On Pentecost Sunday, we remember the gift of the Holy Spirit. God’s personal, powerful presence poured into our lives to guide, comfort, and transform us. As at the first Pentecost, we are invited to be “pentecosted,” living daily in the Spirit’s love, strength, and mission.

The Ascension of Jesus is not his going away from us, but rather his coming infinitely closer to us. In St Matthew’s version of the Ascension, Jesus promises, “Behold I am with you always, even to the close of the age.”

God created us and knows each one of us intimately. He thought about us with love when he created us. He knew each one of us individually even before we were born.

We are to love one another just as Jesus loves us. The key to understanding the glory that Jesus is speaking about is a sacrificial love which is entirely for the other. There is nothing sentimental or self-serving about this kind of love. It is a gritty, determined love.

How do we recognise the voice of the Good Shepherd speaking to us, teaching us, and calling us? Well, we hear the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd in the reading of the Scriptures, in the teachings of the Church and its pastors, in the Mass, and we hear the voice of the Good Shepherd in our inner voice, our conscience, and in quiet reflection.

Lord asks us, as he asked Peter: “Do you love me?” It is a question that we must answer over and over again in our lives. Our answer is at the heart of a fundamental choice for God. Our answer is at the heart of our moral decisions and how we choose to live our lives.

What fears are in the background of our lives, that affect our well-being and joy? What wounds do we carry that need to be identified with the wounds of Jesus?

In the words of Pope Francis, “Let the risen Jesus enter your life. Trust him, go to him. He welcomes you with open arms. Let him dispel the doubt and fear from your lives.”

Opening to the Grace of Holy Week

Entering into the experience of Jesus, his pain, sorrow and suffering, will increase our appreciation for what he has done for us and increase our love for him.

The Gospel is that God responds to our weakness and woundedness with compassion and mercy. Jesus doesn’t condemn this woman before him; he forgives her, he shows her mercy. He tells her to sin no more, but he acts with compassion. He meets her misery with mercy

This story of the prodigal son is one of the most moving portrayals of God's loving compassion for his people. It is a real family story about breakups and reconciliation, about love that covers all sorts of failings and about love to the end. It is about a father who never stopped loving and never gave up on his son.

The image of the fig tree which is supposed to bear fruit is a symbol of our lives that are meant to be lived according to the purpose of God, the purpose for which we were created.