Let us Follow the Lord [Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter]

JESUS AND PETER ON THE BEACH.
Image from
pam-intheshadowofhiswings.blogspot.com
via google.com

"What if I want him to remain until I come? 

What concern is it of yours? 

You follow me." 

- John 21:22

It's the last weekday of Easter.

After giving instructions to Peter about his role in the Church, Peter asks the Lord about John and the Lord tells him "what concern is it of yours? You follow me." 

Each one of us is given a specific role to fulfill and the important thing to do is to accomplish our respective roles. We do not have to bother ourselves about the roles that others have to fulfill unless their roles and ours would at some point meet and coordination is necessary - which God would surely show. 

Sometimes being concerned about others distract us from our own roles to fulfill. Many times when we fail in accomplishing our particular roles we make it an excuse that our role is not as important, or not as easy, or not as challenging, or whatever excuse we can make out, than someone else's. 

But the Lord himself makes it clear to Peter, what if I want him to remain until I come? What if one is called to become a priest and even a Bishop or the Pope and we remain ordinary lay people who have not been given even enough capability to proclaim the Word of God? Maybe we are called to fulfill our Christian vocation in the ordinary and simple events of life in the world! Most of us may not have been called to become religious but it doesn't mean we are not called to live in holiness in the respective milieu of life where we are. 

Important thing is that we follow the Lord and not someone else. We follow the Lord even if we think someone else got a better role to fulfill. We follow the Lord because we believe that what He commissions us to fulfill is what's the best for us for He knows everything. We follow the Lord because through this we can fully and truly fulfill His command to love and to love one another!

Follow me, He tells each of us. Let us follow the Lord, let us love one another so that the world may believe that He has sent us!

A BLESSED PENTECOST DAY TO ALL!

Peter's Calling to Shepherd and Follow [Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter]

THE LORD JESUS COMMANDS PETER:
FOLLOW ME.
Image via google.com

"Feed my lambs, ... 

Tend my sheep, ... 

Feed my sheep, ... 

Follow me." 

- John 21: 15, 16, 17, 19

In John 10:16, the Lord Jesus Christ, as part of His discussion of His being the Good Shepherd, tells his Apostles that He has other sheep that must also be brought in so that there would be just One Fold and One Shepherd. This affirms His intention of establishing His Church as one community of His followers and believers. If it was not necessary for all His followers and believers to be One, He wouldn't have declared this wish for His other sheep to belong to the One Fold.

In this reading, the Lord Jesus Christ asks His Apostle Peter if he loves Him - thrice! We must recall that during the Lord's trial before His death, Peter denied Him thrice, as the Lord himself prophesied during the Last Supper [see Luke 22:34]. This time, the Lord Jesus Christ somehow puts Peter to trial and asks him if he loves Him - more than the love of the others. Three times Peter answered in the positive - though he felt a little sad that the Lord has to ask him about his love for Him three times. We discussed this theme of love during the Third Sunday of Easter.

Today we focus on the important role that the Lord Jesus Christ entrusts upon this Apostle, whom He called blessed for declaring that He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God while they were at Caesarea Philippi, saying that such confession of faith of who He is was a revelation from God and not according to men earning him the name Peter, meaning Rock, from being Simon, meaning he has heard [see Matthew 16: 16-19]. There are theological disputes on the proper interpretation of this event which the Catholic Church believes to be the foundation of Papal primacy, authority and infallibility. Other Christians conveniently proclaim that the Lord's declaration of the rock as foundation of His Church refers to Himself and that the keys of authority have been handed not only to Peter but also to the other Apostles. However, the Church's doctrine on Peter's primacy is not only based on this single passage but also on this present passage we are reflecting on and on some other passages such as that which Luke recorded as preceding the Lord's prophesying about Peter's denial, 

"Simon, Simon! Look Satan has got his wish to sift you all like wheat; but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail, and once you have recovered, you in turn must strengthen your brothers" [Luke 22: 31-32].

The Lord Jesus Christ himself gave importance to Peter - even if John claims that someone else was considered to be His beloved Apostle! I do not have to enumerate all the occasions wherein Peter takes precedence over the other Apostles but the consistency in listing him as number one among the twelve and the many episodes wherein he is recorded as almost exclusively mentioned together with the Lord somehow lead us to believe that Peter really had been given a specific and significant role of leadership even over the Apostles. 

