The Disciples Await The Holy Spirit

Hello! and happy TGIF to all of us, GUYS.  Our "food for the soul" this Friday:

THE GOOD NEWS (07 October 2016)

"Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olives, which is a fifteen-minute walk away.  On entering the city they went to the room upstairs where  they were staying.  Present there were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, son of Alpheus; Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James.  All of these together gave themselves to constant prayer.  With them were some women and also Mary, the mother of JESUS, and HIS brothers." - Acts 1:12-14 

Mary And The Apostles

(The apostles cannot begin such a difficult mission before they have received the Holy Spirit.  They have done everything that depended on them and now can only put themselves in the hands of GOD and wait perseveringly in prayer for the time HE has fixed.

As John has done in giving us the word of JESUS to HIS mother, present at the foot of the cross [John 19:26-27], Luke here reveals to us the spiritual maternity of Mary.  She is there sharing in the longing of the apostles, she is the New Eve, the new mother of all the living [Genesis 3:20].

Mary, mother of JESUS, played a decisive role during those days when the apostles tried to reflect together on all they had seen and learned from JESUS, in order to clarify the message they had to give to the world.  Mary, only witness of the annunciation and of the private life of JESUS, helped them perceive the mystery of HIS divine personality.

Luke does not speak about this: from now on Mary keeps herself in the background.  Different from those "brothers of JESUS" who long for power in the Church, she is but a praying presence.  From that moment the Church has a hierarchy but all those called to receive the Spirit are full members of this community or communion.)    

On-Site
On-Track