Monday of the Second Week of Easter

The room shook: The early Church did not ask for a plan. They asked for boldness, and the Spirit came with enough force to shake the building. Challenge the parish: when was the last time your prayer asked for something bold enough to require the Spirit to show up?

Nicodemus at night: He came in the dark because the questions were too dangerous for daylight. Preach the parish as a place where the Nicodemus questions are welcomed - the doubts, the struggles, the honest searching that people carry in secret. The best ministry happens when someone is met in the dark without judgment.

The wind blows where it wills: This is the most uncomfortable sentence for anyone who likes to manage outcomes. The Spirit does not follow the strategic plan. He follows his own will, and our job is to open the window, not to direct the breeze. Preach this to a parish that may be over-programming and under-praying.

St. Martin I: The last pope venerated as a martyr, exiled for telling the truth about Christ's nature. A brief mention connects the boldness theme: speaking the truth cost Martin everything, and the Spirit sustained him through it.