Pentecost unites all Religions and ways of life in to a Common truth of love and Charity.

Pentecost Sunday

May 31, 2020

Today’s Readings:

Mass during the Day:
Acts 2:1-11
Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34
1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13
John 20:19-23
cms.usccb.org/bible/readings/053120-day.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/2020/20_05_31.mp3

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 

On the day of Pentecost God bound people of all Religion,Caste, Creed , Sex, Language , Nationality in one Spirit and as a sign the Disciples started speaking in different tongues and all the People who gathered in Jerusalem heard them speaking in their own tongue. The whole universe was in Unity and in mind and one Spirit when it was created but  disharmony spread by the Evil divided the Human Race from each other. God tried to bring people in various circumstances but the corruption was great in them , they tried to build tower of Babel to compete with God but God confuses the language of People and Tower of Babel or Confusing the Languages  divided the people from each other.

God called Abraham to gather all nations of the World together and promised to make his descendant as sand of the Sea. This Promise of God fulfilled at the day of Pentecost where people from all Nations united in tongue and one Spirit. The Confusion created at Tower Babel was reversed in to one single  language of the Spirit and all people from the World heard them speaking in one language.

The main Work of the Holy-spirit is to build all people  in to one body  or bring all people in to unity , harmony   and brotherhood which was lost at the beginning of Creation. Jesus was the promise of Abraham to restore the lost unity and harmony in this World. Jesus sent the Holy-spirit to build the body of truth and unity in this World. The Holy-spirit is the Re Builder  of the peace and Harmony lost in the World through Jesus Christ.    The name Christian was only a  label of recognition of people as an institution given to  who believed in love, joy,peace,unity, harmony,gentleness,meekness . Early Christians were   recognized in  one  belief which they used to profess in Words and action and not through ritualistic Baptism as Christians. The ritual Christian tradition made Christians an label of institution and the core values of Christ and unity of the Holy-spirit was missing in many of the so called Christians.

The real Christians are the people who profess the teachings of Christ in their life in actions. The actions of Christians are love ,Unity and Humanity. Holy-spirit opens the mind of the disciples on the day of Pentecost and gives them the true meaning of the teachings of Jesus. Their mind was only on restoration of Israel from the Political Enemies. Jesus came on this earth to restore peace among people and bring brotherhood and harmony. The institutionalized Religions divide people in  doctrines and take them away from each other and this is a Devils work. Holy-spirit is a sign of unity , if we profess our faith by witnessing in testimony the people around us must hear them as if it has been professed in their  own religion or way of life. This is  true Evangelisation which Mother Theresa did in her life.

The Common goodness of the Spirit only can be heard today in each and every Religions of the World and nothing else. The love, joy, peace, patience,charity,meekness, forgiveness, gentleness of the Holy-spirit can bring people under one platform of Humanity and Unity which was corrupted by the Evil. We must focus on the common truths and common goods of the World and make these values our religion and profess them in actions. If an individual hates another person for whatever reason, he or she can not be called a Christian. A true Christian is the one who looks at the good of each person and thinks of doing to them. These Common truths brings people together in one good and true Spirit, and this is  the true  Holy-spirit and  not a ritualistic spirit of the Baptismal pond.

Pope Francis comes up with a document  of  HUMAN FRATERNITY , this is the  beginning Contemporary version  of the true Pentecost on this Earth. People must stop ritualistic way of Christian life where the substance of love, sacrifice, Charity is missing and restoration of Jerusalem by power is in the mind of the many Christians is still in the minds like the Disciples before Pentecost. This is a clear sign that these Christians have encountered the Pentecost in their life and must encounter the Holy-spirit who will lead us to the complete truth, the Common truths of the World. 

A great revival is required from the Religions of today who stuck to their doctrinal differences but Jesus has not written any Doctrines but taught us how to practice by becoming a model. Let  us make the institutional spirituality a secondary and make humanity as primary Spirituality in our life . In Jesus time , Jesus manifested the love in action and corrected the Hypocrisy of the Law. Are we doing the same thing in our time is the question we must ask ourselves and each Religion must reflect.

A DOCUMENT ON
HUMAN FRATERNITY
FOR WORLD PEACE AND LIVING TOGETHER

INTRODUCTION

Faith leads a believer to see in the other a brother or sister to be supported and loved. Through faith in God, who has created the universe, creatures and all human beings (equal on account of his mercy), believers are called to express this human fraternity by safeguarding creation and the entire universe and supporting all persons, especially the poorest and those most in need.

This transcendental value served as the starting point for several meetings characterized by a friendly and fraternal atmosphere where we shared the joys, sorrows and problems of our contemporary world. We did this by considering scientific and technical progress, therapeutic achievements, the digital era, the mass media and communications. We reflected also on the level of poverty, conflict and suffering of so many brothers and sisters in different parts of the world as a consequence of the arms race, social injustice, corruption, inequality, moral decline, terrorism, discrimination, extremism and many other causes.

From our fraternal and open discussions, and from the meeting that expressed profound hope in a bright future for all human beings, the idea of this Document on Human Fraternity was conceived. It is a text that has been given honest and serious thought so as to be a joint declaration of good and heartfelt aspirations. It is a document that invites all persons who have faith in God and faith in human fraternity to unite and work together so that it may serve as a guide for future generations to advance a culture of mutual respect in the awareness of the great divine grace that makes all human beings brothers and sisters.

DOCUMENT

In the name of God who has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and who has called them to live together as brothers and sisters, to fill the earth and make known the values of goodness, love and peace;

In the name of innocent human life that God has forbidden to kill, affirming that whoever kills a person is like one who kills the whole of humanity, and that whoever saves a person is like one who saves the whole of humanity;

In the name of the poor, the destitute, the marginalized and those most in need whom God has commanded us to help as a duty required of all persons, especially the wealthy and of means;

In the name of orphans, widows, refugees and those exiled from their homes and their countries; in the name of all victims of wars, persecution and injustice; in the name of the weak, those who live in fear, prisoners of war and those tortured in any part of the world, without distinction;

In the name of peoples who have lost their security, peace, and the possibility of living together, becoming victims of destruction, calamity and war;

In the name of human fraternity that embraces all human beings, unites them and renders them equal;

In the name of this fraternity torn apart by policies of extremism and division, by systems of unrestrained profit or by hateful ideological tendencies that manipulate the actions and the future of men and women;

In the name of freedom, that God has given to all human beings creating them free and distinguishing them by this gift;

In the name of justice and mercy, the foundations of prosperity and the cornerstone of faith;

In the name of all persons of good will present in every part of the world;

In the name of God and of everything stated thus far; Al-Azhar al-Sharif and the Muslims of the East and West, together with the Catholic Church and the Catholics of the East and West, declare the adoption of a culture of dialogue as the path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard.