This event wherein the Lord commands Peter to feed His lambs, tend His sheep and feed His sheep is one of the occasions wherein the Lord manifests His preference for Peter. We do not disregard the importance of the other Apostles of course for they themselves have given of themselves, their lives, their future, everything, but we must give credit to whom credit is due. We cannot also disregard the fact that the ultimate foundation of the Church is the Founder himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. But even in the corporate world, there are founders of businesses who do not actually handle the initial operations of their businesses but have entrusted such role to other capable people.

One important thing that we must take note is that Peter's primacy and the Pope's infallibility are not meant for Peter and the Popes to lord it over the Church [see Matthew 20: 26-27; Mark 9:35; Luke 22:26]. The office is one of service, of servant-leadership, of shepherding even to the point of dying for the flock [see John 10:11]. The Lord Jesus Christ did not give Peter the authority to claim earthly benefits and dignities but to dispense duties and responsibilities related to the mission of proclaiming the Gospel to all creation, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them everything that the Lord has taught and assuring them of His perpetual presence in the Church [see Matthew 28: 19-20].

Peter was made a shepherd but he was not to be the one to be followed for he was also commanded to follow: to follow the Lord, to follow His teachings, to proclaim His Gospel and doctrines. Peter leads in order to bring the Church to the Lord. Peter does not lead to give glory to himself. He leads because he wants to give glory to God and to the Lord Jesus Christ. There are those who deny Peter the primacy because they do not want to follow his lead because Peter teaches what the Lord has commanded Him to teach which for others is a hard teaching to follow. 

But would we rather follow those who left the Lord behind because He taught them some hard teaching? [see John 6: 60, 66] Or would we stay with the Apostles, whose response was voiced out by Peter, who answered when the Lord asked them if they want to leave Him also, with

"Lord, to whom shall we go? 

You have the words of eternal life, 

and we believe; 

and we have come to know 

that you are the Holy One of God." 

- John 6: 68-69

Jesus prays for His Church [Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter]

JESUS OUR LORD PRAYS FOR THE CHURCH.
Image from picturesofjesus4you via google.com

"I pray not only for them, 

but also for those who will believe in me 

through their word, ..." 

- John 17:20

The Lord Jesus knew that the Church He has established will face many challenges and trials in this world. So He prayed for her even including those who still has to become her members through the activities of the Apostles and their successors.

When He told His Apostles that He would establish the Church, He assured them also that she will be a strong and stable institution by telling them that she will be capable of withstanding even the gates of hell [see Matthew 16:18]. During the Last Supper, He also promised that He will provide an Advocate to help the Church in facing trials, to remind the Church of all of His teachings, and to teach the Church about all truth [see John 14: 26; 16: 7-8, 13].

More importantly, He did not leave the Church without assuring her of leaders to take care of her and to lead her during her pilgrimage on earth. Starting with the Twelve Apostles [see Matthew 10:1; Mark 3:3; Luke 6:13], He appointed additional disciples numbering Seventy-two [see Luke 10:1]. Though a lot of these left Him because they could not accept some of His teachings such as His being the Bread of Life [see John 6: 60-69], the Twelve remained and faithfully followed Him - except for Judas Iscariot who betrayed the Lord - until He ascended to heaven. When the Holy Spirit came down on Pentecost Day [see Acts 2], the Twelve [complete again due to the election of Matthias as successor to the vacant office of Judas; see Acts 1], led the others who remained faithful to the Lord in receiving the Holy Spirit and in boldly proclaiming the Gospel [see Acts 2]. 

From this small community of believers, the Church grew amid persecutions and trials [see Acts 2: 41, 47; 4:4; 5: 13-14; 6:7; 9: 31, 35; 14: 1, 21]. But as a living proof of the Lord's promise that she will never be overcome even by the gates of hell, the Church continued to grow even when her members are being killed through various means. When the initial persecutions finally ended, she had to contend with various heresies which threatened the purity of faith and doctrine. But thanks to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, who led her through many errors in order to come up with true doctrines and articles of Faith. 

