RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT
AND YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES
AND YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES
In
Acts 1:8, we read: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth."
The
Scripture for this Sunday presents some of the great themes of Christian life:
proclaiming the Word of God, receiving the Holy Spirit, and sacrificing for
what is good.
Here
is a question to ponder on: If someone were to ask us, "What is the Holy
Spirit?" what would be an answer we could give that would open the reality
of the Spirit in that individual? Who is the Holy Spirit?
We
all have felt alone and lonely, abandoned by friends or loved ones at some
point, and fearful of how we will make our way through financial difficulties,
problems with our children, or personal illness. In the Gospel for today, we
hear the good news that we are not orphans, that we have hope in the One who
created us, our heavenly Father. We have a relationship with God all through
Jesus Christ. St. Paul often tells us to remember that help is always
available, no matter how desperate our situation may be. All we need to do is
to ask for God's guidance and for help from one another.
To
help with our reflection question today, the Gospel sheds some light. Jesus
spoke to His disciples about His living on in the Father, as well as in them,
and they in Him. To answer the question posed above: The indwelling Presence is
a unique feature of Jesus Christ's message today, bringing a deep intimacy to
our life in faith. Jesus and the Father have taken up residence with our
hearts, and we in the Heart of God. Talk about a personal relationship! "I
am in my Father and you are in Me and I in you." Of utmost importance is
to realize that the indwelling Presence of God within us includes the Paraclete
whom Jesus promised to send - the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Holy
Trinity, the Comforter, the Sanctifier - He whom the world does not know!
Take
a moment today to appreciate how great God is for allowing us to be worthy of
such intimacy!