Come Holy Spirit: The Spirit of Revelation

 Come Holy Spirit Series

Come Holy Spirit

 Come Holy Spirit — The Spirit of Revelation

 A New Beginning in Easter Light

Having journeyed through Lent and entered into the joy of the Resurrection, we return to our Come Holy Spirit series ( a once a week post)  not to begin again, but to go deeper.

Over the past year, we have explored the gifts, the fruits, and the names of the Holy Spirit. Now, in this season of Easter, we turn our attention to living more consciously with the Spirit, allowing Him to prepare our hearts for Pentecost.

We begin with a title that is both powerful and essential:

The Spirit of Revelation

 

Scriptural Foundation

“God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:10

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth…”
— John 16:13

 

 What Is the Spirit of Revelation?

Revelation is not simply learning something new.

It is:

• truth being uncovered
• eyes being opened
• the heart suddenly understanding

The Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Revelation does not just give information —
He reveals what was already there, but unseen.

This is exactly what we see after the Resurrection.

The disciples had heard Jesus, walked with Him and witnessed miracles

And yet… they did not fully understand. It was only after the Resurrection, and through the work of the Spirit, that everything began to make sense

 

 Revelation in the Light of the Resurrection

Think of the road to Emmaus (Luke 24).

Jesus walks with them  but they do not recognise Him

Then:

• the Scriptures are opened
• their hearts begin to burn
• their eyes are opened

This is the work of the Spirit of Revelation. The Spirit does not force or is overwhelming but is gently faithful. Then we can say Now I see.

 

How the Spirit of Revelation Works in Us

The Spirit of Revelation is at work when:

• A Scripture you’ve read many times suddenly speaks personally
• A situation becomes clear after prayer
• You recognise God’s hand in something you previously resisted
• You see yourself truthfully — not harshly, but honestly
• You begin to understand why God has been leading you a certain way

This is not human reasoning.

This is:
light from within

 

A Personal Reflection

It can be very easy (and very human) to try to figure everything out.

To analyse, solve and control. The Spirit of Revelation does not work like that.

The Holy Spirit may not  always give answers immediately.

Instead, He:

• opens gradually
• reveals gently
• waits for our readiness

And then… almost unexpectedly:

something shifts
something becomes clear

 something lands

Not because we worked it out  but  because He showed us

 

Living With the Spirit of Revelation

As we move through Eastertide, this becomes our invitation:

• To slow down
• To listen more deeply
• To allow the Spirit to reveal — rather than forcing understanding

This is how we prepare for Pentecost.

Not by striving but by becoming open.

 

For Reflection This Week

• Where am I trying to “figure things out” instead of waiting on the Spirit?
• When have I experienced a moment of sudden clarity that felt like grace?
• What might the Holy Spirit be gently trying to reveal to me right now?
• Sit with a scripture from this week. Enter into the scripture. Allow the Spirit to reveal something to you… a word, a phrase that jumps off the page, you may wish to become one of the disciples after the resurrection or the women who came back to tell the disciples or the disciples on the way to Emmaus.
• What graces do I wish to receive at Pentecost? Ask the Holy Spirit for those graces I desire and for the graces He knows I need.
• Choose a few verses of scripture either from the gospel, first reading or psalms  and allow them to take root in our hearts. Ask the Holy Spirit to give us insight into these scriptures and how I might live them out.
• Pray a simple heartfelt prayer to the Holy Spirit asking to Him to come closer.welcome Him since He is the third person of the Trinity. Holy Spirit I want to know you as my best friend. come and reside in me.

 

 Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, Spirit of Revelation.
Open the eyes of my heart.

Where I am blind, bring light.
Where I am confused, bring clarity.
Where I am closed, gently open me.

Reveal to me the truth of who You are,
the truth of who I am,
and the path You are inviting me to walk.

Teach me to wait for Your light
rather than rush ahead without it.

Come, Holy Spirit.
Reveal what I cannot see on my own.
Amen.

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon series: Eastertide Wednesday of the Easter Octave

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series Eastertide

He is risen as He said

Wednesday of the Easter Octave (Easter Wednesday)

Hearts Burning

Communion Antiphon
“The disciples recognized the Lord Jesus in the breaking of the bread, alleluia.” (cf. Luke 24:35)

 

1. Thinking about the Words

Recognized… in the breaking of the bread.

 The Recognized did not at the beginning or on the road or not even while He was speaking.

But in the breaking.

This is so gentle—and so precise.

The disciples had:

• walked with Him
• listened to Him
• spoken with Him

…and still did not recognise Him until this moment.

