Man does not live on bread alone

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4: 4)
The retreat director asked the retreatants to share some of the blessings in their lives in 2010. The retreat was held at The Holy Name Retreat Center in January 2010. I raised my hand and said: “2010 was probably the most difficult year in my business. I made about 40% less that I normally make. Yet, the Lord chose this year to wipe out my debts and gave me a new car and a new computer. He did this to show me that “Man does not live on bread alone. There is live for him in every word that comes from the mouth of God.” I was surprised to hear myself add Matthew 4:4 to my testimony of God’s blessings in 2010.
Ever since that retreat day, my mind has come back to Matthew 4:4 wondering what exactly this scripture means for me. I got the answer today:
Only God knows the deepest needs of the human heart. Only God knows best how to fulfill those needs. In 2010, God knows my deepest needs. He is always able to and willing to meet our needs. He met mine at His own time and in His own Way. The experience boosted my faith enormously.

Spirit and desire

“For I shall pour out water on thirsty soil and streams on the ground. I shall pour out my spirit on your descendants, my blessing on your offspring and they will spring up among the grass, like willows on the banks of a stream.” (Isaiah 44: 3-4)

Condition for receiving the Holy Spirit: thirsty soil
Fruit of receiving the Holy Spirit: “Spring up among the grass, like willows on the banks of a stream.”
How much do you desire the Holy Spirit?
“Being filled with the Holy Spirit” : If you have great desire for the Holy Spirit, frequent the source as the fisherman stays close to the bank of a river. The source for the Holy Spirit is the word of God and prayer mixed with great desire. When you are in the source, like the fisherman, fish and keep fishing until you get all you want. This analogy is inspired from the book of Napoleon Hill, “Think and Grow Rich.”
Great things in life start from great desire. St. Ignatius Loyola says that desire transforms a man. Therefore great desire for the Holy Spirit will translate to the condition of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
A daily consecration to the Holy Spirit:
• You are my light and my guide, my strength and the sole desire of my heart.
• I desire to be ever docile to your inspirations.
On 012398, I jotted the following in my journal from the book of Deepak Chopra, “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.” –
• You are what your deep driving desire is.
• As your desire is, so is your will.
• As your will is, so is your deed.
• As your deed is, so is your destiny.
Desire transforms a man. The Holy Spirit uses desires to transform us. The transformation is brought about by the two qualities inherent in consciousness: Attention and Intention.
• Attention energies
• Intention transforms
Whatever you put your attention on will grow stronger in your life. (Principle of critical mass) Whatever you take your attention away from will wither, disintegrate and disappear. Intention, on the other hand, triggers the transformation of energy and information. Intention organizes its own fulfillment.
The quality of intention on the object of attention is critical to the speed and depth of transformation.
• Intention = desire
• Attention = focus
What is remarkable about the mind of man is that it can command this infinite organizing power through conscious desire.
Great desire lays the ground work for the effortless, spontaneous, frictionless flow of pure potentiality seeking expression from the unmanifest to the manifest.
Intention is the real power behind desire. Intent alone is very powerful, because intent is desire without attachment to the outcome. Desire alone is weak, because desire in most people is attention with attachment. Intent is desire with strict adherence to all the other laws of success but particularly the law of detachment.
Intention combined with detachment leads to life-centered, present-moment awareness. And when action is performed in present moment awareness, it most effective.
Your intent is for the future, but your attention is in the present. As long as your attention is in the present, then your intent for the future will manifest, because the future is created in the present. You must accept the present and intend the future. The future is something you can create through detached intention, but you should never struggle against the present.
Intention, grounded in this detached freedom of the present, serves as the catalyst for the right mix of matter, energy, and space-time events to create whatever it is that you desire.

