Familiarity breeds contempt

“John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am – so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Luke 3: 16)
John the Baptizer who was praised by Jesus as the greatest man born of woman says here: Jesus is “so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave.” If John is not worthy to be the slave of Jesus, how about us? When I watch how people behave inside the Church where we believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Tabernacle, I wonder if the behavior is caused by lack of faith or by too much familiarity with Jesus, the type of familiarity that breeds contempt.
Lord, give us a deep awareness of your presence in the Blessed Sacrament and in the Eucharist and a corresponding reverence for Your Majesty.

Lenten Temptation

"1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights, 2 and afterwards he was hungry. 3 The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." 4 He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'" 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, 6 and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you and 'with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" 7 Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'" 8 Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, 9 and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." 10 At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'" 11 Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him."
A few weeks ago, I prayed to the Father: "Grant me financial security and stability." I was unsatisfied with the frequent ups and downs in my financial fortune. The prayer was provoked by the financial charge I pay on my bank credit card, which I use as working capital. My debt hovers around $1000 every billing cycle. It bothers me. Work as hard as I can, I cannot reduce it or eliminate it. So I bargained with the Father. If you wipe out this debt and grant me financial prosperity and stability, I would invest the saved financial charge in your work. I believe that the Father heard my prayer. It has now been weeks since I made that prayer and repeated it from time to time. Nothing has happened but I feel peaceful about my finances.
The theme of today’s Sunday Mass is based on the both the first reading on the fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis and the Temptation of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. The question to me arising from the readings and the sermon is point blank: What is your temptation in Lent 2011? I realized that in asking God for financial prosperity and stability, I was asking the Father to provide me with ffinancial security. From here, it was easy to see that my temptation is to be financially secure. It was a rude awakening. The devil tempted Jesus in the desert at a point of his weakness. “Have something to eat lest you die of hunger.” Very hungry as Jesus was, He rejected the Easy Way and chose to trust His Father’s Way.
As I reflected on this light, I asked myself: "Is Jesus no longer my security?" If Jesus is already my security, why do I have to badger the Father to grant me financial security. Is the devil tempting me to seek for security in a way other than how He, the Father has chosen to provide it to me? I cautioned myself. Watch out!

Spirit and wilderness

“John grew up and became strong in spirit. Then he lived out in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.” (Luke 1: 80)
Growing in the Spirit
Why did John chose the wilderness as the place of his spiritual formation? The wilderness is the star university of the Holy Spirit. John followed the footsteps of the prophets who used the isolation of the uninhabited wilderness to listen to God and find their prophetic voice. The wilderness apart from being a place of isolation is also a place of tests and spiritual warfare. We recall the forty days of Jesus in the wilderness when He was tested by Satan. The wilderness separated John from the economic and political powers of the day. His message to them was pointed and sharp as a result. He also remained separate from the hypocritical religious leaders of his day.

The Holy Spirit will do it

“The angel replied, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…….. For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1: 35 – 37)
“This is the word of Yahweh with regard to Zerubbabel, ‘Not by might and not by power, but by my Spirit – says Yahweh Sabaoth.” (Zechariah 4:6)
Spirit and power
The Holy Spirit will overshadow you and give you all that you need for the job. The Spirit is the source of inspiration and power. All you need is the Holy Spirit. The job will not be accomplished by your might and power but by the Holy Spirit.
What is your deepest driving desire here and now? For me, it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit who will drive me to my life’s purpose.
• As your desire is, so is your will.
• As your will is, so is your deed.
• As your deed is, so is your destiny.
And again:
• Sow a thought and you reap a deed.
• Sow a deed and you reap a habit.
• Sow a habit and you reap a character.
• Sow a character and you reap a destiny.
• Character is destiny.

Baptized in the Holy Spirit

“Someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am – so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1: 8)
Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the source of personal transformation and power. What self-development literature calls the power of the subconscious as the agent of personal transformation is what Christian authors recognized from the New Testament as the power of the Holy Spirit in personal transformation. The Holy Spirit is the immanent reality within us that expands our potential in everything. How to tap fully into this power is the biggest secret in the world. But it is as easy as ABC. It is as free as air. Yet the consequence is more powerful than TNT.
The Holy Spirit comes to the soul that desires Him with all his heart. Add prayer and a heart and soul that is free from unconfessed sin and you get the entire requirement that is needed.

