Sunday Reflections

First Reading:            Acts 1:1-11
Second Reading:       Ephesians 1:17-23
Gospel:                      Luke 24.46-53 – The Ascension of the Lord

Prayer and Evangelization

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth.” This is the great commission that continues to echo throughout the centuries. All of us, especially stewards, are called to be witnesses of the Gospel and evangelize the hearts of those nearest to us. However, before we can convert others, we need to have an interior conversion ourselves.

St. Vincent Ferrer says that “If you truly want to help the soul of your neighbor, you should approach God first with all your heart. Ask him simply to fill you with charity, the greatest of all virtues; with it you can accomplish what you desire.” Before we can do any great deeds for Christ and the Church, we need to be sufficiently nourished by the love and grace of God. This can onlycome about through our dedication to prayer. We must pray for the strength to love and share the Gospel with others.

One practice we can adopt is the morning offering. This involves beginning each day, perhaps even while still lying in bed, with a prayer to God thanking Him for another morning and asking
Him to help us offer our day for the good of the Gospel. We can supplement this by beginning any period of formal ministry with an opening prayer. We need to always remember that it is the Holy Spirit working through us that is bringing about great graces. Let us strive to infuse our stewardship with the power of prayer.

Summary

All of us, especially stewards, are called to be witnesses of the Gospel and evangelize the hearts of those nearest to us. However, before we can convert others, we need to have an interior conversion ourselves. One practice we can adopt is the morning offering which involves beginning each day, perhaps even while still lying in bed, with a prayer to God thanking Him for another morning and asking Him to help us offer our day for the good of the Gospel.

https://www.archtoronto.org/stewardship