Fr. Michael Williams

Following Our Lord’s Ascension into Heaven, which we celebrated last week, the Apostles, Our Lady and the women disciples, had all met in one room where they gathered, ‘with one heart joined together constantly in prayer’ (Acts 2: 14). These followers of Our Lord were afraid because their Master had physically departed from them. The Risen Lord Jesus had returned to heaven, and no doubt those He left were feeling somewhat anxious and isolated.

When people are feeling anxious and afraid what do they do? Unfortunately, sometimes people can turn in on themselves. They can look to themselves for the solution, or they can look to created things, to try and escape from their anxiety. But the natural, or rather the supernatural thing to do, when we feel afraid, anxious or isolated is to go beyond ourselves, and turn to a Power beyond ourselves. This Power beyond ourselves is God. This is what the disciples of Jesus did following Jesus’ Ascension by gathering together in prayer. Interestingly, the English poet, Edward Young, once said, ‘By night an atheist half believes in God’. What he was implying, is that when the darkness falls on someone- even an atheist, then they normally turn to God.

The Lord had promised His disciples that once He had returned to the Father, He would send them this Power from on High. In their anxiety they were praying for this Power on High to strengthen them and direct them. From St John’s gospel we know Our Lord had said to His followers, ‘The Father will give you another Advocate…I shall not leave you orphans’ (Jn 14: 16-18), ‘unless I go the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go I will send Him to you…[and] He will lead you to the complete truth’ (Jn 16: 7,13). After nine days of prayer, the Advocate- sometimes called the Comforter, comes upon Our Lord’s disciples. And they are transformed: ‘They were all filled with the Holy Spirit’. The Lord sends forth His Spirit, and the disciples’ fear and anxiety evaporates. Confidently and courageously they go out to tell of ‘the marvels of God’, specifically that Christ died for our sins and rose again opening the way to eternal life for us.

Through our baptism we are partakers of this one Spirit, who renewed those first disciples. We too need to open our hearts to God-that’s what prayer is- so that His grace and blessings can transform us. Yes, there will be times of anxiety and stress for us; times of fear and isolation. It may be an illness, it may be work or lack of it, or it may be a family concern. In these situations, like those first followers of Our Lord, we need to pray, to open our hearts to the Gift of the Holy Spirit, who can transform lives and situations, according to His will and design.

Those first disciples were nine days in prayer. This was the first Novena, which is nine days of continual prayer for a particular intention. This is a good Catholic way of praying that is rooted in the early Church’s practice. We all know people and situations that require a novena of prayer. We can, and should, offer novenas of prayer to God, Our Lady and the Saints, asking for particular intentions. It is far better to do this, and far more effective, than being anxious about people and situations which concern us. The Apostles, Our Lady and the other disciples did this and were not disappointed. The Holy Spirit sends forth His grace and renews people and situations. So let us make a commitment to do novenas of prayer, on a regular basis, for the people and situations we know need transforming by the Power from on High.