The Spirit of God in a man

 

Welcome to my blog and peace be with you.

Tuesday 1 September 2020

The Spirit of God in a man

 

First reading

1 Corinthians 2:10-16 ·

The Spirit reaches even the depths of God

The Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God. After all, the depths of a man can only be known by his own spirit, not by any other man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God. Now instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that he has given us. Therefore we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually. An unspiritual person is one who does not accept anything of the Spirit of God: he sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit. A spiritual man, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything, and his own value is not to be judged by other men. As scripture says: Who can know the mind of the Lord, so who can teach him? But we are those who have the mind of Christ.    THE WORD OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

Our inner spirit drives us. Some people have a dynamic inner spirit. Take an Olympic athlete. A dynamic spirit drives some to win a gold and stand on the podium in front of the whole world. Nothing will stop them. This dynamism does not come from outside but from within them. Others may have encouraged them. But that encouragement only set something alight in them. From then on, their inner spirit drove them. That spirit drives them, so that no sacrifice is too hard. It may drive them to plunge into cold water at four in the morning every day to swim. It will dictate what they eat and when. It will prevent them from doing things, which may be good in themselves but not in line with winning gold. They shun them, like the plague. Others have another kind of spirit – to earn money, to get fame, to get power. Everyone has a spirit that motivates them. Some are good and others are bad. These spirits are all natural, belonging to this world. Some destroy us while others build us up.

Jesus gives another kind of spirit. It is the Spirit of God. The Spirit is a Person. He sets us on fire with the truth about life and creation. The Spirit of God teaches us to see the world and life as God sees it, to be zealous for the things that God is zealous for. He gives us the energy and dynamism to strive for the work of God. The reward is the approval of God. “Well done good and faithful servant” – by God, before the whole world.

The Spirit comes to us in Baptism, Confirmation, the Holy Eucharist. We need to welcome him and accept his encouragement. Then he will enliven us with the life of God. Such people are different from everyone else, just as victorious Olympic athletes are different. They live and work with the dynamism of God. The difference between them and others is like the difference between an Olympic athlete and a ‘couch potato.’ Which one are you like?

 Psalm

Psalm 144(145):8-14

The Lord is just in all his ways.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

How good is the Lord to all,

compassionate to all his creatures.

The Lord is just in all his ways.

All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,

and your friends shall repeat their blessing.

They shall speak of the glory of your reign

and declare your might, O God,

to make known to men your mighty deeds

and the glorious splendour of your reign.

The Lord is just in all his ways.

Yours is an everlasting kingdom;

your rule lasts from age to age.

The Lord is faithful in all his words

and loving in all his deeds.

The Lord supports all who fall

and raises all who are bowed down.

The Lord is just in all his ways.

 

 

 

Gospel

Luke 4:31-37

'I know who you are: the Holy One of God'

Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority.

In the synagogue, there was a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil, and it shouted at the top of its voice, ‘Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the devil, throwing the man down in front of everyone, went out of him without hurting him at all. Astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, ‘What teaching! He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.’ And reports of him went all through the surrounding countryside. THE  GOSPEL OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflecctio

 Jesus has now begun his mission filled with the Holy Spirit (4:1) and he begins to fulfil in deeds the prophecy of Isaiah which he proclaimed in Nazareth. Filled with the Spirit of God, he preaches with the authority of God. It is as if God is speaking – God is speaking though the people do not know yet. In as far as we are filled with the Spirit of God, we speak with the authority of God. God speaks through us.

As Jesus preaches the man ‘with the spirit of an unclean devil’ comes into the synagogue. He is the opposite of Jesus who filled with the Spirit of the Holy God.

The devil is helpless before Jesus. People may not recognise Jesus, but this unclean devil does. Jesus orders him with a word to keep silent and leave the man. The devil has no other option but to leave. As it goes it throws the man onto the ground, but cannot do any harm to him now that Jesus is his shield.

The devil is as active today as he was then. His tactics differ according to the times and situations, but his aim is always the same. God and everything God loves is the object of his hatred. Hence, since he cannot destroy God directly, he strives to destroy human beings since they are precious to God. We should be ready for his attacks.

But with Jesus as our Friend, Satan can do nothing to us

 

 

 

Filled with the Spirit of God

 

Welcome to my blog and peace be with you.

Here you will find the Word of God, prescribed for us by the Catholic Church.

If we listen to his Word and not just shrug it off, then it will transform our lives.

May the Spirit of God anoint each of us who listen.

 

Monday 31 August 2020

Filled with the Spirit of God

 

First reading

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 ·

The only knowledge I claimed was of the crucified Christ

When I came to you, brothers, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ. Far from relying on any power of my own, I came among you in great ‘fear and trembling’ and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God. THE WORD OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

Everything in the Church and in our lives must centre on Jesus the Christ and Jesus, Son of God, who humbled himself for our sake and became a slave and gave his life on the Cross. The ignominy of crucifixion was meant to destroy a person in every way, even before he died. God underwent this nadir of suffering for each one of us. In this way he has proven his love for us. This is the centre of our faith and must always be so explicitly.

