Daily Catholic Lectio. Mon, 28 April ‘25. Power of Prayer

Daily Catholic Lectio

Mon, 28 April ‘25

Second Week of Easter – Monday

Acts 4:23–31. John 3:1–8

Power of Prayer

In Jerusalem, there is an important place called the Upper Room. It was here that Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples, and later where the disciples gathered with the Virgin Mary in prayer after Jesus’ Ascension. It was in this very room that the Holy Spirit descended upon them in the form of tongues of fire at Pentecost. Thus, the Upper Room symbolizes for us the power of united prayer.

In today’s First Reading, Luke records that all the believers raised their voices together to God with one heart and one mind. The context is important: Peter and John had been arrested by the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling council) for preaching about Jesus. The believers, fearing that what had happened to Jesus might now happen to His followers, gathered and prayed fervently. Their communal prayer results in Peter and John being miraculously released. From this, we learn two lessons: first, we must pray for those who proclaim the Gospel to us and for those who guide us in faith; and second, when prayer is offered in true unity, the place itself is shaken — a powerful sign of God’s presence filling them with strength.

In the Gospel passage from John, Jesus engages in a profound conversation with Nicodemus. Their dialogue slowly moves toward the theme of rebirth. Jesus teaches, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” He compares the action of the Spirit to the movement of the wind: unseen yet powerfully felt. Those born of the Spirit, like the wind, are guided freely by its invisible force.

There is a close connection between the Holy Spirit and prayer. As St. Paul writes, it is through the Spirit that we cry out, “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15). True prayer, therefore, is not merely presenting a list of petitions to God, but rather opening our hearts and lives to Him, allowing Him to lead and govern every aspect of our being. Such surrender requires deep courage and profound inner peace.

Today’s reflection invites us to rediscover the true nature of prayer. Prayer is not about informing God of our needs, but about inviting Him to take charge of our lives. Like the believers in the Upper Room, when we pray with one heart and one mind, the very foundations of our lives can be shaken — shaken free of fear, doubt, and despair — and filled instead with the boldness and strength of the Spirit.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of Madurai

Missionary of Mercy