1st Reading: Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26

The spirit of God's power gives energy to the apostles and sends them out on their mission. This scene is the beginning of the Church which will grow to include all peoples.

2nd Reading: 1 Jn 4:11-16

The disciples receive the life-giving power of the Spirit to continue the mission of Jesus. Through this Spirit they grow in his life and communicate it to those willing to believe.

Gospel: Jn 17:11b-19

Jesus on the night before he died gives his friends the supreme commandment: "Love one another, as I have loved you".                

Reflection

Today is the feast of the Holy Spirit. According to today's gospel reading, the Holy Spirit is the "Spirit of Truth," and the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to lead us to the complete truth. In other words, the Holy Spirit works to keep us truthful, to make us people of integrity. The more open we are to the Spirit, the more of a single agent we become, or, to put it another way, the greater harmony there will be between who we proclaim to be and who we are in reality.