We, who believe in God and in the final meeting with Him and His judgment, on the basis of our religious and moral responsibility, and through this Document, call upon ourselves, upon the leaders of the world as well as the architects of international policy and world economy, to work strenuously to spread the culture of tolerance and of living together in peace; to intervene at the earliest opportunity to stop the shedding of innocent blood and bring an end to wars, conflicts, environmental decay and the moral and cultural decline that the world is presently experiencing.

We call upon intellectuals, philosophers, religious figures, artists, media professionals and men and women of culture in every part of the world, to rediscover the values of peace, justice, goodness, beauty, human fraternity and coexistence in order to confirm the importance of these values as anchors of salvation for all, and to promote them everywhere.

This Declaration, setting out from a profound consideration of our contemporary reality, valuing its successes and in solidarity with its suffering, disasters and calamities, believes firmly that among the most important causes of the crises of the modern world are a desensitized human conscience, a distancing from religious values and a prevailing individualism accompanied by materialistic philosophies that deify the human person and introduce worldly and material values in place of supreme and transcendental principles.

While recognizing the positive steps taken by our modern civilization in the fields of science, technology, medicine, industry and welfare, especially in developed countries, we wish to emphasize that, associated with such historic advancements, great and valued as they are, there exists both a moral deterioration that influences international action and a weakening of spiritual values and responsibility. All this contributes to a general feeling of frustration, isolation and desperation leading many to fall either into a vortex of atheistic, agnostic or religious extremism, or into blind and fanatic extremism, which ultimately encourage forms of dependency and individual or collective self-destruction.

History shows that religious extremism, national extremism and also intolerance have produced in the world, be it in the East or West, what might be referred to as signs of a “third world war being fought piecemeal”. In several parts of the world and in many tragic circumstances these signs have begun to be painfully apparent, as in those situations where the precise number of victims, widows and orphans is unknown. We see, in addition, other regions preparing to become theatres of new conflicts, with outbreaks of tension and a build-up of arms and ammunition, and all this in a global context overshadowed by uncertainty, disillusionment, fear of the future, and controlled by narrow-minded economic interests.

We likewise affirm that major political crises, situations of injustice and lack of equitable distribution of natural resources – which only a rich minority benefit from, to the detriment of the majority of the peoples of the earth – have generated, and continue to generate, vast numbers of poor, infirm and deceased persons. This leads to catastrophic crises that various countries have fallen victim to despite their natural resources and the resourcefulness of young people which characterize these nations. In the face of such crises that result in the deaths of millions of children – wasted away from poverty and hunger – there is an unacceptable silence on the international level.

It is clear in this context how the family as the fundamental nucleus of society and humanity is essential in bringing children into the world, raising them, educating them, and providing them with solid moral formation and domestic security. To attack the institution of the family, to regard it with contempt or to doubt its important role, is one of the most threatening evils of our era.

We affirm also the importance of awakening religious awareness and the need to revive this awareness in the hearts of new generations through sound education and an adherence to moral values and upright religious teachings. In this way we can confront tendencies that are individualistic, selfish, conflicting, and also address radicalism and blind extremism in all its forms and expressions.

The first and most important aim of religions is to believe in God, to honour Him and to invite all men and women to believe that this universe depends on a God who governs it. He is the Creator who has formed us with His divine wisdom and has granted us the gift of life to protect it. It is a gift that no one has the right to take away, threaten or manipulate to suit oneself. Indeed, everyone must safeguard this gift of life from its beginning up to its natural end. We therefore condemn all those practices that are a threat to life such as genocide, acts of terrorism, forced displacement, human trafficking, abortion and euthanasia. We likewise condemn the policies that promote these practices.

Moreover, we resolutely declare that religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes, hostility and extremism, nor must they incite violence or the shedding of blood. These tragic realities are the consequence of a deviation from religious teachings. They result from a political manipulation of religions and from interpretations made by religious groups who, in the course of history, have taken advantage of the power of religious sentiment in the hearts of men and women in order to make them act in a way that has nothing to do with the truth of religion. This is done for the purpose of achieving objectives that are political, economic, worldly and short-sighted. We thus call upon all concerned to stop using religions to incite hatred, violence, extremism and blind fanaticism, and to refrain from using the name of God to justify acts of murder, exile, terrorism and oppression. We ask this on the basis of our common belief in God who did not create men and women to be killed or to fight one another, nor to be tortured or humiliated in their lives and circumstances. God, the Almighty, has no need to be defended by anyone and does not want His name to be used to terrorize people.

This Document, in accordance with previous International Documents that have emphasized the importance of the role of religions in the construction of world peace, upholds the following:

· The firm conviction that authentic teachings of religions invite us to remain rooted in the values of peace; to defend the values of mutual understanding, human fraternity and harmonious coexistence; to re-establish wisdom, justice and love; and to reawaken religious awareness among young people so that future generations may be protected from the realm of materialistic thinking and from dangerous policies of unbridled greed and indifference that are based on the law of force and not on the force of law;

· Freedom is a right of every person: each individual enjoys the freedom of belief, thought, expression and action. The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings. This divine wisdom is the source from which the right to freedom of belief and the freedom to be different derives. Therefore, the fact that people are forced to adhere to a certain religion or culture must be rejected, as too the imposition of a cultural way of life that others do not accept;

· Justice based on mercy is the path to follow in order to achieve a dignified life to which every human being has a right;

· Dialogue, understanding and the widespread promotion of a culture of tolerance, acceptance of others and of living together peacefully would contribute significantly to reducing many economic, social, political and environmental problems that weigh so heavily on a large part of humanity;

· Dialogue among believers means coming together in the vast space of spiritual, human and shared social values and, from here, transmitting the highest moral virtues that religions aim for. It also means avoiding unproductive discussions;

· The protection of places of worship – synagogues, churches and mosques – is a duty guaranteed by religions, human values, laws and international agreements. Every attempt to attack places of worship or threaten them by violent assaults, bombings or destruction, is a deviation from the teachings of religions as well as a clear violation of international law;