 

There is something here about how recognition happens.

Not always:

• quickly
• or clearly
• or when we expect it

But often:

in the quiet, familiar action

in the moment of giving and receiving

 

 2. The Gospel Connection — Encounter

Today’s Gospel (Gospel of Luke 24:13–35) unfolds slowly.

Two disciples are walking away:

• from Jerusalem
• from hope
• from what they thought would be

Jesus comes alongside them but they do not recognise Him.

He listens. He explains. He walks with them. And then, at table:

·         He takes

·          Blesses

·         Breaks

·         gives

And suddenly:

their eyes are opened

 

Now hold the antiphon and the Gospel together:

• The Gospel shows the moment
• The antiphon gives us the meaning

They recognised Him in the breaking of the bread

 

This is where it becomes deeply Eucharistic because this is not just their story.  This is our story—every time we come to Communion.

 

 3. For Us — Where is Resurrection today?

How often do I say:

• Where are You, Lord?
• Why can’t I see You?
• Why does this feel unclear?

And yet…

He may already be:

• walking beside me
• listening to me
• speaking into my life

 

·         The disciples only recognised Him:

·         when they stayed

·         when they received

·         when the bread was broken

 

Where might I be invited today:

• to stay a little longer
• to listen more deeply
• to receive what is being given

 

And especially:

When I receive Communion…

do I pause, even briefly, to recognise?

 

 4. Prayer

Lord Jesus,

You walk with me, even when I do not recognise You.

When my heart is slow to see,

stay with me.

Open my eyes in the breaking of the bread,

that I may know Your presence.

in the quiet and familiar moments of this day.

Let my heart burn within me

as You speak and as You give Yourself to me.

Alleluia.

 

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series Eastertide: Tuesday of the Easter Octave( Easter Tuesday)

 Praying the Communion Antiphon series Eastertide

He is risen as He said

 Easter Tuesday

Communion Antiphon
“If you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; think of what is above, not of what is on earth, alleluia.” (cf. Colossians 3:1–2)

 

1. Thinking about the Words

There is an if at the beginning.

“If you have risen with Christ…”

Not a doubt—but an invitation to remember who we are now.

Through the Resurrection, something has already happened:

• we are no longer where we were
• we are no longer only earthly
• we are already drawn into something more

Therefore  the antiphon calls us to:

• seek
• set our minds

This is active. Intentional.

Not drifting but choosing where our heart rests.

 

 2. The Gospel Connection — Encounter

Today’s Gospel (Gospel of John 20:11–18) brings us to Mary Magdalene at the tomb.

She is:

• weeping
• searching
• looking for Jesus

Even when He stands before her she does not recognise Him.

Why? Because her heart is still fixed on what is earthly:

• the body
• what has been lost
• what she expects to find

And then everything changes with one word:

“Mary.”

 

Now hold the antiphon and the Gospel together:

• The antiphon says: “seek the things that are above”
• The Gospel shows: recognition comes when the heart is lifted beyond what it expects

Mary is not wrong in her love but she is still looking in the wrong way.

It is only when Jesus calls her by name that her gaze is lifted and she sees.

 

3. For Us — Where is Resurrection today?

Where is my mind resting today?

• on what is missing
• on what feels unresolved
• on what I expected but did not receive

The antiphon gently shifts us:

·         Seek what is above

·         Set your mind there

This of course is not as an escape from life but but as a way of seeing life differently since Christ is not absent.
He is present—often unrecognised until something in us lifts.

Sometimes all it takes is:

• a pause
• a prayer
• a quiet calling of our name

Taking The Communion Antiphon Further:

Already there is thread of the Octave between the 2 days- not as separate days but a movement.

From yesterday to today

Yesterday:

“Do not be afraid.”

Today:

“Seek what is above.”

They belong together because you cannot truly lift your heart while it is still held down by fear.

The movement

Yesterday, Jesus meets us in our fear and says:

Do not be afraid.

He does not remove everything but He loosens fear’s grip.

Today, the Church says:

Now… lift your gaze.
Now… seek what is above.

 

The deeper connection

Fear does this:

• pulls us down
• fixes our eyes on what is wrong
• keeps us circling the same place

Resurrection does this:

• frees
• lifts
• reorients

So the journey is:

From fear to lifting
From being held to seeking
From looking down  to looking up

 

And it fits the Gospels perfectly

• Yesterday: the women are afraid… but moving
• Today: Mary is searching… but not yet seeing

And in both:
Jesus meets them where they are and gently draws them further

Yesterday we heard: “Do not be afraid.”
Today we are invited to lift our hearts beyond fear,
to seek what is above, where Christ is.

