05-09-2017, 09:32 AM
DOCILITY TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 11:19-26; PS 86:1-7; JOHN 10:22-30 ]
It is a fact of life that a prophet is seldom accepted in his own country. There is always a great prejudice against anything that is home-grown or local. Not surprisingly, Jesus met with much resistance from His own people. They were not ready to listen to Him or to accept Him. They said to Jesus, “How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Were they really keen to find out the truth about Jesus or just finding reasons to reject Him? They wanted Jesus to declare Himself as Messiah for malicious reasons so that they could expose Him to be a liar. Of course, some hope that He would be a political messiah to drive out the Romans.
But Jesus told them, “I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine.” When we are not with Jesus, we are not receptive to Him, regardless what He said or did. Jesus not only made claims but He demonstrated His claims by the works He performed. His works, miracles and His life are witnesses to His identity. He is the Light of the World. Ironically, Jesus appeared at the Feast of Dedication, the festival of lights celebrated at winter; yet they could not recognize Him as the Messiah. He came to purify the Temple once again from false worship. Truly, for those not ready to see, no matter what proofs or signs Jesus could offer, they would not accept. When people are not receptive, nothing is going to change them. With a closed mind, no conversion is possible. There are many people like that. They are prejudiced right from the start. So it is a waste of time as their hearts are not ready.
Ironically those converted were the Gentiles. They were receptive to the Word of God. These are the sheep that Jesus said we must invite to the fold because they belong to Him. “I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.” Indeed, many Gentiles are counted among the sheep of the Lord because they are ready to listen to His Word. We count ourselves as the sheep of Jesus when we listen to His Word and obey Him. Conversely, there are many who call themselves Catholics but in truth are not the sheep of the Lord. They take direction from the voice of the secular world, not from the scriptures or the teachings of the magisterium. Those who openly disagree with the teachings of scripture and the Church are not His sheep. As they do not know the Lord, they cannot identify themselves with Him. They are not one with the Lord.
Only those who are one with the Lord can call themselves Christians. “It was at Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians’.” It is significant that they called themselves Christians to identify themselves as disciples of the Lord. All Catholics are Christians provided they center their lives on Christ. So too all who call themselves Christians must have Christ as the center of their lives. Christianity is not about a book or even the bible but about a personal relationship with Christ our Lord. When one lives a life in union with Him, he or she is rightly a Christian. Otherwise, we are merely nominal Christians and often counter-witnesses of our Lord. It is Christ who reveals to us the plan of the Father and sends us the Holy Spirit. It is the same Christ that appointed His successors to lead His Church and promised them the Holy Spirit to guide them in the truth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:19f)
Indeed, such is the guarantee of Christ’s promise to be with the Church until the end of time; that we can be certain that the plan of God cannot be derailed by men. The scripture readings show the power of God and His wisdom. What the Church was going through, in the eyes of man, was a setback for the mission and the expansion of the Church. But the persecution of the Church was the means by which the gospel was able to spread beyond the territory of our Lord. Until then, the gospel was still constrained by the location and the people. Philip only preached to the half-Jews in Samaria. Cornelius was already a believer in God. Although they were sent out to all the nations, they were still confining themselves to spreading the Good News among the Jews. It was because of the persecution that they were forced to move out and preach to the Gentiles in Antioch. “Those who had escaped during the persecution that happened because of Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they usually proclaimed the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch where they started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Good News of the Lord Jesus to them as well. The Lord helped them, and a great number believed and were converted to the Lord.” This was unplanned. But the Holy Spirit was guiding the apostles and the disciples. The mission was planned by the Holy Spirit.
That is why we need to be docile to the Holy Spirit. Like the disciples, we need to be receptive to the voice of the Lord who comes to us in the Holy Spirit. When we are open to the Holy Spirit, He will lead us to the impossible dream; one we would never even dare to think about. It is the Holy Spirit that will empower us, help us to dream big and to find the resources and energy to realize the mission that He gives us to. All we need to do is to be alert and sensitive to the movements of the Spirit like the disciples, and not put obstacles in His work through us. The limitations and obstacles we face are meant to be building blocks for us to scale higher for He has bigger dreams for us. We should not get discouraged simply because we face opposition and hurdles, but surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit who will bring us to where He wills.
Jesus is our model who trusted in His Father’s fidelity. He said, “The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father.” He was confident that everything comes from the Father and will return to the Father. He knows that His Father is faithful to His promises. As the Father gave Him the sheep to look after, He will also give Him the grace to bring them home. Jesus felt secure not in His power but in the power of His heavenly Father. And this is because Jesus was united with the Father in everything. “The Father and I are one.” He is one in mind and heart with His Father. It is a willingness of mind and heart because of the love between the Father and the Son. This union is a consequence of love. This is the union that Jesus prayed for us also. “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” (Jn 17:11)
If we are docile to the Holy Spirit and listen to His voice, we too will share the same union He had with His Father. Jesus prayed, “I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (Jn 17:26) Only lovers can hear the voice of the beloved. If we are one with Jesus and are His sheep, then only love for the Lord will enable us to respond effectively to His call and His voice. If there is no love, the voice would not be heard. This explains why many Catholics do not hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. They read the scriptures and are not moved. They hear a homily but their hearts are hardened. But if we fall in love with Jesus, then we become identified with Him. The Holy Spirit leads us to Jesus, the Spirit of love unites us with Him. So let us pray for a greater docility and reception of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The promise given to those who follow Him is that they find “eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me.” Those who follow Jesus will have a foretaste of the life of God. Walking with Jesus is to walk in truth and in love.
