Waiting in the Upper Room
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
Acts 1:14
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Grace Prayed For
Lord, as we gather on the eve of Pentecost, empty us of all that would prevent the Spirit’s coming, and fill us with longing for the fire you have promised.
Reflection
We have come a long way since Easter Monday. We have walked through Emmaus and sat at table with the Risen Lord. We have stood at the empty tomb with Mary Magdalene and in the locked room with Thomas. We have shared breakfast on the shore and been asked three times if we love him. We have listened to the farewell discourses and received their treasures: vine and branches, friend and friend, peace that passes understanding.
And now we wait.
Tonight, the night before Pentecost, is a vigil — a keeping watch through the darkness before the dawn. The disciples in the upper room did not know exactly what was coming. They had been promised the Spirit, promised power from on high, promised that they would not be left alone. But what that would feel like, what form it would take, what it would ask of them — all of that lay ahead in the unknown.
Vigilance and openness: these are the postures of the eve of Pentecost. Not striving. Not manufacturing. Not filling the silence with anxious activity. But together, with one accord, turning toward what is coming.
The retreat or small group that has walked these fifty days together has itself been shaped by the journey. Something has happened in the reading and reflecting and sharing. Dry places have been watered. Stones have softened. Old burial cloths have begun to loosen.
This is the preparation the Spirit uses. Not our perfection but our receptivity. Not our accomplishment but our availability.
The wind will come. The fire will come. The sound of a rushing, mighty wind will fill the room.
Be there when it does. Be there together. Wait.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post