The Holy Spirit and fruitfulness

“…Until the Spirit is poured out on us from above, and the desert becomes a productive ground, so productive you might take it for a forest.” (Isaiah 32: 15)

Before our intimate encounter with the Holy Spirit of God, we labor under the energy of the flesh. Even our so-called productivity may be tainted in advancing the fruitless works of darkness. The Holy Spirit enables us to see the world and things of God in a new light. The difference is between light and darkness. Any business that does not control to the growth of God’s kingdom is futile, like a wasteland. Isaiah 32: 15 shows us the before and after effects of the presence of the Holy Spirit. The difference is similar to that between a wasteland and an orchard. The Holy Spirit of God makes us very productive in our assignments.

Plans and Alliances

“Woe to the rebellious children – declares Yahweh – who make plans which do not come from me and make alliances not inspired from me, and so add sin to sin.” (Isaiah 30: 1)
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, He Himself will inspire our plans and alliances.
“Commit your ways to the Lord, trust in him and he will act.” (Psalm 37: 5)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In everything you do, acknowledge him and he will direct your path.” (Proverbs 3: 5)
“Make known to me your ways, Lord; teach me your paths.” (Psalm 25: 4)
“Good and upright is the Lord, who shows sinners the way, guides the humble rightly, and teaches the humble the way.” (Psalm 25: 8-9)

God's Generous Spirit

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your generous Spirit lead me on an even ground.” (Psalm 143: 10)
The above scripture expresses a prayer which should always be on the heart of everybody.
• Teach me to do your will
• May your generous Spirit lead me on an even ground
Our peace and prosperity lie in the will of God. When we know this will and obey it, we have nothing to fear or worry about in life. We cannot know the will of God unless the Holy Spirit abides in us and reveals this will to us. The Holy Spirit is addressed in this scripture as God’s generous Spirit. He is lavish in His gifts. He reveals God’s will to us. He enables us to do this will.
What is the proof that God’s generous Spirit is in control of your life? Do you experience the following in your day-t0-day life?
• Light and guidance
• Peace and tranquility
• Joy and consolation
• Love for Jesus in the Eucharist
• Yearning to read, hear, study the word of God?

Be content with what you have

“Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you. Thus we may say with confidence: The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” (Hebrews 13: 5-6)
“Let your life be free from the love of money...” What constitutes my life? They are: my desires, my thoughts, my words and my actions. If we have inordinate desire for money, it will tend to dominate our thoughts, words and deeds.
Apart from being free from love of money, God commands us to “be content with we have.” You may ask “What if I have little?” It does not matter. Be content with the little. The rationale for such a radical prescription is that God has promised: “I will never forsake you or abandon you.” Does God have the power and the will to back such a great promise? I know that God is all powerful, all-loving and generous. God is able and God is willing. Knowing all the above, we can say with certainty and confidence: “The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid.” The best reasons for not being afraid in the ups and downs of my finances are:
• God Himself is my helper.
• God is able and willing to help me.
St. Augustine tells us to examine our beliefs every morning as a person looks at her face in the mirror and ask ourselves:
Do we truly believe what we profess? If the answer is YES, we can rejoice and claim our promises. God is always faithful and true.

Fleeing God

“Where shall I go to escape your Spirit? Where shall I flee from your presence? If I scale the heavens you are there, if I lie flat in sheol, there you are.” (Psalm 139:7-8)
Why would anybody want to flee from God’s presence? The psalmist knows of course that God is everywhere. So it is pointless trying to flee from Him. The above scripture points to the futility of such an effort.
St. Theresa Avila wrote the following while reflecting on the omnipresence of God:
“You know already that God is everywhere. He is where the king is, in what they call the royal court. Heaven is wherever God is. You can believe without any doubt that wherever his majesty is, there is all his glory. Look and see what St. Augustine says, who looked for him in many places and found him within himself. It is no small thing that one who is given to know this truth would see that he has no need to go to heaven to talk to his Father God, to speak with him; that he has no need to raise his voice to converse with him. Wherever you speak, he will be close enough to hear. You do not need wings to go in search of him, you only need to be on your own and to find him within yourself; try not to make a stranger of so good a guest; with great humility, speak to him as you would to your father, petition him as you would your father, tell him of all your doings, ask him for his help to do good, knowing that you are not worthy to be his child” (Way of Perfection)

