Reflecting on the Word

By Rev. James A. Wallace, C.Ss.R.

The Easter season keeps offering us pictures of what happens when the power of  resurrected life, given by Jesus to his disciples, enters the world. Sometimes it led  to a recognition that one group should not be favored over another, whether they  were widows or Samaritans. All were to be served; all were to receive the gospel. 

When the deacon Philip began to preach Jesus as the Messiah, the people of  Samaria listened. They not only heard Philip’s message but also saw the power  of God’s salvation at work as he cast out demons and cured people who were crippled and paralyzed. With the new birth of faith came baptism and a reception  of the Holy Spirit, when Peter and John laid hands on them. 

The Holy Spirit continues to bring the truth of who God is and the strength to  help us live in that truth, fully revealed in Jesus. Because of the Spirit, we dwell  with the Father and the Son. Jesus’ promises come to fulfillment in us; we are not  orphans but beloved sons and daughters, the divine life of the Trinity flowing in  us. In the Eucharist Jesus comes to be with us, and brings the Father, for he is in  the Father and we are in him and he in us. 

Resurrection life commits us to living out the command “Always be ready to give  an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (1 Peter 3:15).  The Spirit brings hope and, as Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his encyclical “Saved  in Hope” (Spe Salvi), “The one who has hope lives differently.” 

Consider/Discuss

  • What does it mean to have the Holy Spirit with you as an “Advocate,”  that is, a “counselor” or “protector”? 
  • Jesus says the world cannot accept the Spirit of truth “because it  neither sees nor knows him.” Does this mean the world is beyond  hope? 

Responding to the Word

We ask the Holy Spirit to be with us always, so we may live more fully in an  awareness of the truth that is Jesus Christ, beloved Son, who came to teach us  what it means to be children of God. Pray to be more aware of your intimate com munion with the Father and the Son.

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