May 21, 2023
Seventh Sunday of Easter
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052123-Sunday.cfm
When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying…All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together.
They went back to the upper room in Jerusalem because Jesus told them to do just that, Jesus:
enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus told them to wait. As a society, we do not like to wait. I do not like to wait. Unless it's for hard to get concert tickets for this weekend, nope, I don't like that either! As I was saying, however badly I need it, I do not like to learn the gift of patience. By the way, I need it VERY badly. I wonder why did Jesus do this, why not just send them the Holy Spirit right at the Ascension?
This is a teaching moment. It was a teaching moment for the Apostles and those gathered with them and it’s a teaching moment for us as well. We must learn patience, learn to wait, and learn to pray while we wait.
Learning to stop rushing around and waiting patiently is a necessary skill that I learned a long time ago but I often forget to practice. It was probably about 30 or so years ago the group of men I go hunting went hunting in the Catskill Mountains. Saturday at lunch we looked at local maps (we didn’t have GPS devices back then) and found a good spot to go so we headed up to an area next to a pond to park and we all headed off our own ways into the woods.
I took some compass readings on my way in (remember we didn’t have GPS or phones) and after finding a good spot I settled down. I had probably only been there an hour and on a ridge a good distance away I could see 5-6 deer walking along. I decided to see how close I could get. I walked towards them quietly and slowly, stalking them. They continued to walk through the woods. I continued to stalk them. Finally, something scared them enough, perhaps I got too close or they caught my scent and ran. I looked around and realized in my foolishness I had no idea where I was or how long I followed them. It was late in the afternoon now and the sun was beginning to set. I started to walk quickly through the woods on the way I assumed was correct. After a while my pace quickened, it was getting dark now and I was getting worried. As I walked I blew my whistle and hoped for a response. I didn’t get one. Panic began to set in as it was now getting tough to see. Finally, I stopped storming through the woods. I remember they said stop, be still, listen. I needed to clear my head and determine if I was continuing to find my way back or building a shelter for the night.
I stopped, sat down, and waited for a bit. While I waited I prayed. I remember asking God to help me decide what I needed to do at this moment. I sat still and silent as if God would answer me through the trees. I know He DID! When I had finally stopped stomping through the woods like a frightened bear and was silent I heard a sound. It was the sound of a small stream to my left. I remembered I parked near a pond and my prayer was now - “God, please let me have not gone around the mountain and let this stream lead to that pond.” I started to follow it with my flashlight. I had walked maybe an hour, it was really dark now, and I could hear in the distance whistles and people calling my name. I whistled back and called back. It was the right pond, praise God! Boy, were we happy to see each other.
It wasn’t until I waited, quietly, and prayed that it became clear to me the path I should take. That’s what they were doing in the upper room in Mount Zion - they were waiting and praying. Waiting for the Holy Spirit.
The eleven remaining Apostles, the Blessed Mother, and others were gathered in prayer from the Ascension to Pentecost, for nine days. This is where we get the concept of the novena from, praying in some form or concept that is a factor of successive days or times. The real point here, however, is that prayer should be an important part of your life wherever you are.
St. John Damascus says that:
Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God
Even Jesus prayed to God the Father. We see that in our Gospel from John Chapter 17, the priestly prayer of Jesus. The Catechism of the Catholic Church includes several different forms of prayer. CCC 2623-2649:
prayer of blessing or adoration, prayer of petition, prayer of intercession, prayer of thanksgiving, and prayer of praise.
It is always the Holy Spirit moving in us that leads us to prayer, not by forcing us, but by nudging us, sometimes ever so subtly. This is why, in our lives we sometimes need to be quiet, to be waiting, so we don’t miss that gentle nudge to lift our hearts and our minds to God. St. Paul spoke of this in his letter to the Romans, he told them:
In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.
I guess what I have been trying to say is summarized nicely by St.Therese of Lisieux:
Prayer is an aspiration of the heart, it is a simple glance directed to heaven, it is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as joy; finally, it is something great, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites me to Jesus.
