When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. Acts 1:13-14

How wonderful to ponder our Lady at prayer surrounded by the apostles and other disciples. It was thus that they prepared for the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate that Christ promised He would send after His resurrection. Following His direction, they went and devoted themselves to prayer. The depiction above by El Greco does not do justice to the original which hangs in the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain. I have stood and admired it on two occasions. The centrality of Mary and her prominence is striking. She is the central figure surrounded by the disciples. She was leading them in their prayer, as she leads us and teaches us how to pray. Already blessed by an intimate encounter with the Holy Spirit on the occasion of the Annunciation, she is there to receive the great gift of God on this wonderful day.

Having received the Holy Spirit, the apostles then go out. Apostle means, “one who is sent.” In the succeeding chapters of the Acts, we hear how Peter and the rest set out and boldly preach the Gospel that they had received. Confirmed as Catholics, we too have received this gift and are sent to set the world on fire as were the first disciples. St. Catherine of Siena said, “If you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire.” We won’t set the world ablaze all at once, but if we are attentive to the Holy Spirit he will show us every moment of every day how we are to kindle a fire in our hearts and to share it with those around us. The more lights we kindle in the hearts of others, the more the light of Christ will shine for all to see. The Holy Spirit comes to us with His seven-fold gifts in the sacrament of Confirmation and those gifts are stirred up in us TODAY!

Ask God to kindle that flame in your heart so that you might set the world on fire.

Come Holy Spirit!

The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,

and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.

Isaiah 11:2-3