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Thanks to technology I was able to be in Sydney last night to meet with parents of children who are preparing for First Communion.

It’s challenging to lead such a session by Zoom, but not impossible, and my hope is that some of the Pentecost reflections I shared didn’t lose in translation across the ditch.

While few of these parents find a home at Sunday Mass, that is not a problem for the Spirit of God who is ready and eager to respond to the needs and desires of every human heart.

This time last year in his first Pentecost homily Pope Leo emphasised the closeness of God bringing Jesus to every human heart and every human heart to Jesus. Leo continued reminding us that God prings about new things and prevails over the power of death.

“In Jesus we see, and from Jesus we hear, how everything changes because God is king, God is close to us. On this vigil of Pentecost, we are deeply aware of this closeness of God, of his Spirit who joins our lives to that of Jesus. We are caught up in the new things that God brings about, so that his desire for the fullness of life will prevail over the power of death.”      Pentecost 2025

This Pentecost week let’s pray for this:

• that each of us and those we love will be deeply aware of the closeness of God
• and that each of us and those we love will be caught up in the new things that God brings about.