The Church today continue to endure diverse attacks and fight different enemies, on one hand, those who claim her to be ultra-conservative, on the other, those who claim that she already discarded the original Faith. Others attack her from the outside, and there are those who try to damage her from within. But she remains strong and stable thanks to her Holy Founder who has also promised His perpetual companionship [see Matthew 28:20].

May we never doubt the promises of the Lord to her Church. 

The Lord prayed that We may be Protected from Evil [Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter]

AN ANGEL COMFORTS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Image via google.com

"I do not ask that you take them out of the world 

but that you keep them from the Evil One." 

- John 17:15

The Lord cares enough for His Church that He asked the Father to protect her from Evil when He leaves her behind to continue His mission on earth. He knew very well that leaving her in the world would entail hardships and sufferings for His teachings wouldn't be very attractive to the world. What would be more challenging for her to do is to present herself as His true representative to the world for the world could easily question her credibility and since He isn't personally present to vouch for her, the world would have an excuse to disregard her. Well, we know that He promised to send an advocate to help her face the world, but since this Advocate, the Holy Spirit, cannot be seen by the world, there seems to be nothing that the Holy Spirit can do to help her case.

So the Lord told the Church, through the Apostles, that they could do something that would let the world know that the Church is truly His representative on earth and it is if we who are members of the Church would love one another [see John 13: 34-35]. Now it is not an easy task to do for even if we love one another, the world would do anything to distract us from fulfilling this command of the Lord. And surely, the Evil One would do so many things too in order to keep us from loving one another. That's why the Lord prayed to the Father that He protect us from the Evil One, even if the Church has to remain in the world and must face the world's threats, attacks, and persecutions.  

That's why the Lord left us His Prayer which mentions among others this line,

"... but deliver us from the evil one" [Matthew 6:13].

The Apostle Paul also encourages us by writing, 

"But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one" [2 Thessalonians 3:3].

While the Apostle John also writes

"We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the evil one cannot touch him" [1 John 5:18].

So we, members of the Church, must never fear [see Matthew 10:28; 14:27; 17:7; Luke 12:32; John 6:20]. We only have to have steadfast faith in the Lord so that when trials and troubles come we shall never be easily overcome by the Evil One [see 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Peter 2:9]. Such trials and sufferings are just part of our training and purification [see 1 Peter 1: 6-7] so that we may become ready and worthy to be in the Father's house [see John 14: 2-3]. For even the only-begotten Son learned obedience through suffering [see Hebrews 5:8] through which He became worthy to be glorified by the Father [see Philippians 2: 9-11; Revelations 5:12]. Didn't He assure us that He has already conquered the world [see John 16:33] and that He will be with us until the end of the ages? [see Matthew 28:20]. And we must never forget, He promised that not even the gates of hell can overcome the Church [see Matthew 16:18]! 

The Lord prayed for the Father to keep us safe from the Evil One. Let us also pray to the Father that He may give us the grace to avoid the occasions of sin and that we may never give chance to the Evil One to rule our lives and our homes. And one more thing, in times of need, we have an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to help us [see John 14:26; 16:13].

Four more days and the Holy Spirit will already descend!

Love One Another [Feast of St Matthias, Apostle]

THE TWELVE APOSTLES.
Image from reclaimingthemind.org
via google.com

"This I command you: love one another." 

- John 15:17

The Lord Jesus Christ gave only one important command for us to follow: love one another.

As Christians we are called to love one another so that the world may know that we are Christ's followers and friends [see John 13: 34-35]. More importantly, the Lord commands us to love one another in accordance with the love by which He loved us: a love that is willing to sacrifice - even to the point of giving up one's life - for the sake of a friend [see John 15: 12-17]: not just any kind of love.

It is by loving one another according to that love by which the Lord loved us that we could be recognized by the world for the world is more inclined to love only those who love it. While we, Christians, are called even to love those who hate us and pray for those who persecute us so that we may become children of the heavenly Father who lets the sun shine and send the rain on both the good and the bad, the righteous and the unrighteous [see Matthew 5: 44-45].

For the Lord said that if we love only those who love us and greet only those who belong to our community, what benefit can we get there [see Matthew 5: 46a, 47a]? For even sinners and pagans do such things [see Matthew 5: 46b, 47b]. He finishes such exhortations by saying that we must therefore be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect [see Matthew 5:48].

