"Receive the Holy Spirit"
In the Acts of the Apostles, we are told of the story of how before the Holy Spirit came down upon the apostolic community of Jesus, they were in a spirit of prayer and community. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to the apostles that He would not leave them orphaned. Rather, He would ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit so that He would indwell in their minds and hearts and souls and grant them the courage to preach His gospel to the whole world. So, in a spirit of prayer, they awaited the time until the Spirit of Jesus descended upon them and came upon them like the sound of a strong wind and alighted upon their heads like tongues of fire.
The Spirit that the apostles received at Pentecost is the Spirit of truth - the Spirit of unity and peace and love. The Spirit comes down only when at least two or three are gathered together in prayer and in Jesus name. It is prayer that invites the Spirit to the hearts of anyone who desires Him in their lives. And it is also the presence of the Spirit in our hearts that helps us to pray as we ought: as individuals or in a community.
Today, in a world where there is so much commercialism, materialism, and too much attention to things external, people forget the reality of the Spirit - and the life of peace and love that only the Spirit of God can give. So much attention is given to things modern and to things that do not reflect our Christian values that we often forget that at our baptism, we were made to be Temples of the Spirit. Our bodies and souls are cleansed from sin and made sacred by the indwelling of the Spirit in us. The only way we can regain this life in the Spirit is if we learn to renew ourselves and begin again to live a committed life of prayer - one that looks within and sees the Spirit dwelling in our entire being - seeing Him as the One who is the source of life wherein we move, live and have our being.
Let us thank the Lord for the gift of the Spirit. For without the gift of the Spirit, we will be surely led into a direction that is not of God: a direction coming from our own sinful self, the influence of the world, and the temptations of the Evil One. Let us pray especially also to the Spirit for His guidance upon our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, that he may guide the Church into paths led by the Spirit - a path leading to the light of the Resurrection eventually to the light of Pentecost - the Light of Life.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Sunday, May 01, 2005
6th Sunday of Easter, Year A
"The command I give you is this: that you love one another"
When we hear often the word love, we often associate it with the way the world usually defines it: romantic love and the love that is commercialized in the media. However, love as we know is really of God and is a mystery that we can only live out in life. It is the denying of ourselves, taking up of our cross and following Jesus in many ways in life.
Jesus commandment to us this Easter time and through all the years of our life is really simply just to love one another. And Jesus defines this Christian love by His teaching and by His actions and deeds of healing and ministering to the poor and the orphans.
The call to love our neighbor is not an easy call to follow. It is not easy because often, there are some people, who for some reason, we simply dislike. But this is exactly what we are called to do. We are called to go beyond our dislike of the person and move towards doing what is good for the person. That is why Jesus tells us that we are even called to love our enemies because with enemies, we do not even dislike the person, we may even feel hatred towards the person. And it would be really Christian if we move from hatred to an action of love.
What would be most moving is when we see or hear about stories in the war about soldiers belonging to opposite camps. There are stories of how some soldiers were kind to their opponents in the war even after they were able to defeat them in battle. Now this is what we really are called to do: to go beyond our prejudices, our dislikes, our negative perceptions of the person, and do what would be right for the person.
The parable of the Good Samaritan is also a case in point with regard to the theme of today's Gospel. Jews and Samaritans dislike each other. Jews think themselves of as being a pure race while they look down at Samaritans for mixing their race with others. However, one day, a Jew was seen as if dead by the roadside after he was laid waste by robbers. A Levite came along, and then a priest, but both of them just passed him by. However, when a Samaritan came by, he took pity on the Jew and took him and placed him in an inn where they would take care of him. This parable of Jesus truly exemplifies all what He teaches about love. Loving your neighbor. And loving your enemies.
When we hear often the word love, we often associate it with the way the world usually defines it: romantic love and the love that is commercialized in the media. However, love as we know is really of God and is a mystery that we can only live out in life. It is the denying of ourselves, taking up of our cross and following Jesus in many ways in life.
Jesus commandment to us this Easter time and through all the years of our life is really simply just to love one another. And Jesus defines this Christian love by His teaching and by His actions and deeds of healing and ministering to the poor and the orphans.
The call to love our neighbor is not an easy call to follow. It is not easy because often, there are some people, who for some reason, we simply dislike. But this is exactly what we are called to do. We are called to go beyond our dislike of the person and move towards doing what is good for the person. That is why Jesus tells us that we are even called to love our enemies because with enemies, we do not even dislike the person, we may even feel hatred towards the person. And it would be really Christian if we move from hatred to an action of love.
