TODAY (Thursday 21st May) is ASCENSION DAY (or more formally, The Ascension of The Lord). Forty Days after Easter, Our Lord is taken up to Heaven, but he makes a promise to his disciples: I will send an Advocate to be with you – and as we know, just a short while afterwards, the Holy Spirit comes to be with them, and us, for all time. Mass for Ascension Day is celebrated at 10.00am this morning.
For the past few years, the period between Ascension Day and Pentecost (Sunday 31st May) has been a time of prayer. The Church has used the theme “Thy Kingdom Come”, which quite aptly reinforces Jesus’ promise to his disciples. There are several different resources that can be found on an internet search, but the most important aspect is prayer. When “Thy Kingdom Come” was initiated, there were some key objectives:
During the 11 days of Thy Kingdom Come, it is hoped that everyone who takes part will:
- Deepen their own relationship with Jesus Christ
- Pray for 5 friends or family to come to faith in Jesus
- Pray for the empowerment of the Spirit that we would be effective in our witness
We may not be able to get to church during this period of “lockdown”, but if there is one thing that we do have is some additional time, time to pray. So please spend the next 11 days with particular focus on prayer – and of course, at this time, we can add an additional prayer focus for those with Coronavirus, for those key workers who are helping us all through the pandemic, for those who have died and for those who have been bereaved.
With so much going on, this Sunday – the Seventh Sunday of Easter – prepares us for the great gift of Pentecost which will soon be with us. However, it is appropriate that the Gospel reading also focuses on the importance and power of prayer, as Jesus himself raises his eyes to heaven and prays.
Stay safe and well.
David Griffiths.
(St. Mary’s)