The power in the Church and in everyone in the Church does not come from worldly resources, learning, power, and wealth, but from the manifestation of the power of the Spirit of God among us. If the Spirit does not set us on fire, we will be unable to do anything for God and therefore for human beings.

 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 118(119):97-102

Lord, how I love your law!

Lord, how I love your law!

It is ever in my mind.

Your command makes me wiser than my foes;

for it is mine for ever.

Lord, how I love your law!

I have more insight than all who teach me

for I ponder your will.

I have more understanding than the old

for I keep your precepts.

Lord, how I love your law!

I turn my feet from evil paths

to obey your word.

I have not turned from your decrees;

you yourself have taught me.

Lord, how I love your law!

 

Gospel

Luke 4:16-30

'This text is being fulfilled today, even as you listen'

Jesus came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written:

The spirit of the Lord has been given to me,

for he has anointed me.

He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,

to proclaim liberty to captives

and to the blind new sight,

to set the downtrodden free,

to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.

He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’ And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. They said, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely?’

But he replied, ‘No doubt you will quote me the saying, “Physician, heal yourself” and tell me, “We have heard all that happened in Capernaum, do the same here in your own countryside.”’

And he went on, ‘I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.

‘There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured, except the Syrian, Naaman.’

When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him down the cliff, but he slipped through the crowd and walked away. THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD

 

Prayerful reflection

Jesus has come to his own village, where he is well known. In the previous verse, not in our reading today, Luke tells us that he came in the power of the Spirit. Now he will announce that he is anointed with God’s Spirit. Like iron in the furnace is transformed by the heat, so Jesus is transformed in his humanity by the Spirit. He is on fire. Unless we too are anointed and set on fire by the Spirit of God we will be ineffective in our life. Only the Spirit of God can give life to this ‘lump of earth’ from which we are made.

The Spirit makes Jesus read out to others to liberate them and give them the joy of God. Likewise, if the Spirit of God anoints us, we too will reach out to others to bring them the gifts of God.

The people of Nazareth have ears, but they do not hear. They throw Jesus out. He will never go back to their village. We have ears. Do we use them to listen to God speaking to us through his Son?

 

I was born to bear witness to the truth

 

Welcome to my blog and peace be with you.

You will find here the Word of God assigned by the Catholic Church to be read today. If we reflect prayerfully on it, we will come to know the Truth and our life will blossom.

Today we remember the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. Jesus called him the greatest of all born of a woman. He is was a man who lived for God by witnessing to the truth. He paid the price by dying at the hands of King Herod.

 

Saturday 29 August 2020

I was born to bear witness to the truth

 Prayer

Father, in heaven, open our hearts to listen to your Word and be recreated. we make our prayer through your Son, Christ our Lord.

First reading

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ·

God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, to shame the wise

Take yourselves for instance, brothers, at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families? No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord. THE WORD OF THE LORD

 

Prayerful reflection

Made out of nothing by the goodness and love of God, what I am before him. Can I give him anything? No, it is already his. Does he owe me anything? No, because in myself I am nothing and he has given me everything I am and have. Before him, I wait for his mercy. but I know he loves me and that is why he created me. He wants me. My response should be, ‘Here I am - for you.’

I live in this fallen and sinful world. People are sinners, that means, they do not live according to the mind and love of God, but according to the mind and evil of the arch enemy of God, Satan. Then, no wonder this life is full of suffering and sickness, pain, and misery. This all affects me too. There is no way out of it, because I am immersed in it and will be until I leave this world.

But, if I humbly acknowledge that I am nothing and open myself in love to my Creator, then in his love he can use me to bring some joy, and peace into this world, to help people be healed from their pain and suffering. If like Mary, in my nothingness I offer myself to my Creator, then he will use me to alleviate the anguish of those who suffer.

Am I willing to give up self, for the sake of God and my brothers and sisters? This is to be made in the image and likeness of God.

Psalm

Psalm 32(33):12-13,18-21

Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

They are happy, whose God is the Lord,

the people he has chosen as his own.

From the heavens the Lord looks forth,

he sees all the children of men.

Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

The Lord looks on those who revere him,

on those who hope in his love,

to rescue their souls from death,

to keep them alive in famine.

Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

Our soul is waiting for the Lord.

The Lord is our help and our shield.

In him do our hearts find joy.

We trust in his holy name.

Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

 

Gospel

Mark 6:17-29

The beheading of John the Baptist

Herod sent to have John arrested, and had him chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife whom he had married. For John had told Herod, ‘It is against the law for you to have your brother’s wife.’ As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him; but she was not able to, because Herod was afraid of John, knowing him to be a good and holy man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.

An opportunity came on Herod’s birthday when he gave a banquet for the nobles of his court, for his army officers and for the leading figures in Galilee. When the daughter of this same Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests; so the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.’ And he swore her an oath, ‘I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.’ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the Baptist.’ The girl hurried straight back to the king and made her request, ‘I want you to give me John the Baptist’s head, here and now, on a dish.’ The king was deeply distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her. So the king at once sent one of the bodyguard with orders to bring John’s head. The man went off and beheaded him in prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD

 

Prayerful reflection

We celebrate the feast of  John the Baptist today. He has two feasts. One his birth on June 24^th and now his death and entry into God’s heavenly presence. This is as it should be. He was filled with the Holy Spirit while in the womb. Jesus declared him to be the greatest of all born of a woman. John is our model. He lived for the truth and died for the truth. There was no compromise with him. He fulfilled perfectly the work God gave him to do.

