A Moment To Pause: Monday 11th May 2026 #pentecost #prayer

Good morning. Thank you for joining all of the Oblate Family today for our time of reflection and prayer with Frankie MacDonald in Glasgow this week.  Let's begin. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. And let's remember Pope Leo’s request this month for us all to pray this month for peace, especially as we see the Hail Mary while remembering all our brothers and sisters who are living in conflict, and commit them to the protection of Our Lady. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Our Lady, Queen of peace for us. Today's gospel is taken from Saint John's Gospel, chapter 15, and it's quite challenging. It describes how Jesus will send the Holy Spirit to help us face the challenges of hostility to the gospel and to ourselves as messengers of the gospel. It reminds us that we too need to witness the truth, and the Holy Spirit will be with us and support us in that. We know that hostility and indifference to religion is evident in society today, and it's discouraging that so many have fallen away from the church, and it's all the more important for us not to be discouraged and to persevere. It's very easy to think that the gospel describing the difficulties faced by the early church doesn't apply to these times that we live in, but we couldn't be more wrong as these challenges are still very much present. Lives of Christians are endangered in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. We in Europe and in the Western world face indifference and scorn for expressing our faith. The views we express from the gospel can, on the one hand, be seen as relics of the past, earning us the status of being quirky or in the other hand, just a attract direct derision and hostility. It's possible that we can be indifferent to indifference and persevere through hostility. Are we not called upon to live our lives in a way that allows people to see that we not only follow God's Word, but live it too? As Pentecost approaches, let's ask the Holy Spirit today for his help, to live as God's children and to follow his teaching: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. And as we end our time of reflection today, we remember our sisters and brothers who are ill and infirm at this time. Our Lady of Lourdes, Help of the sick. Pray for them. Thanks again for joining us in this reflection.   #prayer #podcast #faith #bible #scripture #gospel #christian #catholic #church #reflection #peaceful #ambient #listening #quiet