A clean heart

“God create in me a clean heart, renew within me a resolute spirit. Do not thrust me away from your presence, do not take away from me your spirit of holiness.” (Psalm 51: 11)
The Holy Spirit is the principle of holiness. David had a very special relationship with the Holy Spirit. He understood clearly that the Spirit is the source of the inspiration and power that enabled him to accomplish so much. The first thing that threatens this cordial relationship with the Holy Spirit is sin. Sinfulness is the opposite of holiness. The Holy Spirit of God cannot stay in a soul soiled with sin. David knew that for him to lose the Holy Spirit because of sin would be to lose his resourcefulness in everything.

God is long-suffering

“You were patient with them for many years and warned them by your spirit through the prophets, but they would not listen; so you put them at the mercy of the people of the country.” (Nehemiah 9: 30)
God is long-suffering. I see many instances of this throughout the Bible. But long-suffering is not weakness. God is compassionate and loving. He gives maximum opportunity for one to come to his senses and turn to Him. When the fullness of time comes and the person is still obdurate, God strikes.

Suffering and God’s will

"Therefore, let those suffering in accordance with God's will entrust themselves to a faithful creator, while continuing to do good." ((1 Peter 4: 19)

Sometimes, it is God's will for us to suffer. The reason could be to share in the sufferings of Christ for our own salvation and that of the world. I have heard some radio and television evangelists proclaim that it is never God's will for us to suffer. This posture is a great disservice to the truth of the Bible.

How do we know that a particular suffering is God's will for us? The answer is simple. When we look for internal evidence from the Bible, we see two good examples:

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ was confronted with awful suffering. His human nature dreaded it. He prayed to God: If this is your will, save me from this suffering. But if it is not, then I am prepared to go through it. We know that it was God's will for Him to suffer the crucifixion.

St. Paul the Apostle was tormented by a painful suffering that he called 'a thorn in the flesh." Three times he prayed for healing. On the third occasion, he got an answer from Christ: "My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 2:9)

When we have prayed earnestly about a particular suffering and tried all we can legitimately to lift it but can't, we know that the suffering is from God. St. Peter advises us in 1 Peter 4: 19 that when this is the case to "entrust ourselves to a faithful creator." This means to surrender the situation entirely to God.

 

Watch and Pray

"For the time has come for judgment to begin with household of God; if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4: 17)

Judgment will begin with the household of God. Judgment will begin with the Church.

Testing may begin from the family. Be prepared. Trials, temptations and troubles will begin within the family, from within the Christian Churches. Be prepared. Be sober. Watch and pray.

Reviled for the name of Christ

"If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you." (1 Peter 4: 14)

Long-suffering is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Long-suffering, that is patience is the unmistakable sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit in a soul. Other fruits of the Holy Spirit are: love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

While some of the fruits of the Holy Spirit can be counterfeited, long-suffering cannot be faked. Paul said that while signs and wonders follow the apostle, long-suffering is the unmistakable sign of the apostle.

O Holy Spirit, O Spirit of glory, grant me abundance of long-suffering.

Joys and sorrows in the life of Christ

"But rejoice in so far as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed." (1 Peter 4:13)

The sufferings of Christ constitute a type and shadow of Christian experience. There is simply a divine necessity that every Christian must share in these sufferings. Christ's life is the model for the life of every Christian. The life of Christ is made up of patterns of joy and sufferings. These patterns are types and shadows of our own joys and sufferings. The cross leads to the crown. The trial leads to joyful testimony. This is a spiritual imperative.

When we suffer with Christ, we can then shout with joy when His glory is revealed. No birth pang, no joy of nursing.