· Terrorism is deplorable and threatens the security of people, be they in the East or the West, the North or the South, and disseminates panic, terror and pessimism, but this is not due to religion, even when terrorists instrumentalize it. It is due, rather, to an accumulation of incorrect interpretations of religious texts and to policies linked to hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression and pride. This is why it is so necessary to stop supporting terrorist movements fuelled by financing, the provision of weapons and strategy, and by attempts to justify these movements even using the media. All these must be regarded as international crimes that threaten security and world peace. Such terrorism must be condemned in all its forms and expressions;

· The concept of citizenship is based on the equality of rights and duties, under which all enjoy justice. It is therefore crucial to establish in our societies the concept of full citizenship and reject the discriminatory use of the term minorities which engenders feelings of isolation and inferiority. Its misuse paves the way for hostility and discord; it undoes any successes and takes away the religious and civil rights of some citizens who are thus discriminated against;

· Good relations between East and West are indisputably necessary for both. They must not be neglected, so that each can be enriched by the other’s culture through fruitful exchange and dialogue. The West can discover in the East remedies for those spiritual and religious maladies that are caused by a prevailing materialism. And the East can find in the West many elements that can help free it from weakness, division, conflict and scientific, technical and cultural decline. It is important to pay attention to religious, cultural and historical differences that are a vital component in shaping the character, culture and civilization of the East. It is likewise important to reinforce the bond of fundamental human rights in order to help ensure a dignified life for all the men and women of East and West, avoiding the politics of double standards;

· It is an essential requirement to recognize the right of women to education and employment, and to recognize their freedom to exercise their own political rights. Moreover, efforts must be made to free women from historical and social conditioning that runs contrary to the principles of their faith and dignity. It is also necessary to protect women from sexual exploitation and from being treated as merchandise or objects of pleasure or financial gain. Accordingly, an end must be brought to all those inhuman and vulgar practices that denigrate the dignity of women. Efforts must be made to modify those laws that prevent women from fully enjoying their rights;

· The protection of the fundamental rights of children to grow up in a family environment, to receive nutrition, education and support, are duties of the family and society. Such duties must be guaranteed and protected so that they are not overlooked or denied to any child in any part of the world. All those practices that violate the dignity and rights of children must be denounced. It is equally important to be vigilant against the dangers that they are exposed to, particularly in the digital world, and to consider as a crime the trafficking of their innocence and all violations of their youth;

· The protection of the rights of the elderly, the weak, the disabled, and the oppressed is a religious and social obligation that must be guaranteed and defended through strict legislation and the implementation of the relevant international agreements.

To this end, by mutual cooperation, the Catholic Church and Al-Azhar announce and pledge to convey this Document to authorities, influential leaders, persons of religion all over the world, appropriate regional and international organizations, organizations within civil society, religious institutions and leading thinkers. They further pledge to make known the principles contained in this Declaration at all regional and international levels, while requesting that these principles be translated into policies, decisions, legislative texts, courses of study and materials to be circulated.

Al-Azhar and the Catholic Church ask that this Document become the object of research and reflection in all schools, universities and institutes of formation, thus helping to educate new generations to bring goodness and peace to others, and to be defenders everywhere of the rights of the oppressed and of the least of our brothers and sisters.

In conclusion, our aspiration is that:

this Declaration may constitute an invitation to reconciliation and fraternity among all believers, indeed among believers and non-believers, and among all people of good will;

this Declaration may be an appeal to every upright conscience that rejects deplorable violence and blind extremism; an appeal to those who cherish the values of tolerance and fraternity that are promoted and encouraged by religions;

this Declaration may be a witness to the greatness of faith in God that unites divided hearts and elevates the human soul;

this Declaration may be a sign of the closeness between East and West, between North and South, and between all who believe that God has created us to understand one another, cooperate with one another and live as brothers and sisters who love one another.

This is what we hope and seek to achieve with the aim of finding a universal peace that all can enjoy in this life.

Abu Dhabi, 4 february 2019

His Holiness              The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar
Pope Francis                 Ahamad Al-Tayyib

May 30 th , Daily Readings, Audio and Reflections Video.

Saturday May 30, 2020

Acts 28:16-20, 30-31
Psalm 11:4-5, 7
John 21:20-25
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/053020.cfm
Podcast:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/2020/20_05_30.mp3

Reflections Video:

The Ultimate Love of God

Friday of the 7th Week of Easter
May 29, 2020

Today’s Readings:Acts 25:13b-21
Ps 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20ab
John 21:15-19
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052920.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/2020/20_05_29.mp3

The Holy Spirit will teach you everything
and remind you of all I told you.

The definition of love is the most misinterpreted word in this World. Love and Charity are the call and purpose of human existence on this Earth. If we do not understand the real meaning of love then it will be very difficult to implement that love in our lives. The simple meaning of Christian love is Sacrifice. If we do not sacrifice or serve or give in our act of love then it does not become love . Love is giving and forgiving , if someone lives to gather and  does not  give then he lives in selfishness.

Love of God has been revealed to man in different levels in his faith journey. If we see in the discipleship of Peter ,in his first calling Jesus calls him Peter the  Rock, and promises to build his Church on him.  In Today’s reading Peter was called second time for a deeper relation with the love of God. This time the love was tested in  second level of faith.  Jesus commissioned Peter to Shepherd the Church. The third calling of Peter was on the day of Pentecost , the love of God poured out in to him to witness Jesus and Peter was prompted to Witness the love of God.

In our faith journey , we have a journey of a Lamb, Adult sheep and old Sheep and God feeds us like Lambs with his Knowledge at the beginning of our Christian faith and tends us with guidance and growth in our ministry and finally  feeds us with ultimate truth the servant love of God to die for others. The ultimate love of God is to die for others and do the will of others.

Christian leader is a servant leader , servant Parent, servant Manager, servant teacher or Doctor. The title pope means Servants of servant which Peter was entitled  to in today’s Gospel. All Clergy and religious are servants of the Lambs and Sheep and not the bosses of them or a Judge . Though Jesus had a right to Judge , he did not judge anyone or Condemn but    loved every one by servant love.

If we live a life of love and service , we may have many sufferings but the Holy-spirit the ultimate love of God is with us until our death.  Let us reflect our life , which level of Faith we live in our life or we do not have any experience of the Love of God at all and still in the rate race of Success and prosperity.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus reveal me the true meaning of Love. Give me the sense of servant hood  in my life. Teach me the joy of giving and serving others. Anoint me with the Love of God the Holy-spirit in my life. Hold me and take me to those places where you want me to go in our lives. Teach me to feed and Tend my subordinates and lead me to die for the others the ultimate love of God. Amen

A Follower of Jesus by default Consecrated through the Spirit of truth by Jesus Prayer and Sacrifice. By: Ivan Rodrigues

Wednesday of the 7th Week of Easter
May 27, 2020

Today’s Readings:Acts 20:28-38
Ps 68:29-30, 33-36ab
John 17:11b-19
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052720.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/2020/20_05_27.mp3

Consecrate them in the truth.
Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth.

