today's other readings are Acts 18: 1-8 and Psalm 98
This passage has always annoyed me - the 7-fold repeated use of "little while". The impatient side of me wants to yell, "Enough already!!" But of course, there is a purpose for this.
As Pat Marrin of NCR points out": A little while "becomes the 'pregnant pause' St. John uses to show how gradual the transfer of power was for the early church. The immense mystery had to be absorbed and claimed for it to become evident and active."
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension, in which Jesus returns to heaven 40 days after His resurrection. That means that today is the actual date of the Ascension. But in Canada, and in many parts of the world, we celebrate it on the Sunday.
Now for all those who followed Jesus, these 10 days between the Ascension and Pentecost were days of emptiness. He was gone. Now what? But actually, this would be a time of grace. For it was only in that spiritual sense of emptiness that the power of the Holy Spirit would be truly manifested in their lives afterwards. In other words, for them "to be filled up" meant they had to be empty first. And how the Spirit came to them.
10 more days to Pentecost. Veni Sancte Spiritus.