Holyrood Church 715 West 179 Street, Upper West side Manhattan, USA, 212-923-3770

We are to preach by our lives, only occasionally in words

 

 

Reading: And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. John 15:27.

 

Good morning, happy Monday, and many blessings.

 

In today’s Gospel (John 15:26-16:4a) Jesus teaches his Apostles that the Holy Spirit will accompany them and support them in their pilgrimage of faith. Perhaps this year we can observe the days between now and Pentecost as a special time of prayer to the Holy Spirit.  Let us ask him to stand by us and to help us to grow in knowledge and understanding so that we might echo the apostolic witness of the Church in all of our words and deeds.

 

Jesus is preparing his disciples, and us, to life after his departure from this world. But he will not leave his followers alone, for he will be sending them the Spirit, his Spirit. The Spirit comes from God and from Jesus. She is the Spirit of truth, and he will bear witness that Jesus himself is the truth. Through his presence, Jesus’ followers too will give witness to the world of the truth of Jesus’ message.

 

Jesus is telling us these things “that our faith may not be shaken”. The Holy Spirit has come to strengthen our conviction, to keep us secure and at peace. “And all shall be well”. We are to be his witnesses. Not necessarily by striking words. Remember the though attributed to St Francis of Assisi, that we are to preach by our lives, only occasionally in words.

 

This does not mean they will not encounter difficulties or persecution, even death, for the sake of witnessing to Jesus. I look at my resistance to suffer for the truth and pray to be given the Spirit that enables me to be a true witness of Jesus. I pray for those who suffer violence and even death for their faith. May they always feel the presence of the Spirit of Jesus in their lives, and may they always feel the solidarity of those who, like us, share their faith.

 

The disciples were able to testify to Jesus, because they had lived and worked alongside him. In this passage, Jesus promises to send them the Holy Spirit, the “Advocate” after he has gone. The work of the Holy Spirit affirms the life and love of Jesus, giving witness to what is true. 

 

To testify and bear witness to something, I must have personal experience, so that I can say: ‘This is true, and I know it.’ Lord, I have not been with you from the beginning. I am one of those who did not see and yet believed. Show me yourself, strengthen your spirit in me, so that my life and my words may testify to you. 

 

Jesus asks me to testify on his behalf, to announce the good news. Perhaps, over the coming days, I can reflect on ways in which I might be able to take on this challenge. I can avail myself of the help of the Holy Spirit in finding a way suitable for my situation in life.

 

Blessings,

 

Fr. Luis+

Date news: 
Monday, May 10, 2021 - 13:45

Ministry at the time of Coronavirus (Covid 19): Prevent, cure and accompany

Now we have to shape what some have started calling; The Church at Home. Although I keep asking myself; What do those who do not have a home do? For this reason, at the same time, I am declaring today in our Holyrood Church a Lenten day of prayer, fasting and reading the Bible in the Time of the Coronavirus.

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