May 2, 2019 Thursday of the 2nd Week of Easter-C ST ATHANASIUS, BISHOP, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
Acts of the Apostles 5:27-33
Psalm 34
John 3:31-36
“…the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” Acts 5:33
“He does not ration the gifts of the Spirit.” John 3:34
Lord, without the gifts of the Spirit the Acts of the Apostles would be a very short book. They would have continued to huddle in fear hiding from the world. They would maybe have gone back to fishing or tax collecting. Their time with you would have been a good memory but that would be it. The world would be a lot different than it is today, as would I. Thanks to your gift of the Spirit they came out of the upper room and proclaimed your resurrection and the good news of salvation. Thanks to the Holy Spirit I believe in you and can do what the Apostles did. My baptism changed everything for me. I have received the Spirit’s gifts in abundance. There is no shortage of what has been offered to me to become your disciple and your witness. It is just as important today as it was long ago that believers continue to live and spread the good news. It’s not easy to go against the earthly trends of the day that push back against the gospel truth. May I have the grace and the courage of St. Athanasius to fight against lies and falsehoods. Amen.