Our Bond of Unity  

“The communion (koinonia) of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 

To begin Mass, the presider announces that our “communion”—common union—is “communion in the Holy Spirit.” What does that mean?  

At Mass, we do not gather as “sociological Catholics”—people who profess the same doctrines and observe the same rules. Nor as residents of the same neighborhood parish, rich or poor. Nor as people who speak the same language. What we have in common, our bond of unity, is the Holy Spirit present in the hearts of all.  

We recognize as one with us, and as rightfully present in this assembly, all who have received the “Gift of the Spirit” (Acts 2:48; 10:35), no matter what religion, or lack of religion, they profess. 

True, for public recognition, we require public acceptance of Jesus. We “give Communion,” the Body of Christ, only to those who have visibly become the Body of Christ by dying in him and rising with him in Baptism. But the unity we proclaim is not that of being in the right building but of being ourselves a building the Spirit is in. Jesus said: “God is spirit… True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth (John 4:19). We don’t identify ourselves or others by the visible presence of our bodies in the pew, but by the invisible presence of the Spirit in our hearts. 

ACTION: Look around at those in church with you. See them as temples of the Holy Spirit. 

PRAYER: Lord, make us one in the Spirit. 

— Fr. David M. Knight

View today’s Mass readings on the USCCB website here

Easter season is the time to focus on the Holy Spirit. Starting on Easter Sunday, we will look carefully at how the Spirit is proclaimed, invoked, and presented to us in the Mass. Lex orandi, lex credendi: “As the Church prays, so she believes.”

After that, we will reflect on the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; Galatians 5:22), and at how the Spirit enters the life of those who believe.

As you read these reflections, ask for the gift of Understanding. Ask to really understand what you believe, what you see and hear at Mass. Go deeper into understanding the Mass than you ever have before. We experience the Faith when we become aware of its mystery. We hope you reflect deeply on the Mass and Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and find yourself more and more drawn into the mysteries of our Lord in the Mass and in His Gifts.