May the Lord grant you grace and peace in the Holy Spirit. It is on 24th May 2023.
We reflect on Acts 20:28-38 and the Gospel from John 17:11-19.
The second part of the Prayer of Jesus and the farewell discourse of Paul are the ones we just read.
God cares for us and watches over us through our elders and leaders in times of adversities, uncertainties, and obfuscations.
Prayer gives us protection and resistance against all kinds of evil that dashes our life. With prayer, we can navigate the means to feel loved, secured and surrendered. The prayer of Jesus in the Gospel invokes God to protect and provide unity to the community. Prayer is the expression of our sanctity in unity with God and one another.
We cannot express our love and solidarity with others without adequate prayer.
We may not be able to prove the presence of God during the most difficult times of our lives that surged with sickness, sadness, loss, anger, and damages caused by our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being without sufficient prayerful moments.
Paul reminded the elders to watch over the community of believers as he parted their ways. Scathing attacks on the members and the community need to be faced with the shield of charity, prayer and penance.
God expects us to watch over our families, friends and the vulnerable and needy persons in our community. ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts. 20:35). Paul offered an example of love through his life.
We are constantly under attack from every side every day. How could we watch over and protect ourselves and our communities without prayer, charity, love, and generosity? Words are alone not enough; we need concrete actions demonstrated with no strings attached and no pins to prick our vulnerabilities. It is the time to be alert, active, assessed, and aware of God’s presence more than ever as we are bombarded with questions about the whereabouts of God.
The culture of love is preserved and protected in an environment of faithfulness and unity.
Let us not lose heart whatever hits our hearts and lives. Jesus intercedes for us to the Father to watch over us even today. Everything will be well again with the painful lessons of loss knitted in hope, healing, restoration, and love.
Jesus invites all of us to embrace truth and expel the clouds of lies that surround us. We are sanctified by the truth, the Word of God even amidst the hailstorms of pain, loss, and sickness. “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (Jn.17:17).
Sanctity is born in unity. May you remain blessed throughout this day believing God has no reason to forget us. May God bless you.