Sunday after the Ascension 1 Jun 2014 Sermon

Sunday after Ascension 1.6.14 Praying as one

At this time of year we recall the gathering of the Apostles with Our Lady in the Upper Room, awaiting the promised Holy Spirit.

There is power in prayer and even more so when the prayer is from ‘two or three’ gathered in the Lord’s name. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (Mt 18,19)

There must have been a very high level of agreement in that room. There may have been the normal tensions to be found in any group of people, but once the prayer took hold everyone concerned would have moved to a more communal point of view, leaving aside any selfishness or individualism.

This oneness of mind and heart is something we must re-capture in our time.

It has been a tradition to pray at this time of year especially for Christian unity. As the prayer has it: that they may all be in one flock, under one shepherd.

The Catholic Church itself cannot move to some new position. Our beliefs, teachings, practices are firmly in place.

But we Catholics have to do some ‘moving’ of another kind, and that is that we move away from sin; that we open our hearts and minds more fully to the coming of the Holy Spirit; that we bury all selfishness and individualism, as those first disciples would have done.

How can we pray for the Holy Spirit to come if our hearts and minds are closed to His influence?

If we pray with sufficient intensity we will find that we are formed into a unity.

If we start to pray the oneness will come as we do that. Then, in turn, our prayer will become more powerful and effective.

Whatever good qualities we bring to the prayer will be refined and multiplied by the Holy Spirit, forming us into the strong disciples the Church needs in our times.

If we have faith it will become stronger. If we have goodwill it will increase. If we seek the truth we will grow in understanding.

There are many Christians praying together around the world every day yet we are still so far short of the required unity.

We differ on doctrine, we lack charity for each other. We need to believe the same things (on essential points of faith and morals). And we need to love one another.

The prayer we make (albeit very imperfect) will move us closer to these goals. The more seriously we pray the more our appetite for these things will increase.

It is reasonable to speculate that the prayer in the original Cenacle would have become more intense each day as those present became more focused in their desire.

We can have the same experience. We cannot all gather in one room but we can be one in mind and heart whenever we do gather; and even when praying alone can have the same aspirations.

Whatever God wants to send us, we want to receive it.

We have Our Mother - who pivoted the prayers of the disciples back then - still in the same role now.

She encourages us to persevere, not to be fainthearted; to realize that whatever is lacking can be supplied if only we ask for it with sufficient intensity.

May her prayers assist ours as we pray for a new Pentecost in our time; a re-capturing of all that was good about the first Pentecost.