College