Hence loving is tied up with perfection for if we truly love we become like God and we will not fear for only those who do not love experience fear for fear implies punishment while perfect love drives out fear [see 1 John 4: 17-18]. And if we love God, we will love one another for we cannot say we love God and hate our brethren [see 1 John 4: 20-21]. Therefore, if we love one another, we truly affirm that God is in us [see 1 John 4: 12-13] and that we truly know God and so we become true children of God [see 1 John 4: 7-8]. Moreover, we ought to love for God has loved us first [see 1 John 4:19] and therefore being children of God, as Christians, we cannot not love. Through love, we could already fulfill everything for even the Law and the Prophets hang upon love [see Galatians 5:14; Matthew 22:40]. 

Let us therefore love one another for love is of God and God himself is love [see 1 John 4:16]. 

The Lord has Overcome the World: We should never Give In to It's Enticements [Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter]

THE VICTORIOUS LORD.
Image taken from google.com

"In the world you will have trouble, 

but take courage, 

I have conquered the world." 

- John 16:33

It's election day in the Philippines today, May 13. During the last 90 days we have heard promises, promises, promises of and for a better Philippines. But just like the past many elections, only a small percentage of like promises become reality.

Today we hear the Lord telling the Apostles about them encountering troubles in the world. Unlike politicians, the Lord did not promise great things to happen to the Apostles while on earth. Instead, He warned them about troubles to come. He merely assured them about His having conquered the world.

Christian life is not a bed of roses. It's even a dangerous life. We even have to expect sufferings for even the Lord had to suffer for the sake of our redemption. But we must never fear for after the pains, there comes perfect joy and after all the mourning we shall have eternal joy. We only have to remain in the love of the Lord.

For He has already conquered the world - not by force of arms, not even through political revolution. He was able to wrestle the world from sin by humbling himself in total obedience to the will of the Father which earned Him glory [see Philippians 2: 6-11]. So just as He suffered and then received His most deserved place at the right hand of the Father, we too must accept the realities of pain and suffering in order to have our place in the Father's house [see John 14: 2-3].

As Christians we shall encounter and experience various troubles in the world for the world is more inclined to let go of the desires of the flesh while being Christians we are called to discipline and restrain the flesh [see Galatians 5:17; Romans 8:5]. 

As we prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, may we get ourselves ready to live in and by the Spirit also so that we may never be overcome by the world; rather, we must overcome the world too as the Lord has overcome it.

The Son ascends, the Holy Spirit soon descends [Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter]

JESUS CAME FROM THE FATHER
AND IS RETURNING TO THE FATHER.
Image from wordincarnate.wordpress.com

"I came from the Father 

and have come into the world. 

Now I am leaving the world 

and going back to the Father." 

- John 16:28

The Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ gives us a hint of what awaits us as His friends and followers. If we can accomplish the mission that He has given us, we shall also ascend to heaven and live forever in the Father's house.

For as the Lord Jesus Christ came from the Father and is returning to the Father, we too who have been created by God, that is, we also came from Him, shall return under His full power and share in His glory. 

That is why the Lord tells us never to fear, never to worry, never to sin. For we are the Father's and we ought to live in Faith, Hope and Love. Through Faith we shall never fear anything in this world for the One we depend upon is more than the powers of the earth. Through Hope we shall never worry for the One we rely upon owns everything and provides us our needs. Through Love we shall never sin for the One whom our hearts truly desire for have all the love to give and make us eternally live.

The Lord has returned to the Father. He has been reunited to Him who selflessly sent His only-begotten Son to save mankind from sin. By fulfilling His mission, He was able to give true glory to God, something which no man can ever accomplish for no one is deserving enough but Him who has left His divinity for a while and humbled Himself to become like us in order to lead us from darkness to the light.

The Lord has returned to the Father and is reunited with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Now we await for the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate who shall teach, remind and guide the Church that the Lord has left upon this earth to continue His saving act.

As we give glory to the Father as His only-begotten Son ascended into heaven and await for the coming of the Holy Spirit, let us proclaim what today's Responsorial Psalm declares, 

"God is King of all the earth! Alleluia!" 

Perfect Joy comes after meaningful Pain and Suffering [Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter]

MOTHER'S JOY AFTER GIVING BIRTH.
Image from liferunners.org via google.com

"When a woman is in labor, 

she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; 

but when she has given birth to a child, 

she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy 

that a child has been born into the world." 