When we reflect the word Consecrate , there is a vast journey of reflection involved in the act of Consecration.  Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. In the readings today , Jesus makes a prayer of  Consecration same as Paul in the first reading. Christian life is a consecrated life of truth   and service.

When we talk about truth , how to test or define the truth. There is only one person in this World who testified the truth, lived the truth and witnessed the truth that is Jesus. Jesus is the only true truth in this World because the true truth can come only from above and not from this World. The  World lost the truth from the Beginning and the truth of the world , how truthful or refined it may look like , it is half truth or counterfeit  or manipulation of truth. If we see in today’s World , the people live on this manipulated truth or counterfeit or  half truth. To understand the real truth , we must know Jesus , we must understand him and we must know his teachings and  his life while he was on this Earth. The Gospel introduces the truth to the World but the Gospel of truth needs to be understood by the Spirit of truth and witnessed through his actions. If we do not have truth or live in truth , we can not understand or witness Jesus in our lives. The spirit of truth reveals the whole truth of the Gospel.

We see two kind of people in the World , the First  one’s are very religious and prayerful and try to know Jesus through the Word of  God and follow him. The second one’s are from the field , they are not very religious or know much about the Word of  God or person of Jesus but their witness to the truth is more than the religious minded people. Christian life is the combination of these both types of people , we need to know Jesus in person and through the Word and then walk through this Word hand in hand with Jesus .with the power of the Spirit of truth. If we take the example of Mahatma Gandhi , he had a strong conviction to the truth but did not know Jesus, when he encountered the Spirit of truth by witnessing , he got exposed to the person of Jesus and his Word. Though he lived a religious Hindu life and died chanting the Word of Ram , his  understanding of Jesus and witnessing to his teaching and dying as a Martyr unites him to the eternal truth Jesus , because Jesus lived his life and witnessed to the truth on this Earth in this manner.

To consecrate ourselves to the truth , we must experience the spirit of truth in our life. The word of God and the spirit of truth are one and the same if we reflect and walk upon in the inspiration and guidance of the Word of God.  When Jesus made this prayer of Consecration , he made this Prayer on behalf of every follower of truth. Jesus consecrated himself  for every Christian and sent them to witness him in the World. when we think about consecrated life, we think of religious or clergy , every Baptized Christian is  Consecrated in the spirit of truth to witness  the truth in this World. The Parents are consecrated to witness the truth in their family and consecrate themselves through dedicated and sacrificial life to build their children   in the values of Christ and truth and not the world. It is difficult to live in this Half truth World  and  uplift the fullness of truth. Thomas Kempis in the imitation of Christ says, when we live on this earth, we must keep one eye on Jesus and another on this World.

All  seven Sacraments reveal the mysteries of the Consecration life  of the Spirit of truth.  If we do not live these sacraments in consecrated life then these very sacraments  become merely a Worldly signs and grace is completely missing in these sacraments. For example Holy Order or Marriage or Baptism or Eucharist  is not lived in the Spirit of truth by witnessing Jesus in our lives then these Acts become like any other orders of this World. There has to be a difference between a Christian  institution and Worldly  institution. If we follow the Worldly standards we leave behind the Christian standards.

Consecration in truth is nothing but Baptism in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy-spirit. In the process of Baptism we die for ourselves and reborn in the person of Jesus, who consecrates us in the Spirit of truth the Holy-spirit. We are suppose to witness the World through his spirit by forgiving , protesting the lies of the World, by not compromising the truth for the benefit of World, Flesh or Evil. We must start this witnessing in our own families, by witnessing to our Spouses, Children and Neighborhood . We must also lead our Children to the spirit of truth by teaching them the word of God and building them in the Spirit of truth. If we do not do this and if we make them Doctors or engineers in this World then we will be responsible for their Salvation. They will accuse us saying my Parents did not encourage us to become Christians and  made us people of the World on the day of Judgement and we will see our Children going to hell in front of our eyes. We have to make them Doctors and Engineers but let us make them Christian Doctors and Christian Engineers.

God called Israelite’s and set them apart to live a Holy  and Consecrated life. God has called us Christians to live life of truth . God accompanied Israelite’s at every stage of their life by  doing wonders and miracles. God has accompanied all consecrated Christians  through the Holy-spirit by doing mighty miracles at step of their life. Jesus has consecrated  himself  to us through his death and resurrection and calls every Christian to Consecrate themselves for building of his Church upon this Earth by witnessing him in words and Action.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus I invite you in my life , I am living a moderate life of a Christian but I do not know whether I have consecrated  my life fully to you. I have compromised with the World  due to lack  of my faith.  Almighty Father  Consecrate me with the Spirit of truth. Lord Jesus Consecrate yourselves  for me so that I am convicted by the Spirit the lies of this World. Holy-spirit , Spirit of truth reveal me the whole truth by reading, reflecting and witnessing to the Word of God.

 

 

The Christian Baptism Conquers the World.

Monday of the 7th Week of Easter
May 25, 2020

Today’s Readings:Acts 19:1-8
Ps 68:2-7ab (with 33a)
John 16:29-33
cms.usccb.org/bible/readings/052520.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/2020/20_05_25.mp3

“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”
They answered him,
“We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
He said, “How were you baptized?”
They replied, “With the baptism of John.”
Paul then said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance,
telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him,
that is, in Jesus.”
When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

Today’s Readings are very important to understand the layers of Christian Baptism. The meaning of Baptism is  to getting united to Jesus in his Body, mind and Spirit. When we unite with Jesus , we are united to the Father, and the Father starts loving us in the power of the Holy-spirit.  In Baptism we must have the Experience of the Holy Trinity. In case  if we are Baptized in a ritualistic Baptism by pouring water on our head and anointing the oil but no changes in our lives or receive any Spiritual gifts or fruits then I doubt if the  Holy Trinity   lives in us.

If we see ritualistic Christians around the World bear the Christian name but live like any other Worldly person , breaking all the Ten Commandments of God and indulging in all the Mortal Sins.  These people though received Baptism in the Name of Jesus but in reality, no experience of Jesus or the Holy trinity in their life. They may attend all Sacraments but they do not have the Experience of God in their life.

