On the eve of the Ascension, we might ask ourselves how different we are now compared to when we set out on a path of transformation at the beginning of Lent (February 17) and continued during the Easter Season. I suggested "doing something for Lent" that could be continued even beyond, a kind of behavior modification that would bring us more in line with what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus. Perhaps we can't put a finger on anything major (it takes a long time for behavior to change) but perhaps the desire to be like Jesus, to spend more time in prayer with him, and to act more like him with other people, listening, helping, soothing, encouraging, avoiding unkind words and gosspip, has become more tangible, more urgent. That is surely a good sign, for change begins with the desire to change.
Looking at the disciples locked in the upper room for the weekend when Jesus was crucified and buried, we see them frightented and unsure. Jesus appears, says, "Receive the Holy Spirit" and later sends the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they change into dynamic, fearless preachers and witnesses to the power of the Spirit. "It is the Spirit who bears witness in the hearts and on the lips of the saints that Christ is the truth, the true resurrection, and the life." (Blessed Guerric of Igny, a close friend of St. Bernard of Clairvaux). During the nine days between Ascencion and Pentecost, may we pray to the Holy Spirit for the gift of transformation, even if only in ONE needed area of our lives.
Bro. Rene
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