Gathering with Christ

“Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not gather in with me throws away. And so I tell you, every human sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And anyone who says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but no one who speaks against the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit will be forgiven either in this world or in the next.” (Matthew 12: 30 – 32)
There seems to be two positions in Christianity:
• Gathering with Christ
• Throwing away the harvest
There is no middle course. You gather with Christ, when you dwell in Him and allow Him to dwell in you. This is Jesus’ own condition for bearing much fruit. He says:
“I have chosen you from the world to go and bear fruit that will last.” (John 15: 16, 19)
Our answer should be:
“I will bear witness to you in the world, O Lord. I will spread the knowledge of your name among my brothers.” (Psalm 17: 50; 21:23)

The Voice that speaks in court

"17 But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. 19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. 20 For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."
One of my own favorite titles for the Holy Spirit is The Voice that speaks in court. I have experienced the help of the Holy Spirit again and again in my life in circumstances that resemble court. I have come to trust Him to inspire in such situations. Now that I know that He helps us in very tight situations, I do not leave things to chance. If I anticipate a sticky situation, I ask my Friend, The Voice that speaks in court to help me. He never fails.

Manifestations of the Holy Spirit

“This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1: 18)
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who comes after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptize you with Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3: 11)
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the desert to be put to the test by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1)
We see from the above scriptures the different manifestations of the same Holy Spirit. He is one and the same:
• Spirit of life
• Spirit of power
• Spirit of Jesus
• Spirit of fire
• Spirit of guidance
Jesus instructed His disciples after His resurrection to “tarry in Jerusalem” until the descent of the Helper. Why tarry? They tarried to pray and prepare spiritually for receiving the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would give them wisdom, guidance and power to bear effective witness to Jesus, beginning in Jerusalem, then in ever-widening circles.

Not by might and power

“This is the word of Yahweh with regard to Zerubbabel, ‘Not by might and not by power, but by my Spirit – says Yahweh Sabaoth.” (Zechariah 4:6)
Spirit and power
The Holy Spirit will overshadow you and give you all that you need for the job. The Spirit is the source of inspiration and power. All you need is the Holy Spirit. The job will not be accomplished by your might and power but by the Holy Spirit.
What is your deepest driving desire here and now? For me, it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit who will drive me to my life’s purpose.
• As your desire is, so is your will.
• As your will is, so is your deed.
• As your deed is, so is your destiny.
And again:
• Sow a thought and you reap a deed.
• Sow a deed and you reap a habit.
• Sow a habit and you reap a character.
• Sow a character and you reap a destiny.
• Character is destiny.

I shall pour out my Spirit on all humanity

“After this I shall pour out my Spirit on all humanity. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy; your old people shall dream dreams, and your young people see visions. Even on the slaves, men and women, shall I pour out my Spirit in those days. I shall show portents in the sky and on earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.” (Joel 3: 1-3)
This promise was fulfilled with great fanfare and solemnity on Pentecost Day. It continues to be fulfilled everyday as men and women express their desire to receive the Holy Spirit and pray for this gift. God promised to grant His friendly and generous Spirit “here and now” as He granted the request of Solomon for wisdom. The best thing that can happen to anybody is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Yet as much as this gift is the highest gift God can give to man, it is the easiest to obtain. I call this the divine paradox. Yet, when we look throughout sacred scripture and human experience, we find that the best things in life are often free or very affordable.
Recently I got my first Smartphone, an amazingly great technology and in my view the best of the microchip revolution. The Smartphone has many useful applications most of which are free. The number of high quality religious applications that are free surprises me. You can get a good number of various bible translations on the palm of your hand. It is God’s modus operandi to make available to men and women everywhere what they need for salvation. Nobody can say that he was unable to hear the Good News because of poverty. In this light, I can understand why the gift of the Holy Spirit is not only free but very easy to obtain. All that one need is desire and prayer in a soul that is free from unconfessed serious sin.

The Spirit in Daniel

“Daniel, renamed Balteshazzar after my own god, and in whom the spirit of the holy gods resides, then came into my presence. I told him my dream:
‘Balteshazzar, chief of magicians,’ I said, ‘I know that the spirit of the holy gods resides in you and that no mystery puts you at a loss. This is the dream I have had; tell me what it means.” (Daniel 4: 5-6)
It seems that everybody in Babylon knew that the Spirit resides in Daniel. Even King Nebuchadnezzar was aware of it. How did they know, I have often wondered?
Daniel even in exile lived like a servant of God. He said his prayers at the stipulated times and did all the devotions he was required to make. Conditions of exile could have been enough reason to skip some of his religious practices, but Daniel did not fall for such cheap bait. He was faithful. He was a worshiper of the true God in spirit and in truth. A tiger does not go about shouting his tigritude. He walks about naturally and people know. When one is filled with the Holy Spirit, people also know. They know from the demonstrations of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit in his life. Daniel was a type of Jesus.

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.