Today’s Gospel provides a window into the life of the pre-Easter Jesus.

Two themes echo throughout the readings: covenant and sacrifice.

The Jesus who emerges from these stories is one who is compassionate in the face of human suffering and who makes the needs of these sufferers the norm for his action, to the disregard of social taboos and conventions.

The readings offer directions for proclaiming the presence of the Spirit in the church.

The Trinity presents a series of paradoxes. It is the central mystery of Christian faith, yet its power in Christian life gets lost amid a tangle of theological distinctions and philosophical speculation.

The first reading captures the meaning of today rsquo s liturgical celebration Matthias not one of the original followers of Jesus is chosen to be a witness to the resurrection From Easter to Pentecost all the readings in effect present different aspects of what it means to be such a witness The