Pentecost Eve
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Gospel Sentence
“Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” (John 17:11)
Reading
““I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” (John 17:6–11)
Meditation
“I have given them the words,” Jesus says. The words (the Word) is His, always. It is His Word that goes forth throughout the world for our salvation. And it is that Word alone which creates unity. We are one in Christ because His Word creates faith. This is an incredible gift, because it means our unity is not based on numbers, or on how we look or dress or act. It is based on the Word alone. That is where our unity lies. If we look for unity as Christians anywhere else, it will always end in folly.
Silence
Prayer for Holy Cross Member
O Lord, in Holy Baptism you put your Name upon Norma. Bless her now with the forgiveness of sins and a firm trust in you. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for Pentecost Eve
Almighty and ever-living God, You fulfilled Your promise by sending the gift of the Holy Spirit to unite disciples of all nations in the cross and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ. By the preaching of the Gospel spread this gift to the ends of the earth; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Lord’s Prayer