"Receive the Holy Spirit"

Depiction of Pentecost by Jean Restout

 Gospel Reading: John 20:19-23
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came  and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Reflection:  When the disciples received the power of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost an amazing thing happened to them. All of them were speaking in foreign languages that are previously unknown to them. They were preaching without fear in the streets when just moments ago they were locked up in a room not knowing for certain what they would do next. Thousands were converted and baptized on that day alone, which goes to show how mighty deeds could be accomplished with ordinary men possessing the power of God.

Jesus promised to give the Holy Spirit to his disciples after his Resurrection, and the same promise is given to us and fulfilled through our Baptism. The Holy Spirit gives us the right to be called children of God and to live as such. As God's children we are called to live a life of freedom from the slavery of`doubt, fear, and sin.       To live as true children of God is to live a life of peace and love, as powerful instruments of blessings to others.

May we always keep in mind that the Spirit of God lives in us. We are made God's children through Jesus in the Holy Spirit. This is the Truth, and this is the Destiny God wants for us.

Monitor Your Spiritual Life

Scripture:  Luke 12:54-59
54 He also said to the multitudes, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, `A shower is coming'; and so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, `There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky; but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? 57 "And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out till you have paid the very last copper."

Reflection: We all consider signs as important in our daily lives. Roads are filled with signs to keep us safe and to give directions towards our destination. In business and other professions "signs" are also important. But they are not called signs but data. Business leaders always keep themselves informed of the latest "signs" regarding the business conditions and the economy in order to keep their organizations sharp and competitive in the marketplace. One of the significant skills of professionals nowadays is interpreting data or "signs" concerning their profession and to utilize the knowledge they get from this information.

If we monitor the state of our businesses diligently, our spiritual life deserves that kind of attention too. The ultimate goal of any human being is not found in this life but in the next, that goal is eternal life with God. The most important decision we face is where will we spend eternity for all our material success ends with this earthly life and our eternal fate is what we will stay with us forever. Do we pay attention to the state of our spiritual life? Only God through the Holy Spirit can show us the "signs" we need to get to our eternal reward with Him. But the voice of the Spirit has been drowned out by the noise of our sinfulness, worldly concerns, and fears. Let us ask God to help us surrender our fears and sinfulness to Him so that we may be more open to His Spirit. God "speaks" to us daily through the events in our lives and through His Word in the Bible. We need to pray and listen, to free our hearts from unrepented sin and the noise of our fears and concerns so that the guidance of the Holy Spirit could be "heard".

God sent us the Holy Spirit us our counselor and guardian. Just like an advocate who would fight for a cause, the Holy Spirit would be there to fight with us against evil.  The Holy Spirit is our guide and guardian who will lead us to our goal of Eternal Life with God.