In the absence of Baptismal Experience all the other sacraments  do not have any Christian value including Eucharist and Marriage , and become  like any other routine or ritual of this World. Most of these people Work for the World , collecting and adding more in to their Bank Balances and giving more higher education to their Children and want to act like Elite Christians in this World.

The Spirit of God is completely missing in their life and the Prosperity achieved is not from God but from the World. These Worldly people remain in this World and can not unite with God after death because they were not united with the Spirit of God on this Earth.

The  signs of  Baptism are  repentance, Empowerment and Witness.

1. Repentance : The time a person encounters the truth of life in person of Jesus or the virtue of Jesus , they  repent for  past and present life and decide to change themselves with a firm decision to change their life to the Values of truth . If they have cheated or hurt anyone  or pay back  , they reconcile for their action with God and one another.This is a simple meaning of practical repentance. If our repentance is genuine , the Father’s love pours in to our heart automatically and we experience the power from above the Holy-spirit.
2. Empowerment : The Baptism empowers us with a supernatural power from above. The signs of empowerment defers from one person to the other , some people become very loving , charitable, meek,gentle and humble , Some people become Charismatic or  empowered with Supernatural gifts of tongues, Prophesy, vision so on.  When we are empowered with these  gifts and fruits of the Spirit , we automatically start testifying the Spirit of truth and become witness to the Spirit of truth.
3. Witness: Witnessing to Jesus or to the Spirit of truth is a supernatural attitude against the vices of the Evil and the materialistic World. This attitude makes us Christians  or followers of Christ and followers of the Spirit of truth. When we witness Christ , we can call ourselves as true Christians . The Holy-spirit empowers us and testifies on our behalf in every area of our life. The signs and wonders, and miracles follow our life. It is in witnessing that we live a real Christian life on this Earth.

When we experience all the three experiences of  Baptism in our life , We can call ourselves as Baptized Christians in the Name of the Father, Son and the Holy-spirit. In true Baptism we can conquer the World, Flesh and the vices of the Evil.

Let us reflect upon our lives where we stand in these experiences of Baptism or we do not have any experiences at all. It is not too late , let us sit quietly and pray following prayer from our hearts inviting Jesus to save us from the Evil World.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus I invite you in to my life , I am lost in the rate race of this World and can not see you as you are , come in to my life and save me from the rut of Sin , World and Devil. Save me from the addiction of Sin and the Materialistic World. Some times I think I do not have any Sin but I can not experience you in my life.  Almighty father draw your Son Jesus in to my life. I need the Holy spirit , the love of the father in my life. I surrender my entire life in to your hands and believe that you have died for my sins and resurrected to give me the Eternal life. I want that eternal abundant life of the Father and Holy-spirit in my life.  Anoint  me with the gift of  Baptism the repentance , Empowerment and Witness.  Thank you Jesus for listening my humble Prayer. Amen.

Ascension is a Day of Victory and a day of Celebration on Earth and Heaven

The Ascension of the Lord

May 24, 2020

Today’s Readings:Acts 1:1-11
Ps 47:2-3, 6-9
Ephesians 1:17-23
Matthew 28:16-20
cms.usccb.org/bible/readings/052420-ascension.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/2020/20_05_24.mp3

 

When they had gathered together they asked him,
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”

The Ascension of our Lord is a day of Victory and celebration in heaven and even on Earth. The Champion of Heaven, the Son of God  was on a mission of Salvation to Earth,became victorious by defeating death and Satan by his life of poverty , death on the Cross, and Glorious resurrection on Heaven and Earth, and returned to Heaven to rejoin the Holy-trinity . This is a awarding  Ceremony  of a Victorious King who will be ruling the entire heaven and Earth for ever and ever. For a while the second person of the trinity was away from Holy Family on a mission of Salvation.

When our Children go out for the first time away from the family for a long time , may be on a Camp or for higher studies we miss their physical presence so much and once they come back with their Degrees we rejoin them in a renewed relationship because in the course of time they adopt the culture of their mission or study. I remember meeting a Father of a Girl who had left her Family at the age of 18 to pursue  Medicine Degree and returned with a Degree in Medicine after six years, she had left at 18 like a little pampered girl but returned  after six years in a full stature of Womanhood with a Degree of Maturity.

The Son of God the second person of Trinity also left on a mission of Salvation on this Earth but this mission was not to study higher but study lower in  his life and die like a Criminal and a Worm on the Cross. This mission was difficult to the Creator of Heaven and Earth to become like a Creature and named as Jesus like any other Human Name and live and suffer and die on the Cross.

I was owning a logistic Company and used to hire many drivers for delivery , one day I wanted to see what are the pros or cons and grey areas of the Delivery Drivers and areas, which they deliver the Parcels, when  I finished my tenth delivery  I had already got two penalties on my Van for wrong parking and I had still twenty more deliveries pending in my Van. All my plan of time management, route management and fuel consumption  and  Health and safety went to the toss , as I trespassed all the Parameters of a Delivery Driver. Finally I had to call my Driver and handed over the Van to finish the remaining deliveries. It is very difficult to degrade ourselves in this World and Jesus degraded himself by becoming poor and a  slave and died for the Salvation.

Ascension day Jesus comes back to his original family to rejoin with his Father and Mother with a Victorious Degree of  Salvation. But when he has come back from the World his stature has been changed , he had left Heaven in  Pure  and clean Spirit but returned  in the form of a Human Being with a resurrected Body. The Holy Trinity receives Jesus as he is and includes him in the family of Holy trinity and glorifies him with the same Glory  which he had from the Beginning of the creation. Now Jesus has been promoted in the Family to take control of the Heaven and earth  and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Jesus is seated at the right of the Father in a Human resurrected glorified body and not in a pure Spirit. This body is the Church . We must understand the Church in a broader understanding otherwise it is difficult to receive the Holy-spirit.Church is Christ himself, when we unite with him by believing him and his teachings and applying these teachings in our life, we unite completely with Jesus in Body , Soul , divinity and in his mission. When we believe in him as a person of Jesus as our Personal Savior  we unite in his Body , when we follow his teachings we unite with him in soul and when we apply his teachings in our life by his mission we join him in his divinity and mission.

We have a very wrong conception of the Church , Church is nothing but getting united or entering in to a relationship with the Body, mind and Spirit of Jesus. When we unite Jesus in his Body ,the Holy-spirit passes on us or anoints us with power from above. If a Christian does not show this power from above , then there is a doubt on his complete unity or faith in Jesus in his life. Baptism is not a ceremonial activity but a decision  to choose and live Jesus in our life. When we unite with the Body of Christ , we are automatically empowered with the Holy-spirit , this is one activity. Jesus is representing us at the right hand of the Father in a  glorified Human Visible Body , this Body has human and divine properties. When we unite with Jesus we also receive the heavenly Properties in our Bodies. This has happened with early Christians and Apostles.

