Then they laid hands on them
and they received the Holy Spirit. – Acts 8
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness! – Psalm 66
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit. – 1 Peter 3
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you. – John 14
It is quite consoling to hear these words of Jesus to his disciples the night before he died. They must have been very afraid. They must have wondered what would happen to him and what would happen to them. He assures them that he will send them the Holy Spirit. The Greek word, “Paraclete,” has many connotations: the Gatherer, the Comforter, the Protector, the Advocate, the one always at one’s side. He also assures them that Jesus himself will remain in them. They are not going to be left orphans.
That same assurance is Good News for us today, as we prepare to celebrate the Ascension and Pentecost. Each of us could take a few minutes to pause and get in touch with our fears, perhaps even to list them on a piece of paper. What’s troubling me now? What is making me anxious? Then we could each take a few minutes to listen to Jesus comforting us with the promise of the Spirit and the promise of his presence within us. We can let ourselves feel relief, joy, peace, perhaps even tears. Finally, we can express our deep gratitude.
This can be so comforting no matter what disturbs us.
“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.” - Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Rev. Andy Alexander, SJ
Co-founder of Creighton’s Online Ministries, Retired 2025
I served at Creighton from 1996 to 2025. I served as Vice-president for Mission for three Presidents, directed the Collaborative Ministry Office and co-founded the Online Ministries website.
I loved seeing the number of faculty and staff who over the years really took up the mission as their own and made Creighton the Jesuit university it is today. I was also consoled to witness the website – a collaborative effort - touch the hearts of so many around the world.
I’m now living at St. Camillus – a Jesuit care facility in Milwaukee. Many of my days are spent dealing with my own health issues, as I carry out the mission we’ve been given, “to pray for the Church and the Society of Jesus.”