We may wish to ponder:

·         What fear from yesterday is still sitting in me today?

·         Can I lift it even slightly—toward Him?

 

4. Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You call me by name.

When my mind is fixed only on what is before me,
lift my heart to where You are.

Teach me to seek what is above,
not by leaving my life behind,
but by seeing it in the light of Your Resurrection.

Open my eyes to recognise You
in the ordinary moments of this day.

Alleluia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series Eastertide Monday of the Easter Octave (Easter Monday)

 Praying The Communion Antiphon Series Eastertide

He is not here. He is risen.

Easter Monday

Communion Antiphon

“Christ, having risen from the dead, dies now no more; death will no longer have dominion over him, alleluia.” (cf. Romans 6:9)

 

Thinking about the Words

The whole Communion Antiphon is not simply a statement. It is a proclamation of the Easter message.

Dies now no more.

Notice that the word dies is in the present tense. We too in faith can die no more because of the Resurrection. We need to choose to die no more to sin, to old behaviours and patterns. We choose with God’s grace to die no more.

Dominion

 The word “dominion” At its simplest, dominion means:

rule, authority, control, mastery over something. However, in Scripture, it carries a deeper, more layered meaning.

 1. Dominion as power that governs

Think of a king and a kingdom.

If something has dominion, it:

• sets the terms
• decides the outcome
• has the final say

So when the antiphon says:

“death will no longer have dominion over him”

…it means:

• Death no longer governs Christ
• Death no longer determines what happens to Him
• Death has lost its authority

 

2. Dominion as a power that holds someone

There is also a more personal nuance.

Dominion is not just external rule—it can feel like:

• something that has a hold on you
• something that keeps returning
• something that seems stronger than your will

In that sense, we might recognise “dominion” in:

• fear that keeps coming back
• habits we can’t seem to shift
• thoughts that dominate our inner world

 

3. Dominion as final control

This is the deepest layer.

Dominion is not just influence—it is ultimate control.

So the antiphon is not saying:

• death is weakened
• or death is less frightening

It is saying:

Death has lost ultimate control
Death is no longer the end of the story

 

Now listen again:

Death will no longer have dominion.

There is a finality here. Something has been broken—completely.
Not eased. Not softened. Broken.

Death no longer has the last word. It has no power over Christ. Because of Him, it also has no power over us. This is the Church placing on our lips a truth that is almost too large to take in.

 

This means:

• death can still appear- we are human and mortal. Death comes to all of us. However, there are many deaths that occur in our lives on a daily basis.
• it can still wound
• it can still be felt

 

When we pray this word, you might gently ask:

What feels like it has dominion over me right now?

Not in a heavy way… just honestly.

And then:

Is this truly the final authority in my life?
Or does Christ have the final word here?

 

A very simple way to carry it

 We could even reduce it to a quiet line during the day:

“This (name it) does not have dominion.”

Not denying reality but placing it in the light of the Resurrection.

 

The Gospel Connection — Encounter

Today’s Gospel (Gospel of Matthew 28:8–15) is full of movement.

The women leave the tomb quickly. They are filled with fear and great joy. They run to tell the disciples

And then—
Jesus meets them.

Not later. Not after they have everything sorted. On the way.

And what does He say?

“Do not be afraid.”

 

Now hold the antiphon and the Gospel together:

• The antiphon proclaims: death has no dominion
• The Gospel shows: fear is already being undone

Because if death has lost its power,
then fear—its closest companion—begins to lose its grip too.

The women still feel fear but they are moving anyway.

And in that movement, they encounter Jesus.

 

This is in direct contrast to the soldiers who run away in fear to tell the chief priests and scribes. Their fear was inward- about themselves whereas the women, although still having some fear run to share the good news with the disciples.

 

For Us: Where is Resurrection today?

Where am I still living as though something has dominion over me?

• fear
• discouragement
• exhaustion
• old patterns

The antiphon says:
This does not have the final word.

Like the women, I may still feel it but the good news is that I do not have to stand still inside it.  I make the choice to move. I can move, even if it is a small tentative step It is often on the way rather than at the end—that Jesus meets me.

 

 Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You have broken the power of death.

When fear still rises in me,
teach me to keep moving toward You.

Meet me on the way,
as You met the women at the tomb.

Let Your risen life take hold in me today,
so that nothing may have dominion over my heart
but You.

Alleluia.

 

Praying the communion Antiphons Eastertide series: Introduction

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series Eastertide

He is risen as He said. Alleluia.