The Institutions or Sacraments are the methods to connect to the Body of Christ but they  only show the Way but themselves is not the Body of Christ. When we walk through these ways or sacraments we unite to the Body of Christ and grace of the Holy-spirit transfers in to our life and thus become a divine activity. A Marriage is a Sacrament , when we unite to the Body of Christ and live our marriage as per Christs teaching we are blessed with a supernatural power of the Holy-spirit to live our marriage , when we live our marriages in a Christian way , we different than the worldly marriages.We do not see any difference between Christian and other way of life Marriages, then we are no more living in the Body of Christ  but of the World.

When we unite with him in faith and love , the Holy spirit passes from his Body to our Body and our  bodies transform into his glorious resurrected Body and we get access to the Father and we become the Children of God. This process is Baptism of the Holy-spirit. Once we are united to his Body we must unite him in his soul by following his teachings and we unite in his divinity and mission by carrying on his mission. If we are only the Body of Christ is not enough but must get united with other mind and spirit as well. The Evil can attack the Body of Christ if we are not connected with him in mind and Spirit. If we live in fullness of  the Spirit then no evil or the World can tempt us or bring any affliction because we are completely united to the Body, mind and Spirit of Jesus. When we are united in Body, mind and Spirit , our Bodies may not corrupt in this World , we may get Stigmata the wounds of Jesus , We may be killed like Jesus , we may be raised in Body and Spirit to Heaven like Mother Mary to be seated with Jesus in the ministry of intercession.

Jesus intercedes for the Whole World along with Mother Mary, Blessed Joseph and all the Saints at the right hand of God 24×7   365 days. This is the  Divinity of Jesus , he tries to get connected to each and every soul through you and me so that all the souls may experience the Salvation and the Holy-spirit.  We are living in the last hour of the Salvation time and Waiting and Watching through Prayer and Intercession must be our  Christian Be attitude. We need not  to worry about any Pandemic or Worldly Calamities  but pray and serve in love and use these calamities to become opportunities to save souls.

 

 

 

 

When we witness Jesus , we get access to the Father.

This Reflection is written by Ivan Rodrigues  the Chief Editor of Prayer Reflections.

Saturday May 23, 2020

Acts 18:23-28

Psalm 47:2-3, 8-10
John 16:23-28
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052320.cfm
Podcast:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/2020/20_05_23.mp3

“I have told you this in figures of speech.
The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures
but I will tell you clearly about the Father.
On that day you will ask in my name,
and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you.
For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me
and have come to believe that I came from God.
I came from the Father and have come into the world.
Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

The Law was given to this World by the Almighty Father God through Moses based on Ten Commandments  and the grace of those Ten Commandments came to us through Jesus Christ. Jesus came in to this World to teach us how to unfold the power or grace , given to us in the Law of Moses.

I have a Professional model of Printer, which I bought in 2010 and I am using it only for print outs , Copy and Scan. Recently I met a techie who showed me all the features of this Printer. Also he showed me how  to use it for my basic functions like Printouts, Copy and Scan. I found out from this Expert that my Printer had a Wireless Connection to my WiFi and to my Mobile. There were functions like A 3 Print outs ,Various Size Photo  Printing option, Auto fax connected to my mail option, self Service and Cleaning option, Enlarging option and he gave me a list of features which consisted of hundreds of features. Over years I was breaking my head over this Printer and get the Work done outside due to my ignorance. When I printed a A 4 Size Photograph of my Mom I was thrilled because in the studio the same Photo costed me 20 Euros. Now I am reading at least one new function and try it on my printer and what a joy when I successfully  complete the function and the life becomes easier and save time and money with less stress.

In the Example of the Printer , the Law of  Moses is written figure God gave Israelite’s so that they have a ready recon-er, where they can tick mark the Checklist called Ten Commandments. God portrayed his love through a poem of Ten Commandments to be specific but people through  ignorance and  for their comfort did not implement and manipulated  the Commandments of God’s love love and Charity. Jesus came on this Earth to teach us how to implement these Commandments of love by witnessing them and correcting them and demonstrating them through his own life.  People wondered at the teachings of Jesus with full of power, grace and miracles and he taught his disciples to do the same as he did while he was living on this Earth. When Jesus completed his witness on this Earth , he ascended in to Heaven to pass on the mission to the Holy spirit.

When Jesus showed us how to live our life through God’s love and Charity and gave access to this way of life to every person who listened and believed in his instructions. The techie in my Printer explained me all features , I came to know the truth and started to use that Printer with every new feature every day,  my life became excited and I was so grateful for the Printer, Techie and the Manufacturer because I was greatly benefited and my life had become full of excitements.

We must believe in him and start reflecting upon his teaching and implement them in our life, when we do this we automatically get access to the Father and he will give us love, joy, peace, Patience, Forgiveness, self control, meekness, gentleness  and the list is unending in this love of God. The power to live our life comes through the gifts of the Holy spirit like gift of faith, Gift of wisdom, Gift of Knowledge, Gift of healing, gift of  Deliverance, Gift of Intercession, Gift of Prophesy, Gift of tongues, gift of interpretation of tongues, Gift of Vision and the list is unending of God’s love. The grace comes through following Jesus or walking through the Words of Jesus.

When Jesus was leaving this World it was sad for the Disciples but when  they started  doing  the things what he told to do , they got transformed and got access to the Father through the Power of the Holy spirit. They marveled at themselves and the Work the Lord doing through them because they were simple , illiterate rough Country men.    Signs and Wonders followed them wherever they went to witness and preach the Word of God. They forgot the Physical figure of Jesus which they saw, lived and touched but started discovering his teaching ,  his Witness , his values through the Cross , Resurrection , Ascension , and started living his life and teaching his teachings by witnessing his life on this Earth. The life of every follower of Christ was full of grace, power, miracles and signs and wonders followed at every step of their life.

The figure of the text of Scriptures must be understood and lived through  the Witness of Jesus Cross, resurrection and Ascension , when we do this we discover the access key to the kingdom of God. Every time we reflect and live the Gospel , a new mystery of the Kingdom of God is revealed the faithful.  Is it not exciting my friends , Christian life is  full of excitements, thrill and  Wonders.

