3rd Sunday of Advent
December 12, 2021Today’s Prayer:
Beloved Lord: May doing good be for me an everyday practice, sustained and guided by Your Spirit of love. Amen.Today’s Saint Quote & Prayer:
gnm.org/SaintQuotes/
Today’s Readings:
Zephaniah 3:14-18a
Isaiah 12:2-6
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 3:10-18
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121221.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2021-12-12
When my Brother and myself met the Lord in the form of Holy spirit , I could not control my tears for almost a month and my Brother the laughter. My Brother was more funny because he used to laugh for no reason , I started asking him why you are laughing and he said I can not control, something with in me makes me to laugh and be joyful. I had my tears for the love of God and was a renaissance of God’s great mercy and forgiveness. Joy is an anointing of the Holy spirit when we repent for our Sins and decide to follow Christ. Advent is a process to receive Jesus in our lives and get anointed with the love of God and this love of God gives us immense joy of the Holy spirit.
When I preached my second retreat in Riga Latvia , on the final day of anointing and praying over for the anointing , we had a strange experience with people who were prayed over, when they came to pray over, they looked sad and depressed but once we prayed over they started to laugh and dance with the joy of the Holy spirit. One person started hugging and kissing the whole congregation, I called him next day and asked him what happened to him on the last day of the anointing , he said immediately as we prayed over , an unending joy started bubbling from with in him and a force was driving him to love every person he met there after. This joy remained with him for a while and then slowly diminished in his daily routine, I started wondering why this joy stopped in his daily life. We need to repent and believe in the Lord daily to receive the anointing of the Holy spirit. All the people who met Jesus in his lifetime did not leave Jesus once they experienced his love but followed him leaving everything behind them , some people literally followed him leaving everything behind them and became his disciples and others shared whatever they stored for their future like Zacheus the tax collector.
Being with Jesus in our day today activities is the key to receive the Joy of the Holy spirit. It is a promise and an act of Salvation plan ,” those who believe in me I live with them and they live with me” . When Lord Jesus died and rose and ascended in to Heaven , all those believed in him got anointed automatically on the day of Pentecost. Joy is a result of repentance , a result of forgiveness, a result of giving and sharing. We have a Christmas tradition of sending Christmas Greeting Cards and Sharing of Christmas Sweets – Kuswar , let us keep up this tradition of sharing and caring specially with those who do not have anyone to share with , let us visit the poor and lonely in this Christmas Season and the joy which we will receive can not be received from this Worldly Christmas Parties of Drunkards and merry makers, instead let us make a point to reconcile with those people whom we hate the most and forgive them as Jesus forgave his enemies who crucified him and the joy of the Holy spirit will draw towards us from the Well of Salvation. Christmas Day is the celebration of the Love, Joy , peace received in our preparation in advent , if we do not repent for our life of selfishness and unforgiveness then this Christmas Day will be like one more Christmas Day which we have seen in our past life .
Prayer : Lord I want to change my material life and forgive everyone , help me with your grace in this Season of Advent , a Season of Preparation to receive the mighty anointing of the Holy-spirit. Amen.