Praying the Communion Antiphons of Eastertide

Introduction

Each day at Mass, just before we receive Holy Communion, the Church gives us a sentence. It is brief. It is scriptural. It is intentional.

Sometimes we may barely notice it. It may even sound like a garbled sound if we do not have the text in front of us or even like brown cows- a voice from one side of the church and another voice from the other not in unison.

This Eastertide, I would like to build on what we have experienced in the Praying Communion antiphons in Lent series. What does the Church offer us during Eastertide as Communion Antiphons and how can these antiphons deepen our faith in Jesus and the resurrection. How can we carry them within us each day?

They are not random verses. They are chosen words placed on our lips as we approach the altar. What we ponder shapes us. What we carry through the day settles into the heart.

And so, during this holy season, each day we will:

• Think about the words themselves — their meaning, their nuance, their echoes in Scripture.
• Allow them to question us in practical, everyday ways.
• Carry a short prayer drawn from the antiphon into the rest of the day.

Eastertide invites us  with the opportunity to rejoice and to be filled with awe like the women who were first told about the resurrection by the angel. We too can run and tell others about it.

Let us begin.

Collect Series: Easter Sunday Year A

 Collect Series

The Mass: Collect Series

COLLECT SERIES

 

COLLECT

 

The Collect for Easter Sunday Year A reads as follows:

O God, who on this day, through Your Only Begotten Son,

Have conquered death and unlocked for us the path to eternity,

Grant, we pray, that we who keep the Solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection

May, through the renewal brought by Your Spirit,

Rise up in the light of life.

Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

One God, for ever and ever.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged:

 

What does Jesus conquering death and unlocking for me the path to eternity mean for me

How will I keep the Solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection in both good times and in crises in my life.

How will I renew myself with God’s grace in the light of Christ this coming week?

How will I renew my spiritual life during this Eastertide?

What are the areas of my life that need to risen up in the light of life?

 

 

GOSPEL REFLECTION

‘He is not here. He is risen. He will go to meet you in Galilee.’

This Gospel reflection is from Matthew’s Gospel which was read at the Easter Vigil.  On Easter Sunday, the Resurrection account is from St John.

Matthew 28:1–10

Theme: “Do Not Be Afraid — He Has Been Raised.”

 

Setting the Scene

The Sabbath has passed.

In the grey light before dawn, Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” go to the tomb. There is no triumph in their step — only devotion and grief.

Then suddenly:

A great earthquake.
An angel descending.
The stone rolled back.

The guards shake with fear.
The women are told:

“Do not be afraid.”

The words that began the Incarnation now begin the Resurrection.

“He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.”

The tomb is empty — but not abandoned.

It is fulfilled.

 

Gospel Reflection: From Fear to Mission

Matthew’s Resurrection account is marked by movement.

The women come to see the tomb.
They are sent from the tomb.
They run — with fear and great joy.

This mixture is important. Resurrection does not erase awe. It deepens it.

The angel gives them a commission:

“Go quickly and tell his disciples.”

Before they reach the disciples, Jesus Himself meets them.

“Greetings.”

Simple. Ordinary. Almost gentle.

They take hold of His feet — the same feet that had been pierced, the same feet that had walked dusty roads, the same feet washed on Holy Thursday.

The Crucified is the Risen One.

And again, He says:

“Do not be afraid.”

Fear marked Good Friday. Fear marked the disciples in hiding. But fear does not have the final word.

The Resurrection is not merely consolation. It is commissioning.

“Go and tell my brothers…”

Notice the word: brothers.

After betrayal. After denial. After abandonment.

Relationship is restored before explanations are given.

 

Personal Reflection

The Vigil begins in darkness. A single flame pierces it.

Light spreads quietly, candle by candle.

So too in the Gospel.

Resurrection often begins in small obedience — going to the tomb when hope seems buried.

Where in my life do I still sit in Holy Saturday silence?

Where does fear still whisper louder than hope?

The women did not go expecting resurrection. They went to honour love.

Faithfulness preceded revelation. Perhaps that is the key.   Remain faithful. Watch what God rolls away.

 

Questions for Reflection

What “stones” feel immovable in my life right now?

Where has grief overshadowed hope?

How does the Resurrection reshape my understanding of suffering?

What would it mean for me to truly hear, “Do not be afraid”?

Where is God sending me to share hope?

 

Closing Prayer

Risen Lord,
In the quiet before dawn
You broke the power of death.

Roll away the stones
that seal my heart.

Turn fear into courage.
Turn grief into mission.

Let Your light grow in me
until it becomes witness.

Alleluia.
Amen