Sixth Sunday of Easter
Jesus said to his disciples ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever. The Spirit of Truth’. In the final two weeks of the Easter season we prepare for the celebrations of the Feasts of the Ascension, which takes place this Thursday, and ten days later Pentecost. The Lord Jesus ascended to heaven with the promise to be with his disciples and commissioned them to go out to teach all nations. It was only through the promised gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost breathing his life upon Mary, the mother of the Lord, and the disciples that they had the courage and power to carry out their mission to go forth and build the church community. It is difficult for us to see the ways that the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives and in the life of the church today. One of the most powerful examples that helps us to see the Holy Spirit at work is through reflecting on the life of Our Blessed Lady and praying to her, particularly in this month of May. We can see how the Spirit of God was present in her life from beginning to end, from her willing response to the angel Gabriel to her steadfast faith in praying with her son at the foot of the cross and being with the disciples at Pentecost. Mary’s story is one of complete openness to the presence of the Holy Spirit. During the month of May it is in praying the Rosary, or adding a Marian prayer to the end of our regular private prayer at mass or other times such as the ‘Magnificat, or the Hail Holy Queen’ that our heavenly mother will guide us to be open to Gods Spirit in our lives.
‘Risen Lord, you raised Mary from her birth in Nazareth to her throne in heaven where she is honoured as Mother of God, Mother of humanity. May her prayers be with us on our life journey leading us to You Lord Jesus. We entrust ourselves and our world to her loving care.’
Wednesday 13th May is the anniversary of the Dedication of our Cathedral. The Cathedral was completed and Dedicated in 1967 and we look forward to holding some special celebrations next year to mark our 60th Anniversary. A group of teenagers from St Edwards College will be confirmed at the Evening Mass at 5pm on our anniversary of Dedication- Archbishop Sherrington will preside at this Mass celebrated in the main Cathedral.
Please also remember in your prayers some of our young children who have been preparing over the last six months to receive their first holy communion. This will be celebrated next Saturday in the Cathedral at 11am, May the Lord bless these young children on their special day.
Monsignor Anthony O’Brien
Dean