- John 16:21

Pain, suffering and even failure may hinder us from doing something that is challenging even if we are assured of a reward at the end. It is natural for us to evade pain, suffering and failure because we tend more to have comfort, convenience and easy life. 

But as the saying goes, NO PAIN, NO GAIN. 

In the Philippines, we hear stories, and watch on movie and television screens, about women who would cry out during their labor that they won't let their husbands make them pregnant again and then when asked if it was the first baby, the answer would be given as six, seven or even more. In other areas of life, we can also observe the same attitude. Some drinkers would promise they won't drink again when they encounter trouble after drinking or when they seem to have drunk excessively and feel various pains afterwards. But then after some days, indulge themselves again with the same vice.

The Lord Jesus Christ tells us that pain and sufferings are part and parcel of being His followers. But these pains and sufferings must be truly meaningful, that is, they must be pains and sufferings that are offered to God, for the glory of God, the perfection of our lives or the attainment of holiness, and the salvation of souls. It cannot be any pain for there are endeavors on this earth that may be painful and truly requires sufferings and yet not ordered to the ends set by God but only for purely human or worldly glorification. 

That is why He challenges everyone who wish to be His disciples to deny one's self, take up one's cross and follow Him. This is important because a person who would rather assert him or herself, reject his or her cross and walk on his or her own path, would not be able to be totally conformed into the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and continually question the meaning and purpose of pain, suffering and what seems to be a failure, in living the Christian vocation. In short, he or she won't be a true Christian at all. That is why St John of Avila, our Saint of the day, also advises that we must withdraw our hearts from the world because if we do not, pain and sufferings would only mean meaningless burden in our goal of achieving worldly glory, fortune and power.

But we must never forget that He doesn't stop at telling us about the need to accept pain and sufferings in our lives. He tells us also that after pain and suffering, we shall experience joy and attain glory. Christian life is not only living in pain and suffering for these are merely some manner of training and disciplining us to be truly prepared to accept the eternal reward of life in the Father's house.

As a mother who experiences labor pains for a while and then joyfully receives her newborn baby in her arms, we who suffer due to our Faith, Hope and Love will also achieve our glorious reward in heaven at the proper time. We only have to hold on to the promises of the Lord and fulfill His command to love one another, to wash each other's feet and to remain in His love.

Eternal Joy awaits those Who shall Weep and Mourn [Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter]

AN ANGEL COMFORTS THE
LORD JESUS CHRIST BEFORE HIS PASSION.
Image from heremembersrthebarren.com via google.com

"Amen, amen, I say to you, 

you will weep and mourn, 

while the world rejoices; 

you will grieve, 

but your grief will become joy." 

- John 16:20

In our pilgrimage on earth, we shall encounter many trials and sufferings which shall test our faith, challenge our hope and purify our love. While on pilgrimage, sufferings would abound more than comforts; more sorrows than happiness; more pain than convenience. For our pilgrimage is more of following the Lord as He goes through His way of the cross before we accompany Him through the path of the resurrection.

As we try to thread upon the path of holiness, the world will, first of all, try to tempt us into going through the easy path; then lure us to indulge in sin; and if we do not follow it, we shall be persecuted for being conservative, outmoded and backward. We shall be branded as enemies of development and progress for not accepting the many ideas and ideologies which may temporarily respond to needs and wants but ultimately ruin our human dignity hence they run counter to and even destroy our Faith, Hope and Love.

Since the way of the world appeals to the here and now and the importance of present happiness, comforts and conveniences, it shall always have the upper hand in the fight; while we who proclaim the full salvation in heaven in a future time, would be considered losers. And yet we know that in the end we shall be fully justified for standing up for the truth, for what is good, right and proper. When that time comes, the world will grieve and we shall live be eternally joyful.

There will surely be occasions wherein we shall have to cry and then perhaps smile for the Teacher says, "There's a time for everything under the sun" [see Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8]. In the midst of pain and suffering, we must always remember that our Lord has already overcome the world [see John 16:33], that He was given us that peace which the world cannot give [see John 14:27] and that He has told us to remain in His love [see John 15:9]. So as the Apostle wrote, we ought to rejoice always in the Lord [see Philippians 4:4]. 

