Transformed by the Holy Spirit
The First and Second Readings this Sunday show us a very different St. Peter from the one we read of during the Passion accounts of Palm Sunday and Good Friday. In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, St. Peter boldly proclaimed the Good News of Christ’s Resurrection to the crowds in Jerusalem and brought about the conversion of 3000! As he was approaching the end of his life, his letters, written while serving as the Bishop of Rome, show that none of that zeal had diminished as he wrote to the first Christians and reminded them that each of them had been delivered from the futile ways of sin by the precious blood of the Lamb.
What happened to the one who once denied Christ three times and abandoned him at the Cross to now fearlessly proclaim that Christ was risen and that he would lay down his life to teach this message wherever the Lord sent him?
Pentecost is what happened and that brought about a wonderous sanctification and change within St Peter. Now he was filled with the Spirit of God, the promised advocate and helper, who gave him courage where fear once reigned and perseverance in suffering where once he had run from the cross and forsaken the one whom he proclaimed to be the Messiah.
The Holy Spirit desires to transform all our lives. We are blessed to see many young people in our parish over the next two months preparing to receive the Spirit at the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation. But we must continually ask the Spirit to enter our lives and strengthen us. To simply pray Come, Holy Spirit at the start of the day is to welcome God into our day and trust that He will guide us.