 

 

 

The Spirit of truth reveals the true meaning of Scriptures, Prophesies and Church.

Wednesday of the 6th Week of Easter
May 20, 2020

Today’s Readings:Acts 17:15, 22–18:1
Ps 148:1-2, 11-14
John 16:12-15
cms.usccb.org/bible/readings/052020.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/2020/20_05_20.mp3

But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.

The Prophets , Scriptures and the Church  have been inspired by the Spirit of truth. The Spirit of truth establishes or reveals the truth . The Prophets are inspired  by the spirit of truth and Prophesies are prophesied in it’s inspiration. The Scriptures are inspired by the Spirit of truth to the faithful  and we see the written word of God . The Church and its teachings are the inspiration of the Spirit of truth.

Though the prophesies , Scriptures and the Church are the inspiration of the Spirit of truth , they are like only the signs of the Spirit of truth. If we have to meet the author of truth then we must walk on the directions shown by the signs of the Spirit of truth. If we do not walk in the Spirit of truth , these signs remain only a beautiful sign or a Monument . For Example if we have to know Israel , just going to Israel Airport or the Railway Station  and come back will not give us full  knowledge or goodness of Israel. If we have to visit Israel as whole we must go to Bethlehem, Nazareth, Galilee, Jerusalem, Golgotha, Red Sea, Wailing Wall and all the possible places in Israel which may take months or years to Know Israel.

The spirit of truth reveals us the Whole truth . The Written Prophesies , all  Scriptures Text , Church building and administration is half truth or only the signs  if we do not walk through them and meet the real truth Lord Jesus who is the Master of all truth. Jesus is the complete revelation on this earth and there is no more Prophets or  More Scriptures or Second Body of Christ but whatever hidden or ignorant in Christ has been revealed to us by the Spirit of truth.

When we walk through the Prophesies, scriptures and Body of Christ in the light of Spirit of truth , we encounter to the mysteries of the kingdom of God. These mysteries can not  be revealed to the  ignorant , proud , lazy  and idol worshipers because though they see , they can not understand and hear but not able to see because they feel good on these signs but never make an attempt to walk through them and do what they say . It is like looking ourselves in the mirror everyday and  feel good but never make any attempt to change or clean ourselves in to our real image.

The spirit of truth reveals us the destination of the  signs . It is not easy to walk in the Spirit of truth on this World. If we practice to walk through this path , we have to sacrifice many Worldly things in our life. The World and the Spirit of truth are opposite to each other. At every stage the navigation system of the Spirit of truth tells us to  take a U turn from the Worldly ways of our life. When  we take a U turn and obey the Spirit we will be able to reach the destination or understand the plan of God in our life.

Many a times we may think some things which we think bad in our life, may turn in to our good and some things which we may think good in our life may turn to our destruction. The best way of discernment is to walk through the Spirit of truth and the light, on our walk  , the spirit reveals all things one by one until we know the whole truth . When we walk in the Spirit of truth , we may not see things of the far but the light becomes the lamp to our feet and light to our path and we will not stumble or fall but become more confident and bold.

St. Paul says to the Athenians in todays first reading : we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world with justice’ through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead.”

It is time to come out of false spirituality and come to the knowledge of truth  by repentance and by walking in the Gospel of truth and freedom.

 

By Believing in Lord Jesus , we are gifted with the Holy-spirit.

Tuesday of the 6th Week of Easter
May 19, 2020

Today’s Readings:Acts 16:22-34
Ps 138:1-3, 7c-8
John 16:5-11
cms.usccb.org/bible/readings/051920.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/2020/20_05_19.mp3

 

And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”

When I was  growing in Christian faith , I used  to ask myself a personal question why did not Jesus live in this World after his resurrection and save the Whole World from the sickness of Sin.  Jesus answers this question in today Gospel readings saying :” Now I am going to the one who sent me”, Jesus mission on this earth completes when he ascends in to heaven and receives his original glory from the Father and Son. The final phase of the Salvation Plan begin with the descending of the Holy-spirit upon those who believed in Jesus. Holy spirit was necessary because he is the original image of God in which man was created at the beginning. Man was corrupted with Sin and had lost his original nature of love and Jesus took our sinful nature upon the Cross and died for the Sin  and destroyed the power of death  in our Body, mind and Spirit. When the power of Sin was destroyed in our life,our life remained empty again we had to be reprinted with the image of God  and this act is called the descending of the Holy-spirit.  Jesus could not have done this without his glorification or ascension in to heaven because he handed over the Cross of Salvation to the Holy-spirit at its finishing point to establish the Salvation on this Earth. I like the feast of ascension in to heaven very much because on this day  grace prevailed over Sin . Jesus was victorious in the Salvation plan and ascension is like a reward ceremony , a reunion with his original family Father and Holy-spirit. This day the power of Satan  was officially destroyed and he does not have any say either in Heaven or Earth. When Jesus ascended in to Heaven, one more activity happened , the Satan and all his angels were thrown in to Hell permanently forever. So Satan and his allies do not have any power over people who are in a relationship or union with Jesus or believe in Jesus either in earth or heaven. This is the reason believing Jesus on this Earth is very important  to keep ourselves away from Satan and his associates.

   Though we may consider death, resurrection,ascension, Pentecost  as separate activities but in action it is one activity. Church calls this all in one activity as Baptism. The Reconciliation, Eucharist and confirmation are the supporting sacraments to Baptism but Baptism itself erases our original Sin and fills the empty soul with the Spirit of God. I had one question in my mind , why we need to believe Jesus to receive Holy-spirit? We can not receive the Holy-spirit without believing in Jesus because Jesus destroyed  our Sin by his death and resurrection and sends the Holy-spirit to make us a new Creation.  Holy-spirit descends in our lives and recreates us or transform us in to people of love and charity.   When Holy-spirit descend upon us , following three things happen as mentioned in today’s Gospel.