The Holy Spirit: Guide of the Church [Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter]

THE HOLY SPIRIT: OUR GUIDE TO ALL TRUTH.
Image from ourparishpriest.blogspot.com
via google.com

"I have much more to tell you, 

but you cannot bear it now. 

But when [the Holy Spirit] comes, 

the Spirit of Truth, 

He will guide you 

to all truth." 

- John 16: 12-13a

When we hear people attack the Catholic Church, we wonder if they - and if these people are fellow Christians, if they truly - believe in the Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of Truth according to our Lord Jesus Christ. For if those who attack the Church truly believe in the Holy Spirit, they wouldn't be doing it since the Lord has promised Him, the Holy Spirit, to be the Advocate of the Church, the One to lead her into all truth, the One to remind her of all that He, the Lord Jesus Christ, has taught. And since He is the Spirit of Truth, He wouldn't lead us into error and lies. 

Today we hear the Lord say to the Apostles that He have much more to tell them but since they couldn't bear it yet, He told them to wait for the Holy Spirit to teach them everything. And He did come on Pentecost day which gave birth to the Church and provided the Apostles and the other disciples the courage to bear witness to the Gospel [see Acts 2]. We shall discuss more about this when we reflect on the Descent of the Holy Spirit.

Unfortunately, there are people who deny that the Holy Spirit is with the Catholic Church. Many others even deny Him altogether. This should not amaze us anymore for the Lord himself warned us that the world will never believe in the Holy Spirit most especially since it cannot see or know Him [see John 14:17a]. In a world where the dictum to see is to believe rules, the reality of the Holy Spirit will always be greeted with a sarcastic smile or a shrug of the shoulders.

But for us who believe, for us who are children of the Father who has provided us with the grace of faith to believe in the Holy Spirit [see John 14:17b], we do know that He is ever present and truly guiding the Church [see Acts 15: 28-29]. With so many challenges which the Church has faced since the beginning, no believer could ever deny the fact of His presence. The Holy Spirit gave strength and steadfast faith to martyrs during the time of persecutions, the Holy Spirit enlightened the Fathers of the Church against heresies in the first centuries of the Church in order to purify the Faith, the Holy Spirit inspired men and women to live holy lives and continue to inspire many until now, the Holy Spirit made true the Lord's promise that even the gates of hell wouldn't be able to overcome the Church through the many attempts to destroy her, etc.

As we prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit, let us ask the Father for the grace of docility, a virtue which enables us to be formed in Catholic Faith, that we may not be led to errors by others. 

The Conviction of the World by the Holy Spirit [Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter]

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE FORM OF A DOVE.
Image from dadsteachthebible,blogspot.com via google.com

"And when he comes 

he will convict the world 

in regard to sin 

and righteousness 

and condemnation:" 

- John 16:8

God sent His only-begotten Son as the Savior of the world, not its judge, therefore He did not convict the world [see John 3: 16-17]. But the Holy Spirit will convict the world because He came in order to lead the world into all the truth which the world tries to resist and deny.

The Holy Spirit will convict the world in regard to sin 
because it doesn't believe in Jesus Christ 
our Lord and Savior [John 16:9]

The Holy Spirit leads us to all the truth and He also reminds us about everything that the Lord has taught [see John 16:13]. It is He who helps us to know the true Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. It is also the Holy Spirit who leads us to the formulation of dogmas and doctrine that purifies the Faith from heresies, that is, wrong beliefs about the Lord Jesus Christ and other matters regarding our religion. He is the Spirit of Truth who will never lead us to error and to lies. Therefore, if anyone does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit makes known, and in others things that He leads us to have knowledge of hence must believe in, will be guilty of sinning and therefore liable to His conviction [see John 3:18]. 

The Holy Spirit will convict the world with regards to righteousness
because the Lord Jesus Christ has returned to the Father 
and we cannot see Him anymore [John 16:10]

The Holy Spirit leads us to the full knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Lamb of God who was innocent of the many accusations which His persecutors hurled against Him which led to His crucifixion and death. But through such death He was able to gain for us freedom from bondage to sin and the acquisition of the divine life, that is, grace. It is only through the Lord Jesus Christ that we shall obtain grace and eternal life with the Father. Though we do not see Him anymore, He is always present through the Holy Spirit who doesn't do His own work nor speak His own words but only those which comes from the Father and the Son [see John 16: 13-15]. Therefore, through the Holy Spirit, we can be assured of true justice, of being justified, of being made righteous, through the grace of the Lord if we believe and fulfill all that the Lord has commanded especially the command to love one another for if we do not love, we know not God and He abides not with us [see 1 John 4: 8, 16]. And the Holy Spirit will convict us. 

