HOLY SPIRIT, HELP US TO LISTEN, KEEP AND LOVE GOD AND OTHERS
The Spirit will teach us to listen to one another actively, keep God’s word faithfully, and love God and brothers and sisters deeply. This is how we can make the Christian life beautiful without burdening souls. The most enriching phrase today is, “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials”.
Christian life is not a life of rules and regulations but a call to love. A life governed by laws is burdensome, meanwhile, life lived in love is free and meaning-oriented.
THE ABIDING PRESENCE OF GOD THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT
Today’s readings show us the effects of God’s abiding presence in His Church and His indwelling in each of us.
Eastertide draws to an end, culminating with the feasts of Ascension and Pentecost. This Sunday is all about God’s abiding presence through His Holy Spirit of love.
ARE WE CONSCIOUS OF GOD’S ABIDING PRESENCE IN OUR LIVES?
Once, a plane which was flying from Nigeria to London, somewhere across the Sahara desert, ran into turbulence. It had to pass a heavy storm. All the passengers were in panic and fear for their lives.
Strange enough, amidst the cries, shouting, fear and commotions of adults and some children in the plane. A little three-year-old boy who was at peace and ease with his earpiece playing a video game.
After the storm had passed, an elder woman who sat beside the little boy noticed his calmness during the commotion. Out of curiosity, she asked him if he was not afraid. “No” was the little boy’s answer with a sense of confidence. “Why?” she asked the woman, and replied because my dad is the pilot.
1. The little boy knew that no matter what happened, his father was in control of the situation on the plane.
2. He was also conscious and confident of the abiding presence of his father with him during the turbulent flight.
We need to be conscious of God´s constant and abiding presence in every instance of our lives. Knowing He is in control of our lives and being aware of God’s Presence in every event of our lives, like this little boy.
OUR THEME: HOLY SPIRIT, HELP US
The readings of the Sunday of Easter remind us of the Abiding and Indwelling Presence of God and especially the Holy Spirit. They also invite and challenge us to be conscious of this Abiding and Ever Indwelling Presence.
The Presence of the Holy Spirit is in all the Church and all need to soar through hard times, confusions and manipulations in the name of God as we see it in every corner of our lives and faith in the name of religion and faith practice.
This abiding presence of God through the Holy Spirit makes Christianity a light-burden faith. It is not about rites and rituals or rules and regulations. It is about facilitating easy access to God for whoever wants to be closer to Him.
FIRST READING: ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 15:1-2, 22-29
The Holy Spirit helped the early Christian faith and Church overcome religious manipulations and ‘twistings` in the name of God. As well as evicting possible breakups and divisions in the nascent Christian group, thereby preserving the Christian Unity and fostering Christian tradition, teaching and faith.
Indeed, the Abiding Presence of the Holy Spirit helped the apostles solve a major doctrinal problem. A situation that would have divided the early church. The imposition of the |Jewish tradition of circumcision on Gentiles who became Christians. This doctrinal crisis shook the very foundation of the early Christian Church.
Without the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, we cannot realise anything or talk less to love and remain in God. The assurance of the Holy Spirit is our courage and strength to be authentic witnesses to God.
In the council decision, St. Peter, the apostles, and the council of elders demonstrated that Christian life, its salvation, rationale, hope, virtuous living with good conduct and even difficulties and pains, are attainable in Christ through the Holy Spirit.
PSALM 66 OR 67:
The Psalmist prays that all nations of the earth, not just Israel, might recognise and praise their God. It is a prayer, O God, let all the nations praise you and recognise your work through the presence of your abiding Spirit in our midst.
SECOND READING: REVELATION 21:10-14, 22-23
The second reading from the Book of Revelation affirms the Glorious and Transforming Presence of God and the Lamb, who is the Temple (The Abiding) and luminous light of the new Christian life and kingdom.
The Holy Spirit of Eternal Glory and Light takes us to the most significant height of faith, of insight into heavenly and divine beauties, and God’s dwelling to behold His Indwelling Presence among us and in us.
THE CITY OF GOD: THE CHRUCH AND THE PRESENCE OF GOD
In Revelation.21:22 John lays down a unique feature of the city of God, and there is no temple in this city. When we remember how precious the Temple was to the Jews, this is amazing. But we have already noted that the city is built in the shape of a perfect cube, indicating that it is the Holy of Holies.