We need to discover what work God has given us. We can find it in the responsibilities of our state of life. If we fulfil these responsibilities with love for God and human beings, we too will be accepted and honoured by God.

 

 Prayer

Father, in heaven, pour down your Spirit upon us, that we too may witness by our lives to the Truth taught us by your Son, Jesus. We make our prayer through your Son, Christ our Lord.

 

 

 

Our heart is restless until it rests in You.

 Welcome to my blog and peace be with you.

Today is the feast of St. Augustine who lived in the fourth century. Though at first, he lived a life of spiritual wandering, when he came to know Jesus, he found the meaning of life. He was a man of great intellect and holiness and his influence on Christianity throughout the ages has been immense. 

In his Confessions he proclaims in his prayer to God 'Our heart is restless until it rests in You.' Whoever we are, we will never have real peace until we rest in the embrace of God, because we have been made for that.

Friday 28 August 2020

The Feast of St. Augustine.

Our heart is restless until it rests in You.

 

Lord God, renew your Church

with the Spirit of wisdom and love

which you gave so fully to Saint Augustine.

Lead us by that same Spirit to seek you,

the only fountain of true wisdom

and the source of everlasting love.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

 

 

First reading

1 Corinthians 1:17-25

We preach a crucified Christ, the power and wisdom of God

Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Good News, and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed. The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way see it as God’s power to save. As scripture says: I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing all the learning of the learned. Where are the philosophers now? Where are the scribes? Where are any of our thinkers today? Do you see now how God has shown up the foolishness of human wisdom? If it was God’s wisdom that human wisdom should not know God, it was because God wanted to save those who have faith through the foolishness of the message that we preach. And so, while the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. THE WORD OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

God does not think as human beings think. Why not? One reason is, that he does not need our intelligence, or mental or physical strength. In fact, he doesn’t need us at all. Jesus did not save us by power and might, by a crusade of strength against Satan. Satan claimed to be equal with God. He grasped at being God to rule creation as he likes. He is a rebel from the very beginning. In every way he opposes God and would kill God if he could. Jesus is the opposite of Satan. Though he is God’s Son and equal with God in every way, in his humanity Jesus, out of love, surrenders to his Father. He loves and obeys his Father at whatever cost. He does not claim his divine dignity, though he has a right to it. Rather he empties himself and becomes the loving slave of God and obeys him in all things. Satan attacked him in every way he could.

Crucifixion was Satan’s ultimate weapon. It wasn’t simply death. Humankind has not devised a more degrading, humiliating, and torturous death than the Roman way of execution. They would destroy a man in every way before they destroyed his life. Being true to his Father cost Jesus the ultimate in human degradation and torture. Nonetheless he humbly accepted it. He would not rebel. He would not be even slightly disobedient. He would not look to his own comfort and welfare. He lived and died humbly, out of love, for his Father.

Looking on his Son, God overthrew Satan. Satan is now helpless before those who take refuge under the wings of Jesus, Son of God. (Matthew 23:37=38).

Following Jesus, involves total surrender to God’s will, out of love. It is a crucifixion of self. As a result, the Father will give us too the glory of the Resurrection.

 

 

Psalm 32(33):1-2,4-5,10-11

The Lord fills the earth with his love.

Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;

for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.

Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,

with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.

The Lord fills the earth with his love.

For the word of the Lord is faithful

and all his works to be trusted.

The Lord loves justice and right

and fills the earth with his love.

The Lord fills the earth with his love.

He frustrates the designs of the nations,

he defeats the plans of the peoples.

His own designs shall stand for ever,

the plans of his heart from age to age.

The Lord fills the earth with his love.

 

Gospel

Matthew 25:1-13

The wise and foolish virgins

Jesus told this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.” They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’ THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

We must read this parable in the context of Matthew’s Gospel. He has told us that it is not those who call Jesus “‘Lord, Lord’ who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but those who do the will of my Father in heaven.”  In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus likens good works to a light that shines before people. The girls who took oil are meant to be those who continue to fulfil their Christian responsibilities until the Lord calls them for the eternal wedding feast. Those who did not, are those who get tired of doing good and neglect the responsibilities given to them by God. Their lamps go out and are not ready to meet the Bridegroom, who is Jesus.

The Christian life is not simply a matter of spiritual faith. The faith we have in our hearts must show itself in faithful obedience to God. This means to fulfil perfectly with love the responsibilities of our state of life. Sanctity for married people, though in their hearts the same, will manifest itself in a different way from the sanctity of a monk or a hermit. St. Paul warns ‘never get tired of doing good.’

 

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ,

who on the cross called the penitent thief into your kingdom,

in faith and trust and confessing our sins we implore your mercy,

that after our death

you will lead us rejoicing through the gates of paradise.

You live and reign for ever and ever.

Amen.