1. Holy spirit convicts the World of it’s sin, because they do not believe in Jesus:

First thing happens when a person encounters Jesus that he clearly sees his Sins and how sin betray Jesus. The original Sin can be recognized only through the light of Jesus because all the other lights of the World may not be able to reveal the complete dark routes of Sin  and hence commit the same sins again and again. When the Holy-spirit comes on us , he not only shows the sins but its routes as well and takes the person in to repentance and to shut the door of the enemy for ever and ever , never to commit the sin again. People who have the problem of a repeated and a bondage in Sin must pray to the Holy-spirit to convict their sins and weakness and humble before God in repentance. This process is the first stage of Salvation and very important to receive Salvation or to Believe Jesus.  There is no example in the whole of the salvation History , a person saved without repentance of his sin, hence repent and Believe in Lord Jesus. In the first reading the Jailer first repents by humbling before Paul in tears,and then Believes Jesus with Baptism. Repentance itself is not enough but must believe in Jesus for their future life. Repentance repairs our old life but believing Jesus brings faith and hope in our future life. We can not live without faith in Jesus and hope of the reward of  Salvation. The people who did not believe in Jesus will be judged on the basis of Holy spirit’s conviction of their sins for not believing in Jesus. Jesus is the light of the world but people preferred to live in darkness so that their Sins may not be exposed to the light. This testimony of the Holy-spirit is scary because after alerting us that it is wrong and loose God’s love and  liberty ,but still in our Pride and self -will decide to go against God’s will and loose the presence of God. 

2. Holy-spirit Convicts  us of our  righteousness, because I am going to the Father:

Holy-spirit is like a check mate , who tells us at every stage how right we are in line with God’s Righteousness. When we talk about righteousness , we come across three kinds of righteousness A. Self  Righteousness B. Worldly Righteous C. God’s Righteousness. The self righteousness comes from Pride and the source of this righteousness is Evil. Many of the time we live a self righteous life and call ourselves Holy. The Holy-spirit  warns us from the counterfeit  in our life with all kind of warning in our life. The self righteous people try to live their Salvation through their own efforts and manipulate God’s Law for their own benefit and glory. These kind of  people seek glory for themselves and not God.  Worldly Righteousness is believing on the Worldly Religions and ideologies. The Salvation can come only from above because no human being  has come from above or  resurrected from death  and gone above in their resurrected body but died like any other worldly man or women on this Earth. There may be many common truths with their teachings , ideologies and life but they themselves require salvation for their souls because these truths are not complete truths and can not reveal  the whole truth but may give some signs to the whole truth. These ways of life are again misleading or the counterfeits. Holy-spirit  recognize these counterfeits and these  Worldly Spirits  hidden in common truths come out of people when they encounter the Holy-spirit. Gods righteousness is Jesus righteousness , in this no one seeks his own glory or believes in the counterfeit  but does the will of each other and live a life of love, charity and obedience. They seek the things from above and believe in the greatness and loving power of the Father and Son. They look for the abundant life eternal which Jesus has ascended in to Heaven and prepared for the one who believe in him and the love the Father. These people live in love and charity and always live the Word of God in love and charity. 

3. Holy spirit convicts of our condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”

Holy spirit convicts us that the Evil has been condemned for ever to the eternal fire by the death and resurrection of Jesus.   The evil does not have any power over people who believe in Jesus. When we condemn ourselves with  guilt and fear and timidity , Holy spirit reminds us that the people who believe in Jesus has no Condemnation because the person who condemns the World has been condemned and sentenced to eternal fire. Holy-spirit encourages and fills a believer with zeal, courage and boldness . The old self left behind in us says we are not worthy but Holy spirit renews us every moment  of our life with the love of God and fills us with all gifts and fruits. The Spirit filled people make miracles in the name of Jesus and drive out the demons from peoples lives  because they know that the strongman  of the World has been defeated and bound  and thrown in to the eternal fire. Holy-spirit inspires and guides people with great revelation of the Kingdom of God. 

Holy Spirit is the Lord of the Last Testament.

Monday of the 6th Week of Easter

May 18, 2020

Today’s Readings:Acts 16:11-15
Ps 149:1b-6a,9b
John 15:26–16:4a
cms.usccb.org/bible/readings/051820.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/2020/20_05_18.mp3

 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. ²⁷ And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

Holy spirit is like  a mother in the family of Holy Trinity  , Mother has close intimacy with Father and Son. Mother is involved in Procreation and a symbol of love in the family. This is the reason the third person of the trinity comes  in to the World just like Jesus came in to this World and lived among us like human being . Holy-spirit lives with in us but we can not see him in our physical eyes but we can feel him in our emotions like happiness, Sorrow , Courage , Boldness so on. We can feel him in our Prayer , thanksgiving and Worship. Holy-spirit came to this World to recreate the Human Being who have lost the Spirit the of truth and embraced the lies of the Evil one. Jesus defeated the Evil through the cross and resurrection and sown the seed of truth in this World.

The holy spirit is the Spirit of truth  and there is no lies in him. The World can not recognize him  because the World does not live in truth. The person who lives in truth recognizes the Spirit of truth and invites him to live in his heart , home and life , and he witness to the spirit of truth and testifies on his behalf. We see this in the first reading , Lydia who was a true Believer invites Paul a stranger in to her house to stay and becomes a Disciple of truth to testify and witness the truth. The World refuses the truth and persecutes the witness.

When we live  our lives , do we compromise the truth in our life or witness to the truth which we believe and profess in the Nicene Creed I believe. When we live in the truth or true Spirit of God , the Spirit leads and recreates us in his image of truth.  We become the part of Holy Trinity and Children of truth and Children of God. Jews refused and killed  Jesus two thousand years ago when he came to witness the truth. Pilate was not ready to face the truth , Herod the King  saw miracles but did not convert in to truth , the high Priests saw the resurrection of Jesus but refused to believe him, Judas betrayed Jesus for monitory gain. The Holy spirit is living in our times to testify the truth , do we accept him or betray him like Judas , Pilate , Herod and high priests is the question we must ask ourselves. Do we support and witness the truth spoken by many truthful people in the Church, organisation or our own family members  or engage in our own Business to protect our job and family like Pilate. Pilate died as a madman hanging himself to death who relied on the Worldly job and powers and refused to listen to his own Wife and truth from the mouth of Jesus.

The Salvation is not complete my friend unless and until  we are recreated in the image of truth. The plan of Salvation is the team work of the Father , Son and the Holy-spirit who revealed themselves at the appointed time in Old testament, New  Testament and the last Testament in which we live on this World. The Holy spirit  completes the Work of the Salvation by recreating this World in the image of God. Do we cooperate like Lydia cooperated with Paul to to keep a Prayer meeting in her house and took care of his needs by sharing her resources and accompanied him to become a witness to the truth to end of the World. Holy-spirit completes or finishes the Work of Salvation, this is the reason he has been identifies as the third person in the Trinity. The Holy spirit is right in our, body mind and soul , let ponder for a while what we are doing in our life , do we listen to him who waits day and night knocking at the door of our heart to come in our life to change our life and recreate us in to the image of truth.

Let us feel him in our life and walk  with him in truth and he reveal us the Eternal truth.