The city needs no temple because God’s presence is continually there. Here is symbolism that is plain for all to see. Buildings do not make a Church, nor do liturgy, form of government, or method of ordination to the ministry.
The Presence of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit gives to the Church. Without these, there can be no such thing as a Church; any gathering of people is a real Church.
THE GOSPEL: JOHN 14:23-29
In the Gospel of John 14:23-29, Jesus assures us of His Father and Him building an Abiding Presence with us if we love Him by keeping his commandments. This means the Holy Spirit will be our companion, leading, guiding, teaching and reminding us of truth.
Furthermore, he assures us that His Presence endures a lasting peace in our hearts and the Christian community.
In other words, Jesus promises the Abiding Presence of the Holy Spirit among us as the eternal teacher of our faith and the Everlasting Memory of the Christian faith and history.
Jesus, in his farewell speech to his disciples, was explicitly forwarding. He revealed to them the eternal condition of receiving God´s promises, especially the Holy Spirit.
1. Faithfulness to God´s commandment;
2. The Divine Assistance of the Advocate.
3. The Eternal Presence of the Trinity.
4. The surety of an unconditional, unfailing, and uniting love of the God the Father.
The two difficult things to do are to love and to keep God’s commandment of love genuinely and faithfully. Yet, the challenging demand of the readings for this Sunday is that we prepare for and anticipate the coming of the Holy Spirit.
LOVE IS EVERYTHING
In this passage, John is playing on certain ideas which are never far from his mind.
1. First and foremost, there is love. For John, love is the basis of everything. God loves Jesus; Jesus loves God; God loves men; Jesus loves men; men love God through Jesus; men love each other. The principle of love is that heaven and earth, man and God, and man and man are all bound together by the bond of love.
2. Once again, John stresses the necessity of obedience, the only proof of love. It was to those who loved him that Jesus appeared when he rose from the dead, not to the scribes and the Pharisees and the hostile Jews.
3. This obedient, trusting love leads to two things. First, it leads to ultimate safety. On the day of Christ’s triumph, those who have been his obedient lovers will be safe in a crashing world. Second, it leads to a fuller and fuller revelation. The revelation of God is a costly thing. There is always a moral basis for it; it is to the man who keeps his commandments that Christ reveals himself. No evil man can ever receive the revelation of God. God can use him, but he can have no fellowship with him.
THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY IS THAT WITH THE ABIDING PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. Christianity is a burden of rules and regulations.
2. It is mere rites and rituals of externalism, enriched by human traditions and ideologies.
3. We cannot soar through hard times, confusion and manipulations in the name of God.
4. Religious manipulations and ‘twistings’ happen when God and His Guiding Spirit are absent in our faith practice.
5. The possible breakups and divisions are inevitable in the Christian fold. Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29
6. The indwelling of the presence of God through Christ and the Holy Spirit takes us to the most significant height of faith, of insight into heavenly and divine beauties.
7. God’s indwelling presence is our hope and assurance over trials, hardships, persecutions, etc. Rev. 21: 10-14, 22-23.
8. Jesus promises us the Abiding Presence of the Holy Spirit among us as the Eternal Teacher of our faith and the Everlasting Memory of the Christian faith and history. Jn. 14: 23-29
9. Without His Indwelling Presence among us and in us, we cannot love, remain in God or God in us. The absence of the Holy Spirit makes the commandment to love a burden.
10. The Holy Spirit teaches us to listen with our minds and hearts, keep God’s words, and love God and others deeply.
11. Without His Indwelling Presence among us and in us, we cannot love, remain in God or God in us. The absence of the Holy Spirit makes the commandment to love a burden.
12. There is no abiding peace or serenity and Christian joys without the living presence of God.
Finally, let us pray that the abiding or indwelling of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit among us will help us love God and one another as Jesus loves us to remain in God. He promised us the Holy Spirit: the spirit of love that will help us to express and understand what love means, especially from the perspective of God. God of love
OUR PRAYER
Holy Spirit, Lord of Divine Fire, we need You to melt frozen hearts and warm the chilling souls of their lukewarmness, confusions, and tendencies to watering down of faith and teaching standards, of materialism over spirituality, of “abracadabra” or “priestcraft”, or of religiosity over spirituality of love. May your preaching, healing, transforming, empowering, and guiding power help us seek truth in our faith while maintaining a bond of unity through our charity. Amen!