The Holy Spirit will convict the world in condemnation
because the ruler of this world has been 
condemned [John 16:11]

The ruler of this world, the Devil, has been defeated by the Lord Jesus Christ [see John 16:33]. The enemy does not own the world anymore as he didn't really own it even before [see John 12:31]. He was just an usurper and the Lord Jesus Christ only regained what has been taken away from the Father through the Devil's snares. He has been subjected to judgment, to eternal punishment, and all those who will do evil things in violation of God's love will be destroyed together with him [see Revelation 21:8; also Matthew 25: 31-46]. The Holy Spirit will convict those who will never leave the activities of the Devil for the Lord has already redeemed the world from bondage to sin hence no longer subject to the Devil. So those who remain in sin will be convicted and destroyed [see 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 John 3:15; Revelation 9:21; 14:10].


For more about John 16: 8-11, please visit this site.

It's Dangerous to be a Christian [Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter]

IRANIAN PASTOR CONDEMNED TO DIE FOR BEING A CHRISTIAN.
Image from nowtheendbegins.com via google.com

"... in fact, the hour is coming 

when everyone who kills you 

will think he is offering worship to God." 

- John 16:2

Being a Christian is a very dangerous state of life. 

There are places on earth where the practice of religion is limited to the religion of the ruling majority. In such areas, the practice of Christianity is tantamount to committing a suicide. 

But there are also places where religion supposedly can be exercised freely - especially in places where Christians are in the majority - and yet the expressions of religion are stifled due to the respect for other ideologies that run counter to Christian ideals and values because the minority deserves to be protected.

Hence Christians are almost anywhere under some form of persecution - even from those who profess faith in God, even from those who claim to be Christians themselves.

The Lord has warned us about this. The original warning was addressed to the Apostles but the same warning is still relevant especially today. For the present age is more concerned about the so-called minority rights to the detriment of the majority. The extreme advocacy for freedom creates new forms of bondage - which most often are being applied to those who stand up for the truth, for what is right, for what is proper, for what is good. 

We, Christians, are being persecuted for standing up for God and God's laws. We are being put to trial for the things that have made our present society more humane and civilized. We are being considered outdated and outmoded for keeping the faith which influenced many significant developments and progresses in the treatment of peoples especially the marginalized. 

Many might raise their eyebrows and say, REALLY? remembering the many sad episodes in the history of the Church and how Christians treated the people they colonized. But the moving forces behind those were politics, economics and militarization not religion. Unfortunately, religion was misused to justify the first three. For where religion truly prospered, people benefited. 

Persecutions will never stop as long as there are people who cannot accept and won't surrender to God. As long as they let themselves be dominated by the devil. But we must never give up nor give in. The Lord promises glory to those who will remain in His love. 

We must always remember what He said, "Remain in my love" [see John 15:9].

As the Lord suffered, We too shall Suffer [Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter]

PERSECUTION OF COPTIC CHRISTIANS IN EGYPT.
Image from nowtheendbegins.com via google.com

"If the world hates you, 

realize that it hated me first." 

- John 15:18

Today we observe and experience real and actual persecutions against Christians - and sadly, many of these persecutions come from persons who also claim to be Christians or groups which consider Christ as a Prophet. We don't have to wonder anymore because the Lord himself prophesied about it. 

Even when Christianity had already been declared as State Religion by the Emperor Constantine and public persecutions of Christians have been stopped, he also persecuted in a way one of the greatest defenders of true Christian doctrine, St Athanasius, by exiling him because he won't give up the fight against the Emperor's favored version of Christianity: Arianism, a heretical belief that teaches Christ wasn't divine but was only granted the status of a God by the Father. This we discussed yesterday in this article. 

It really was a wound against the Body of Christ that during the middle ages and the early years of the modern era, the Church has to fight against her children who separated from her, the Protestants, and both sides even had to recourse to actions that truly violated the command of the Lord to love one another. 