St Agnes whose feast is January 21^st suffered deprivation and martyrdom for the sake of Christ. Today she is enjoying her crown and glory in heaven. Her life is still remembered and celebrated throughout the world. Many churches and schools are named after her. The young girls who were her contemporaries who chose a different life style and lived worldly life enjoyed this dulce vita for maybe 80 years or less. Where are these girls today? What are their names? Who remembers them?

Fiery ordeal

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange is happening to you." (1 Peter 4: 12)

Sufferings of all types, whether delays, obstacles, disappointments, sickness, joblessness should not come as a surprise to Christians. Yet they do. Christians who are still eaglets and immature in the word of God have not come to perceive that every day is a day of battle for the Christian. The good thing about the battle is that if we persevere, the outcome is always victory.

The Spirit in the Old Testament

Below are some instances of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. The common denominator is that people are chosen, called and anointed for service in the community by the Holy Spirit.

"Moses went out and told the people what Yahweh had said. Then he collected seventy of the people's elders and stationed them round the Tent. Yahweh descended in the cloud. He spoke to him and took some of the spirit which is on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the spirit came on them they prophesied – but only once. (Numbers 11: 24 25)

"The Israelites wept for Moses on the plains of Moab for thirty days. The days of weeping for the mourning rites of Moses came to an end. Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him, and him the Israelites obeyed, carrying out the order which Yahweh had given to Moses." (Deuteronomy 34: 8-9)

"And the Spirit of Yahweh clothed Gideon around; he sounded the horn and Abiezer rallied behind him." (Judges 6: 34)

"The Spirit of Yahweh was on Jephthah, who crossed Gilead and Manasseh, crossed by way of Mizpah in Gilead, and from Mizpah in Gilead crossed into Ammonite territory." (Judges 11: 29)

"The Spirit of Yahweh will then seize on you, and you will go into ecstasy with them, and be changed into another man. When these signs have occurred, act as occasion serves, for God is with you." (1 Samuel 10: 6-8)

"From there, they came to Gibeah; and there was a group of prophets coming to meet him! The Spirit of God seized on him and he fell into ecstasy with them. Seeing him prophesying with the prophets, all the people who had known him previously said to one another…. Is Saul one of the prophets too?" (1 Samuel10: 10)

"Yahweh said, 'Get up and anoint him: he is the one!' At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him, surrounded by his brothers; and the spirit of Yahweh seized on David from that day onwards." (1 Samuel 16: 13)

"Now the Spirit of Yahweh had withdrawn from Saul, and an evil spirit of Yahweh afflicted him with terrors." (1 Samuel 16: 14)

"News was then brought to David, 'The Philistines are besieging Keilah and plundering the threshing floors.' David consulted Yahweh, ' Shall I go and fight these Philistines?' Yahweh replied to David, 'Go and fight the Philistines and save Keilah." (1 Samuel 23:2)

"The Spirit of Yahweh speaks through me, his word is on my tongue; the God of Jacob has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me…" (2 Samuel 23: 2)

 

 

 

 

The Holy Spirit the Master Craftsman

"Yahweh then spoke to Moses and said, 'Look, I have singled out Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, knowledge and skill in every kind of craft…" (Exodus 31: 1-3)

• Spirit and wisdom
  
• Spirit and knowledge
  
• Spirit and skill
  

God chooses, God calls and God anoints.

Others who were called and anointed:

• Moses
  
• Joshua
  
• Gibeon
  
• Samson
  
• Samuel
  
• David
  

Each of the above is called to a different mission but the call and the anointing is from the same Spirit. Bezalel was endowed by the Spirit for the service of the community.

In my work of website and graphic designing, I depend entirely on the Holy Spirit. When I come upon an intractable problem, I lay down my tools and turn to the Holy Spirit in prayer. He has never failed me. The best job I have done is through the inspiration and power of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit gives life

"It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life." (John 6: 63)

• Spirit and life
  
• Spirit/flesh
  
• Spirit and the word
  

How does the Spirit give life? The Holy Spirit gives life to the word of God. He supplies the meaning and vitality in the word. He shows us how to apply the word in our life. He recalls the word to our mind when we need it most. Without the Spirit, the Bible would be literature. I need the Spirit to know the truth in the word of God.

