It is 28th April 2021.
Good morning Good People,
May the Lord bless you in the Holy Spirit.
We read from Acts 12:24-13:5 and the Gospel of John 12:44-50.
We too remember two saints namely St Peter Chanel, priest and martyr and St Louis Marie de Montfort, priest.
In life, we keep something or someone or some memories special to ourselves only. It is so personal and intimate space we treasure them. Keeping it for ourselves is for our psychological wellbeing.
But the first reading invites us to keep a space special exclusively for God by setting apart. God sets apart a few people for God’s work. “The Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts.13:2). Prayer and fasting were the keys to unlock the doors of listening to the Holy Spirit. When God sets apart someone, God does it for a reason of service to the humanity at large not for a prestigious position to hold and to be called anointed person. The growing Church believed in the promptings of the Holy Spirit and allowed Barnabas and Saul for the work of the Lord. These missionaries began their ministries from Jews and then moved on to the rest of people around.
Is God asking us to create a space in us to think, pray and be anointed by the Holy Spirit? To become a missionary, we need to be a prayer warrior.
The responsorial Psalm praises, “O God, let all the nations praise you!” (Ps.67:4).
The presence of the Holy Spirit is experienced when we pray as a community. The Most Holy Eucharist is the community prayer we all need to take it seriously to listen and learn from the Holy Spirit. Our personal reception and collaboration with the Holy Spirit will reach out to someone in need of God in their life. Let us not go to sleep daily until we reach out to someone in pain, fear, sickness, sadness, and uncertainty.
The Gospel too stresses that to believe God, we need to listen and learn from the Holy Spirit through Jesus. When we have difficulty in listening, we end up having issues in believing too. May we listen to the Holy Spirit daily and be guided by the promptings to have a life filled with abundant blessings. Have a peaceful day. God bless you.