Thursday, 29th May 2025. Acts 18:1-8; Jn 16:16-20, “Let the Holy Spirit take hold of everything.”

Laudato Si’ 222. “Christian spirituality proposes an alternative understanding of the quality of life and encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption. We need to take up an ancient lesson found in different religious traditions and also in the Bible. It is the conviction that less is more. A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment. Christian spirituality proposes a growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little.”

Scripture: Paul found a Jew Aquila and his wife Priscilla and stayed with them and they worked for they were tentmakers.  

JUBILEE.  All the baptized, with their respective charisms and ministries, are co-responsible for ensuring that manifold signs of hope bear witness to God’s presence in the world. SNC 17

Action:  Use opportunity to consider how to save – money, water, food, power, time etc.     

Reflection.

The family constitutes the basic unit of society. Families need to revive active participation in all efforts of uniting people and rehabilitating the environment. It is in the family where first the ‘seeds of hope’ need to be sown through Christian spirituality, tradition and a contemplative and sustainable lifestyle away from the consumerist culture of today. The Jubilee invites us all to be both Pilgrims of Hope and Signs of Hope. Families rooted in the Scriptures are the hope of a society free of manipulation, suffering and consumerism and greed..

Paul is caught up in an argument, attempting to convince the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.  Unfortunately, like society today, they were not willing to listen. Bad luck for the stubborn and hard of heart! Paul left and turned to the Gentiles, as a result “Crispus, the rule of the synagogue believed in the Lord, together with all his household; and many of Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.”

The “little while” is central to today’s Gospel, and it baffled the disciples. “What does it mean?” The family is present in the relationships of people with God, with one another and all or creation. How the family is formed by the message of the Gospel is the hope for better citizens and a better world. Laudato Si’ encourages families to participate in “Care for our Common Home” as its title states.

Prayer for Families and Ecological Life 

Blessed Trinity, Father and Spirit of love,  in Jesus and Mary, you showed us the meaning of hospitality, recognizing the divine presence in all living creatures. Help us to become a family that welcomes those who feel abandoned and lost, building a home where all are welcome. Through Mary, may we come closer to one another and experience your unconditional love. This we ask through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.