What would be most moving is when we see or hear about stories in the war about soldiers belonging to opposite camps. There are stories of how some soldiers were kind to their opponents in the war even after they were able to defeat them in battle. Now this is what we really are called to do: to go beyond our prejudices, our dislikes, our negative perceptions of the person, and do what would be right for the person.
The parable of the Good Samaritan is also a case in point with regard to the theme of today's Gospel. Jews and Samaritans dislike each other. Jews think themselves of as being a pure race while they look down at Samaritans for mixing their race with others. However, one day, a Jew was seen as if dead by the roadside after he was laid waste by robbers. A Levite came along, and then a priest, but both of them just passed him by. However, when a Samaritan came by, he took pity on the Jew and took him and placed him in an inn where they would take care of him. This parable of Jesus truly exemplifies all what He teaches about love. Loving your neighbor. And loving your enemies.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
5th Sunday of Easter, Year A
"Have faith in God, and faith in Me"
Since the beginning, Jesus has always encountered either unbelief from His own people or a lack of faith in His apostles and disciples. They sometimes misunderstand Him. At one time, because of the hard and difficult sayings He pronounced some of them went away and did not follow Him anymore.
In the gospel today, the apostles are troubled because Jesus said that He was going to the Father. We know that He will ascend into heaven and leave the apostles. But He will not leave them orphaned because He promised another Advocate for them - the Paraclete - the Holy Spirit.
Thomas wanted to know who the Father that Jesus was mentioning. Jesus pointed out that the Father they already know through He Himself - since He and the Father are one. And He further stresses that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
If we look at our present context, wherein we just had a pope elected by the college of cardinals, "Habemus Papam", we are all positive and optimistic that this will usher in a new time, a new era for the Church - perhaps a springtime - after the long hard "winter" of problems and difficulties that our most holy father, John Paul II, had to carry on his shoulders. In this new era and this new "springtime", we must not be sorrowful because John Paul II has left us. He continually tells us, as Christ also says, "Be not afraid". Christ says, "Be not afraid" because He wants us to have faith in God and to have faith in Him. When we do place our entire trust and faith in Christ, then we shall realize why He tells us that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Nothing can compare to the word and spirit of Christ.
This is certainly a time wherein we are called to greater faith in God and in Christ - whom He has sent to the world to show us that the way to Life is to deny ourself, take up our cross, and follow Him. It is not an easy way. In fact, it is a way of suffering and pain. But let us not be discouraged or frustrated or disappointed or become tired of doing good. We will have our reward if we endure and follow God's will. And that reward starts now as we will receive the Spirit of God at Pentecost - and every personal Pentecost in our life.
May the Lord God bless us all and increase our faith in Him.
Since the beginning, Jesus has always encountered either unbelief from His own people or a lack of faith in His apostles and disciples. They sometimes misunderstand Him. At one time, because of the hard and difficult sayings He pronounced some of them went away and did not follow Him anymore.
In the gospel today, the apostles are troubled because Jesus said that He was going to the Father. We know that He will ascend into heaven and leave the apostles. But He will not leave them orphaned because He promised another Advocate for them - the Paraclete - the Holy Spirit.
Thomas wanted to know who the Father that Jesus was mentioning. Jesus pointed out that the Father they already know through He Himself - since He and the Father are one. And He further stresses that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
If we look at our present context, wherein we just had a pope elected by the college of cardinals, "Habemus Papam", we are all positive and optimistic that this will usher in a new time, a new era for the Church - perhaps a springtime - after the long hard "winter" of problems and difficulties that our most holy father, John Paul II, had to carry on his shoulders. In this new era and this new "springtime", we must not be sorrowful because John Paul II has left us. He continually tells us, as Christ also says, "Be not afraid". Christ says, "Be not afraid" because He wants us to have faith in God and to have faith in Him. When we do place our entire trust and faith in Christ, then we shall realize why He tells us that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Nothing can compare to the word and spirit of Christ.
This is certainly a time wherein we are called to greater faith in God and in Christ - whom He has sent to the world to show us that the way to Life is to deny ourself, take up our cross, and follow Him. It is not an easy way. In fact, it is a way of suffering and pain. But let us not be discouraged or frustrated or disappointed or become tired of doing good. We will have our reward if we endure and follow God's will. And that reward starts now as we will receive the Spirit of God at Pentecost - and every personal Pentecost in our life.
May the Lord God bless us all and increase our faith in Him.
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