Catastrophes and Preparations

There was one time in seminary, we're having a mass with the archbishop present,

and anything that could go wrong went wrong.

One of the altar candles just out of its side, like, exploded.

The terrible itself caught into, like, this raging ball of fire.

And all of us servers were just looking around, like, what do we do?

How, what's going on? and at

the end of mass the rector of

the seminary just whispers over me because i was the mc is

like well other than that Mrs Lincoln how did the play go and i was just like

you can make that joke but you're looking at how stressed out and like just

worried that all of us were that oh oh, the archbishop is there.

Everything is going to, he's going to yell at all of us. He's going to,

he has the tendency to punch you with his ring at times.

And it's like a whole thing. So all of us were, but that one little joke,

though, calmed us all down.

And that throughout the entire Mass, as everything was going wrong,

the rector kept this calm presence about him that helped us not to stress out

and freak out and run around like chickens with our heads cut off.

Jesus told his disciples not to be distressed. Do not worry.

But they didn't realize that they're going to undergo great stress themselves very soon.

That when Christ was taken off to be crucified,

that they were so overwhelmed that they fled our

Lord but again he

tells us don't worry we hear

these words and we should hear them addressed to each and every one of us speaking

to our hearts of don't be distressed don't worry whatever may come about it

is truly in God's hands let us take this message then personally and immediately.

Let's not think that this message is just for a general everybody all at once,

but truly addressed to us individually.

And we may not think that all things are going well in our lives or things that

are going well, and we might not expect anything immediate that will stress us out.

However, the disciples were unaware that they were on the threshold of the most

distressful time of their lives. we might as well also be mistaken.

We desperately need the Holy Spirit, that calming presence, that reassuring

advocate that tells us truly that Christ is risen, all is conquered.

We need not be afraid.

There is such a contrast with the disciples before the crucifixion and at Pentecost.

Before they were terrified, they fled. They hid themselves.

After Pentecost, they were shouting from the rooftops, proclaiming boldly that

Christ is alive, even though they know that them themselves will be taken off

for martyrdom, for speaking such things.

Yet they still continued the mission of Christ, of healing, of preaching,

of proclaiming God's love.

That same Spirit dwells in each and every one of us through our baptism and confirmation.

So in two weeks' time, we will pray again for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit

upon each and every one of us at Pentecost.

To stir up those graces that we received in our baptism and confirmation.

To tell us, be not afraid.

Open wide the doors of Christ. proclaim the good news from the rooftop.

And truly, we know that the Holy Spirit abides in us.

That peace that Christ promises abides with us.

And so as we go out today, let us be bold.

Let us prepare ourselves, starting to prepare ourselves for Pentecost.

And even going so far as I would recommend doing a novena to the Holy Spirit

so that the graces of Pentecost may be stirred anew in you.