Send us a Text Message.

Jesus and the disciples are celebrating the Passover Meal, a major feast day in the Jewish faith and history. The Passover commemorates the “passing over” of the angel of death who would strike down the first born of the Egyptians. This was the tenth and final plague that Moses would bestow on the Egyptians to force the Pharaoh to release the Israelites from their slavery.

Every year the Jews celebrated Passover as they were celebrating their freedom from slavery and the protection from God. The last meal that Jesus spent with his disciples is believed to have been a Passover celebration. From this Passover meal the stage would be set for the development of the Eucharist. the Eucharist grew out a meal celebrating freedom from oppression.

Send us a Text Message.

I urge you to spend some time reflecting on who God is for you? The answer may give you insight about how you see God, your expectations of God and how you allow God to impact your life. One of the questions I ask people is; “What does God have to do to get your attention?’ This is another way of looking at what God means to you and how you expect God to reach out to you. Don’t make the same mistake, as that of the Pharisees who missed recognizing the Messiah, for them Jesus simply did not fit into their expectations.

Send us a Text Message.

Today’s Gospel is an account of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples. This account is very different from the other accounts in the Gospels. Jesus makes another appearance. He welcomes his disciples with the call to Peace. I want to point out that Jesus said this to the disciples who were afraid, the doors were locked, they had isolated themselves out of fear.

Fear can lead us to abandon our values, goals and convictions; leading us to behaviours that normally would not happen. In a way causing us to feel shut down. I want to point out that after receiving the Holy Spirit the disciples were fearless, actively preaching the good news when before they lived in secret.

People who are courageous or have done courageous acts can still be afraid. They have learned how to handle their fear to prevent them from being shut down. So, going back to the disciples, they were likely still afraid for their lives, but the Spirit gave them courage to move forward.