The Spirit

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/050416.cfm) reminds me that the Holy Spirit is with us always. 

On one episode of the TV series called “The Blacklist”, the person he cares for doesn’t know that he sent someone to secretly follow her and keep her safe. She was living her life as it is. She only knew about it when the person actually saved her from danger. This is similar to Jesus sending us the Holy Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit is with us always, even though most of the time we do not feel his presence. 

The verse before the gospel is inspiring. Jesus tells us that He will tell the Father to send us the Holy Spirit to be with us always. Always.

Jesus may not be physically present with us, but he sent the Holy Spirit to be with us always. The Holy Spirit guides us and enables us to know what God wants us to do and how God wants us to live. we see the Holy Spirit in action in the first reading as Paul preached to the Athenians. Not all understood it and were ready, but some came with him. In the gospel Jesus said that we cannot understand everything, but the Holy Spirit will be with us to guide us. 

In our lives, we feel the Holy Spirit even if we may not know it is the Holy Spirit guiding and protecting us. Sometimes we feel additional strength, patience and love that we just cannot explain. Sometimes we feel God saving us and guiding us. Sometimes we feel additional wisdom to explain the scripture, or understand situations and things to bring glory to God. Or sometimes, we actually do not recognize the protection and power of the Holy Spirit, working silently in the background and protecting and guiding us. The Holy Spirit is with us always, and is working in us always.

May we be more aware that the Holy Spirit is alive and moving in our lives.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. thank you for the reminder. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to be with us always. Sorry for the times I do not recognize or acknowledge him. Sorry for not being sensitive, and for not believing your word that He is with us always.   Help me be more aware of his presence, and may I always allow myself to be used and changed to be more and more like you by the way I live. amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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May 4, 2016
Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 293

Reading 1 Acts 17:15, 22—18:1

After Paul’s escorts had taken him to Athens,
they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy
to join him as soon as possible.

Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said:
“You Athenians, I see that in every respect
you are very religious.
For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
He made from one the whole human race
to dwell on the entire surface of the earth,
and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,
so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him,
though indeed he is not far from any one of us.
For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’
as even some of your poets have said,
‘For we too are his offspring.’
Since therefore we are the offspring of God,
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.”

When they heard about resurrection of the dead,
some began to scoff, but others said,
“We should like to hear you on this some other time.”
And so Paul left them.
But some did join him, and became believers.
Among them were Dionysius,
a member of the Court of the Areopagus,
a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.

Responsorial Psalm PS 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14

R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all you his angels;
praise him, all you his hosts.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has lifted up the horn of his people;
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him.
Alleluia.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia Jn 14:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will ask the Father
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you always.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you.”