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 11:19-26; PS 86:1-7; JOHN 10:22-30 ]
It is a fact of life that a prophet is seldom accepted in his own country. There is always a great prejudice against anything that is home-grown or local. Not surprisingly, Jesus met with much resistance from His own people. They were not ready to listen to Him or to accept Him. They said to Jesus, “How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Were they really keen to find out the truth about Jesus or just finding reasons to reject Him? They wanted Jesus to declare Himself as Messiah for malicious reasons so that they could expose Him to be a liar. Of course, some hope that He would be a political messiah to drive out the Romans.
But Jesus told them, “I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine.” When we are not with Jesus, we are not receptive to Him, regardless what He said or did. Jesus not only made claims but He demonstrated His claims by the works He performed. His works, miracles and His life are witnesses to His identity. He is the Light of the World. Ironically, Jesus appeared at the Feast of Dedication, the festival of lights celebrated at winter; yet they could not recognize Him as the Messiah. He came to purify the Temple once again from false worship. Truly, for those not ready to see, no matter what proofs or signs Jesus could offer, they would not accept. When people are not receptive, nothing is going to change them. With a closed mind, no conversion is possible. There are many people like that. They are prejudiced right from the start. So it is a waste of time as their hearts are not ready.
Ironically those converted were the Gentiles. They were receptive to the Word of God. These are the sheep that Jesus said we must invite to the fold because they belong to Him. “I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.” Indeed, many Gentiles are counted among the sheep of the Lord because they are ready to listen to His Word. We count ourselves as the sheep of Jesus when we listen to His Word and obey Him. Conversely, there are many who call themselves Catholics but in truth are not the sheep of the Lord. They take direction from the voice of the secular world, not from the scriptures or the teachings of the magisterium. Those who openly disagree with the teachings of scripture and the Church are not His sheep. As they do not know the Lord, they cannot identify themselves with Him. They are not one with the Lord.
Only those who are one with the Lord can call themselves Christians. “It was at Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians’.” It is significant that they called themselves Christians to identify themselves as disciples of the Lord. All Catholics are Christians provided they center their lives on Christ. So too all who call themselves Christians must have Christ as the center of their lives. Christianity is not about a book or even the bible but about a personal relationship with Christ our Lord. When one lives a life in union with Him, he or she is rightly a Christian. Otherwise, we are merely nominal Christians and often counter-witnesses of our Lord. It is Christ who reveals to us the plan of the Father and sends us the Holy Spirit. It is the same Christ that appointed His successors to lead His Church and promised them the Holy Spirit to guide them in the truth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:19f)
Indeed, such is the guarantee of Christ’s promise to be with the Church until the end of time; that we can be certain that the plan of God cannot be derailed by men. The scripture readings show the power of God and His wisdom. What the Church was going through, in the eyes of man, was a setback for the mission and the expansion of the Church. But the persecution of the Church was the means by which the gospel was able to spread beyond the territory of our Lord. Until then, the gospel was still constrained by the location and the people. Philip only preached to the half-Jews in Samaria. Cornelius was already a believer in God. Although they were sent out to all the nations, they were still confining themselves to spreading the Good News among the Jews. It was because of the persecution that they were forced to move out and preach to the Gentiles in Antioch. “Those who had escaped during the persecution that happened because of Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they usually proclaimed the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch where they started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Good News of the Lord Jesus to them as well. The Lord helped them, and a great number believed and were converted to the Lord.” This was unplanned. But the Holy Spirit was guiding the apostles and the disciples. The mission was planned by the Holy Spirit.
That is why we need to be docile to the Holy Spirit. Like the disciples, we need to be receptive to the voice of the Lord who comes to us in the Holy Spirit. When we are open to the Holy Spirit, He will lead us to the impossible dream; one we would never even dare to think about. It is the Holy Spirit that will empower us, help us to dream big and to find the resources and energy to realize the mission that He gives us to. All we need to do is to be alert and sensitive to the movements of the Spirit like the disciples, and not put obstacles in His work through us. The limitations and obstacles we face are meant to be building blocks for us to scale higher for He has bigger dreams for us. We should not get discouraged simply because we face opposition and hurdles, but surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit who will bring us to where He wills.
Jesus is our model who trusted in His Father’s fidelity. He said, “The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father.” He was confident that everything comes from the Father and will return to the Father. He knows that His Father is faithful to His promises. As the Father gave Him the sheep to look after, He will also give Him the grace to bring them home. Jesus felt secure not in His power but in the power of His heavenly Father. And this is because Jesus was united with the Father in everything. “The Father and I are one.” He is one in mind and heart with His Father. It is a willingness of mind and heart because of the love between the Father and the Son. This union is a consequence of love. This is the union that Jesus prayed for us also. “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” (Jn 17:11)
If we are docile to the Holy Spirit and listen to His voice, we too will share the same union He had with His Father. Jesus prayed, “I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (Jn 17:26) Only lovers can hear the voice of the beloved. If we are one with Jesus and are His sheep, then only love for the Lord will enable us to respond effectively to His call and His voice. If there is no love, the voice would not be heard. This explains why many Catholics do not hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. They read the scriptures and are not moved. They hear a homily but their hearts are hardened. But if we fall in love with Jesus, then we become identified with Him. The Holy Spirit leads us to Jesus, the Spirit of love unites us with Him. So let us pray for a greater docility and reception of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The promise given to those who follow Him is that they find “eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me.” Those who follow Jesus will have a foretaste of the life of God. Walking with Jesus is to walk in truth and in love.