Pentecost Novena – Day 4

Intention

Today we pray for the grace to dialogue with openness, respect and concern for the common good.

Opening prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.

Scripture

"Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called." (Ephesians 4:3-4)

Reflection

We belong to each other, one global humanity inhabiting one common home. Yet the human family is assailed by various forms of “us” and “them” bringing division and fragmentation. It is to this that our reading today speaks so powerfully. The Spirit comes to bring unity and peace.

This unity is not the same as uniformity. The Spirit does not bring just one language on the day of Pentecost but enables people to speak in and comprehend a multiplicity of languages. As we come together, enriched by our differences, and recognising our shared dignity as children of God, we can stand united against the evils of poverty, discrimination, and violence.

As Pope Francis has said: “It is neither a culture of confrontation nor a culture of conflict which builds harmony within and between peoples, but rather a culture of encounter and a culture of dialogue; this is the only way to peace.”

To ponder today

How can I seek to encounter others in dialogue and friendship?

Prayer

Come Holy Spirit,
blow away division and despair.
Light your flame of courage and hope in us
and warm our hearts with wisdom and love.

Be our Helper, as we seek your ways of justice.
Be our Comforter, as we share your peace with our wounded world.
Be our Advocate, as we call for the fullness of life for all. Amen.

Action

Take the time to listen to others’ experiences with the CAFOD podcast, Voices of Change.