Being brave amidst the troubles and be the witness for Christ in the Spirit.
It is 29th May 2017. The readings are from Acts 19:1-8; and the Gospel from John 16:29-33. The first reading describes that our Baptism is only a beginning of our faith journey. Our faith in the Lord Jesus becomes complete by the presence and actions of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Yes, we are baptized even confirmed yet we have not yet felt and experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. In our Catholic worship, we seem to remember the Spirit of God and communicate with the Spirit of Truth very rarely or nearly never. Turning away from sin alone is not enough to be a Catholic. We have understood and accepted our faith mostly in the rituals, and outward celebrations only. To enjoy the fullness of the Christian life, we need to embrace the new life in the Spirit, and in the sacramental life of the Christian. We all need to transform ourselves deep within to commune with the Holy Spirit. It is indeed a personal attempt daily to connect and submit our core lives to the Spirit of God. Christian lives remain incomplete without the blessings and active presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Do our consciences question the way we pray, and demonstrate our Christian living? If it does not, then be assured that we have either silenced the Holy Spirit or ignored His repeated attempt to connect with our lives. The responsorial Psalm praises, “Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.” (Ps.67:33). The Gospel clarifies our struggle in clinging on to Jesus in times of spiritual warfare. It might sound easy to believe Jesus but to be the disciple of love, forgiveness, peace and hope is increasingly challenging when we have unconsciously disconnected the link to the Holy Spirit. Soon and swift are we to depart from Him but to connect with Him we are so lethargic and negligent. Our true victory is not mere our faith in Him but it is our courageous faithfulness in spreading the Good News with the power of the Holy Spirit. “In the world, you will have trouble but be brave; I have conquered the world.” (Jn.16:33). May you have a good day.