Persecutions from non-Christians are somehow understandable because they know not the Lord as we do. But when persecutions are done by people who claim to be Christians, especially people who claim to be fellow Catholics, it doubles the pain: like Cain killing Abel - brother killing a brother. Here we can separate the true Christians and those who merely claim to be Christians. The true Christians are those who, like the Lord Jesus Christ, undergo passion and death and surely will rise again by the power of the Lord; while those who are fake Christians, those who merely claim being Christians, are those who, like the disciples left the Lord upon hearing hard doctrine, such as that of the Bread of Life or Holy Eucharist and, in our time, against abortion, contraception, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, divorce, euthanasia, stem cell research, etc.    

As the Lord said, no servant is greater than his master. The Lord suffered persecution from the hands of His fellow Jews. Today, we also suffer in the hands of those who claim to be Christians and yet do not follow the Lord through His Body, the Church. But we must find assurance in the words of the Lord who said,

"Anyone who proves victorious 

I will allow to share my throne, 

just as I have myself overcome 

and have taken my seat 

with my Father on his throne." 

- Revelation 3:21

Reflection on the Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles

STS PHILIP AND JAMES THE LESS.
Image from reflectionsonthesacredliturgy.blogspot.com
via google.com

"Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? 

The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. 

The Father who dwells in me is doing his works." 

- John 14:10

It's the Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter! The readings for today is supposed to be the Gospel of Holy Friendship, John 15: 12-17. However, since the Feast of Sts Philip and James the Less, two of the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, we take the reading proper to this Feast, John 14: 6-14. We have a reflection on John 14:6 and 14:14 in two earlier entries which you could review.

The passage we are going to reflect upon today was part of the Lord's answer to Philip who asked Him to show them the Father. 

Jesus told Philip and the others that it is the Father who is doing His work through Him. Does this mean that the Lord Jesus then is merely a passive instrument of the Father? No. Rather, He is an active implementor of the Father's will and works. It is the Father who wills, the Son fulfills. For the Son will never do anything against the Father's will [see Luke 22:42] for it is for the very purpose of doing the Father's will that the Son came into the world [see John 3:16].

Do we not demand the same request in many ways and formulation of words? We - and many others - also ask it in different manners but maybe one of the demands addressed to the Church which may somehow exactly fit the same request asked by Philip is this,

"Show us the Lord Jesus Christ and we will believe." Sounds like doubting Thomas? 

Yes. Even when we do not say a word, many times we demand that the Church should show us the Lord Jesus Christ to make sure that it is really Him who wants the Church to fight for life, family and marriage; speak against abortion, contraception, euthanasia, homosexuality and same sex marriage; or make a stand about other issues and concerns which others believe lie within the sphere of secular society and which the Church doesn't have anything to do with especially in view of the so-called separation of Church and State.

As we have mentioned in an earlier entry, this kind of questions are convenient excuses not to believe in the Church. For we know that we cannot force the Lord Jesus Christ to show Himself as He is. Challenging the Lord to show himself is like testing God. We must remember that it is a grave sin to test the Lord [see Deuteronomy 6:16; Matthew 4:7; Luke 4:12]!

But the reply to such a demand is very clear. As the Lord replied to Philip that the they no longer look for the Father for He is in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can also say that those who wants to see the Lord doesn't have to look far. For the Lord Jesus Christ is present on this earth through His Church: for the Church is His Body [see 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31] and He promised to abide by the Church until the end of time [see Matthew 28:20] and the Church continues to do His work until He comes again in glory. Therefore when the Church declares a teaching which may not be exactly found in any passage of the Bible, it is still the Lord Jesus Christ who speaks. For one can hardly find, for example, any passage about stem cell research in the Bible and yet the principles against such research can be implied or deduced through related passages of the Bible. For it would be tantamount to making the Holy Spirit incapable if we won't believe that the Church has the authority to teach even though the Lord himself said that the Holy Spirit will lead her to all the truth and remind her of all that He has taught [see John 14:26].

The Lord Jesus Christ did not speak on His own. The Church also doesn't speak on her own. The Church speaks in behalf of the Lord and the Lord speaks in behalf of the Father. 

If you still doubt, ask the Holy Spirit's enlightenment for the Lord promised Him as the one who will lead us to all the truth.