Congregation at Prayer

Catechesis Notes for the Week — The Gift of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel of Matthew—This week of Pentecost we meditate upon the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised the Apostles, “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” This promise guaranteed for them the miracle of the New Testament Scriptures. The Apostles witnessed everything that Jesus said and did. They witnessed His ministry as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures. The Holy Spirit would bring this to their remembrance so that they could faithfully testify to Jesus in the New Testament Scriptures and deliver this message to us. Through the Apostolic Word we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and come to know and believe in all that Jesus is and has done for us and for the world. The promise of the Holy Spirit first given to the Apostles also applies to us as we hear and receive their testimony. The Holy Spirit works in our hearts and lives through the Word. The first three days this week we meditate upon the appointed readings for Pentecost, Pentecost Monday, and Pentecost Tuesday. The remainder of the summer we hear the voice of the Spirit as we walk through the eyewitness testimony of the Apostle and Evangelist, St. Matthew. Notice how often Matthew’s testimony of Jesus life and ministry is laced with quotations and allusions to the Old Testament witness of the prophets. In this way, our faith is strengthened by the two-fold witness of the Apostles and Prophets and Jesus is shown to be the savior of all nations as foretold in Old Testament and witnessed by the Apostles.CP230528

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Peace I Leave with You, My peace I give to you…Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27) “This is a very precious, final word, that He does not leave them cities and castles, or silver and gold, but His peace as the greatest treasure in heaven and on earth. They are not to be afraid or to mourn but are to have true and lovely and longed-for peace in their hearts. For as far as it rests with Me, He says, you will have nothing but pure peace and joy. For My presence and preaching have taught you that I love you with all My heart, and desire only your good, and My Father looks upon you most graciously. This is the best gift I can leave to you. For this is the highest peace, when the heart is content; as it is said ‘the joy of the heart is the greatest of all joys’; and again, ‘the sorrow of the heart is the greatest of all sorrows.’” Martin LutherCP230521

Catechesis Notes for the Week — The resurrection and ascension of our Lord in the flesh to the Father’s right hand belong together as the great concrete manifestations of our salvation. God’s will at creation—to give of Himself to us—has been fulfilled. In Christ Jesus we share in the glory of God Himself, and reign with Christ as eternal victors over sin, death, and the power of the devil. What the devil promised Adam and Eve but could not deliver because he was not the God of love, God gave in the person of His Son by whom He took humanity into Himself. The Lord God has withheld nothing form us. Through the redemption of Christ Jesus we share in all the glorious treasure of heaven, not as “gods” for ourselves, but as recipients of the divine love and life of the blessed Trinity.—Excerpt from Lutheran Catechesis.CP230514

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Comforting Catechesis on the Holy Spirit, the Comforter — This week’s Bible narratives continue Jesus’ comforting catechesis in the upper room. In this discourse, He prepares the Apostles and the Church of future generations concerning the Work of the Holy Spirit and what they are to expect. The Holy Spirit works through the Word of the Gospel to call to repentance and faith in Christ. The Spirit does this by convicting us of our sin, proclaiming the righteousness of Christ in His death, and proclaiming God’s judgment against the ruler of this world who stands condemned and has no power to condemn us. By the Word of the Gospel of Jesus’ suffering and death, we learn that Our Sorrow Will Turn to Joy. By the certain promises of His Word, we are encouraged to Ask and You will Receive. And in Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer we learn that Jesus is praying for us and that Jesus Prays for the Apostles and for those who will believe in Jesus through their Word, that they and the Church of every generation might be sanctified by Jesus’ Word and abide in His name to the end. Against the backdrop of Jesus’ catechesis we cannot help but think of the work of the Holy Spirit as described in the Catechism: “He calls us by the Gospel, sanctifies and keeps us in the true faith…even as He calls, gathers, and enlightens the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.”CP230507