In the Eucharist, the Spirit uses the word of Jesus at the last supper, which is known as the words of consecration to make ordinary bread and wine into the life-giving flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. The Spirit in deed gives life. The flesh has nothing to add.

Spirit of truth

"I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you to bear now.

However when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking of his own accord, but will say only what he has been told; and he will reveal to you the things to come." (John 16: 12-14)

• Spirit of truth
  
• Spirit and truth
  
• Spirit and revelation
  
• Spirit and memory
  

John 16: 12-14 is an incredible promise to a man whose purpose in life is to learn and share the truth. The Holy Spirit will be my teacher. He will teach me everything I need to know about Jesus.

How will the Spirit minister teaching to me? The word of God is the primary source. Apart from the word of God, the sacred liturgy of the Church especially the Eucharist is a key resource. I think it was St. Thomas Aquinas who said that he learned a great deal of his theology from the Mass. I feel the same way. The Holy Spirit will teach me everything that I need to know for my ministry in the Bible and the teachings of the Church about Jesus.

The Spirit will give me an insatiable appetite for truth and learning. I have great hunger to learn everything I can about Christ.

The Spirit will use selected books and biographies to teach me about Jesus. Below are some of my patron saints who have been taught about Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit:

• Augustine
  
• John Chrysostom
  
• Peter Canisius
  
• Louis de Monfort
  
• Josemaria
  
• Therese of Lisieux
  
• Stephen
  
• John Henry Newman
  

Spirit explores everything

"What no eye has seen and no ear has heard, what the mind of man cannot visualize; all that God has prepared for those who love him, to us though, God has given revelation through the Spirit, for the Spirit explores the depth of everything, even the depths of God. After all, is there anyone who knows the qualities of anyone except his own spirit, within him; and in the same way, nobody knows the qualities of God except the Spirit of God. Now, the Spirit we have received is not the spirit of the world but God's own Spirit, so that we may understand the lavish gifts God has given us. And these are what we speak of, not in terms learnt from human philosophy, but in terms learnt from the Spirit, fitting spiritual language to spiritual things. The natural man has no room for the gifts of God's Spirit; to him they are folly; he cannot recognize them, because their value can be assessed by anybody else. For: who has ever known the mind of the Lord? Who has ever been his adviser? But we are those who have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2: 9-16)

Key words/phrases:

Mind of Christ/mind of man

Revelation through the Spirit/Spirit and revelation

The Spirit explores the depth of everything, even the depths of God.

Spirit knows the qualities of God

God's own Spirit/spirit of the world

Spirit's wisdom/ human philosophy

Fitting spiritual language to spiritual things

Spiritual person/natural person

 

Spirit – The Seal of God

"It is God who gives us, with you, a sure place in Christ and has both anointed us and marked us with his seal, giving us as pledge the Spirit in our hearts." (2 Corinthians 1: 21)

The Holy Spirit is truly the seal of God. His presence and anointing in our lives are so convincing that only a person as blind as a rock could fail to notice this. Yet sadly, there are many who do not notice or care for the Person of the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Holy Trinity. They think that when it comes to religion, minimum is the best. But they do not hesitate to accumulate all the money and honor they could. How sad! How unfortunate!

God gave us the Holy Spirit to remind us at all times that He is in us, with us and for us. When new discoveries in science begin to make me question the foundation of my faith, it is the presence of the Holy Spirit that puts an end to the proud ideas that dare to question the knowledge of God. It is like a man after using the GPS navigation system for many years suddenly begin to doubt if the system that has faithfully guided him in his travels is nothing more than a useless toy.

It is the Holy Spirit that has given us a sure place in Christ. His active presence in us is a concrete proof that all God's promises are Yes and Amen. Trust in the Holy Spirit.