"Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to al those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2: 14, 36, 41)
The gift of the Holy Spirit – A promise made to all of us. Thank you Jesus for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit – A promise made to all of us.
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Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 8
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, 9
and the violent are taking it by force.
All the prophets and the law 10 prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.
When I read this scripture early this morning, I wondered what Jesus means that the violent are taking the kingdom by force. It is necessary to coerce our natural inclinations if we want to enter the kingdom of God. Sometimes, we need to use force on our will.
Fr. Thomas preaching a homily on the above text shared with us life in India where most people use public transportation. If they want to get to their job or destination on time, they must not only be at the bus stop on time but must struggle to get into the bus. So those who desire to get a seat on the bus and get to their destination must take it by force as it were. I was encouraged to see that we got the same light on the same text.
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To whom can you liken me as an equal? says the Holy One.
6 Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these: He leads out their army and numbers them, calling them all by name. By his great might and the strength of his power not one of them is missing!
7 Why, O Jacob, do you say, and declare, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"?
Do you not know or have you not heard? The LORD is the eternal God, creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint nor grow weary, and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.
He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound.
Though young men faint and grow weary, and youths stagger and fall,
They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles' wings; They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint. (Isaiah 40: 25-31)
1 Bless the LORD, my soul; all my being, bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, my soul; do not forget all the gifts of God,
Who pardons all your sins, heals all your ills,
Delivers your life from the pit, surrounds you with love and compassion,
2 Fills your days with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The LORD does righteous deeds, brings justice to all the oppressed.
His ways were revealed to Moses, mighty deeds to the people of Israel.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger, abounding in kindness.
God does not always rebuke, nurses no lasting anger,
Has not dealt with us as our sins merit, nor requited us as our deeds deserve. (Psalm 103: 1-10)
The message from Isaiah 40: 25-31 brought me great joy and peace this morning. I want to record my thankfulness in this blog. It is consoling to realize that God knows where I am today and that He is in control. The response to Isaiah is fittingly Psalm 103 which I appropriate is my own this morning. Both scriptures are from the Mass readings of today, Wednesday in the second Week of Advent.
"God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, though your people walk in the valley of darkness, no evil should they fear; for they follow in faith the call of the shepherd whom you have sent for their hope and strength. Attune our minds to the sound of his voice, lead our steps in the path he has shown, that we may know the strength of his outstretched arm and enjoy the light of your presence forever ….." (Mass Prayer)
Although I walk in the valley of financial darkness today, I fear no evil. I follow in faith the call of my Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ whom God has sent for my hope and strength.
Father, attune my mind to the sound of His voice and lead my steps in the path He shows me. Amen!
"Almighty and ever-living God, give us new strength from the courage of Christ our Shepherd, and lead us to join the saints in heaven …." (Mass Prayer)
The courage of Christ: Imitation of the courage of Christ is the fruit of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
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17 He got into a boat and his disciples followed him.
Suddenly a violent storm 18 came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep.
They came and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! 19 We are perishing!"
He said to them, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?"
20 Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm.
The men were amazed and said, "What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?" (Matthew 8: 23 – 27)
Jesus calls the disciples who are with him in the boat "men of little faith." They had enough faith to go to him for help; what did they lack?
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not;
In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.
The disciples relied on their own perception of the event. They did not acknowledge His power and presence.
Complete trust in God implies absolute surrender to His divine Providence, that is, accepting unconditionally His will in every situation.
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12 "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."
Lord Jesus, the rains are falling heavily; the floods are everywhere. The house is buffeted by furious winds. I have built my house on the solid rock of your word. See to it Lord that my house does not collapse. Amen!
"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)
The Spirit gives life. The Holy Spirit gives eternal life. Christ's words are spirit and life.
List all that the Spirit gives:
The Holy Spirit is the one thing we truly need.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines sanctifying grace thus:
"Sanctifying grace is an habitual gift, a stable and supernatural disposition that perfects the soul itself to enable it to live with God, to act by his love. Habitual grace, the permanent disposition to live and act in keeping with God's call, is distinguished from actual graces which refer to God's interventions, whether at the beginning of conversion or in the course of the work of sanctification." (CCC # 2000)
"What return can I make to the Lord for all that he gives to me? The cup of salvation I will take up and I will call upon the name of the Lord." (Psalm 116: 12-13)
This is Thanksgiving season. How do we thank the Lord for all that He gives to us? If we take the example of the Psalmist, we thank Him first and foremost through Eucharistic worship. In the Eucharist, which means Thanksgiving, we honor the Lord by lifting up "the cup of salvation."
"Peter said to him, 'Aeneas, Jesus Christ cures you: get up and make your bed.' Aeneas got up immediately." (Acts 9: 34)
It is Jesus Christ who heals. Grace and truth comes through Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ mediates the fruits of our redemption through:
"Jesus Christ cures you"
"God, our Father, by the waters of baptism you gave new life to the faithful. May we not succumb to the influence of evil but remain true to your gift of life….." (Mass Prayer in the Season of Easter)
The third of the 15 promises of the Virgin Mary to Christians to recite the Rosary is this:
"The Rosary will be a powerful armor against hell; it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies."
The secret of not succumbing to the influence of evil is to say the Rosary every day.
"In baptism we have died with Christ, and we have risen to new life in heaven, because we believed in the power of God who raised him, from the dead." Colossians 2: 12)
We died with Christ in baptism. Immersion in water symbolized our dying. We also rose to new life in baptism.
"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person." (John 6: 56)
Thank you Jesus for the gift of the Eucharist. I accept your word as true. May it be done to me according to your word.
"Go, for this is my chosen instrument to bring my name before gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel." (Acts 9: 5)
Paul is Christ's instrument for world evangelization. Find out what you have been chosen for.
"Let the peace of Christ control your hearts." (Colossians 3: 15)
Let the peace of Christ provide you with immunity from the turbulence in the world. The peace of Christ acts on the soul like immunization acts on the body. It protects the soul from viral attacks that destabilize the soul. Exposed to these attacks without protection, the soul is in mortal danger of great damage. The enemy of mankind is most potent when the soul is destabilized by worries, doubts, anxieties and fears.
"Let the peace of Christ control your hearts." (Colossians 3: 15)
"Lord God, by this holy exchange of gifts you share with us your divine life. Grant that everything we do may be directed by the knowledge of your truth……"
We bring bread and wine, the fruits of human labor to God in the Eucharist. We take from God the gift of the Body and Blood of His Son, Jesus. Through this gift, we share in God's divine life.
If all our thoughts, words and deeds are directed by the knowledge of God's truth, then we live truly as Jesus lived.
"I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world." (John 6: 51)
Two promises of the Eucharist to note today:
"Let all the earth cry out to God with joy….. Hear now all you who fear God, while I declare what he has done for me. When I appeal to him in words, praise was on the tip of my tongue." (Psalm 66)
Spiritual Principle: Praise must precede and go with the prayer of petition. The power of praise!
"The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, 'Set out at noon and go along the road that leads from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert road." (Acts 8: 26)
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of mission. The Holy Spirit is the main principle behind apostolic productivity and fruitfulness. Docility to the Holy Spirit is the key to empowerment.
