If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, says the Lord. JN 8:31B-32
ACTS 13:44-52
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Today we read that when the Jews saw the large crowds coming to hear Paul and Barnabas speak of You they were filled with jealousy. The same is true to this day. Leaders of other faiths, as well as governments, recognize the power of the Gospel and its power to radically change people's lives.
Your enemies are prepared to do violence and even murder those who evangelize as well as those who accept the Good News of salvation. Through the ages, Your disciples, armed only with Your Word and the power of Your Holy Spirit, have taken the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
The joyful testimonies of men and women all over the world whose lives have been changed forever once they accepted You as their Lord and Savior are worth persecution, torture, and even death; as so many martyrs beginning with the Apostles and early disciples testify. Nothing and no one can steal the joy of the Holy Spirit from those who believe.
PSALM 98:1-4
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
You are the Song that the Holy Spirit has put in our hearts. It is unbelievable that even in these difficult times, we are drawn closer to You. No one and nothing can separate us from You and Your love. We thank You, for the beauty of making a spiritual communion every day and receiving You into our hearts just as if we were truly approaching the altar and receiving You from the hands of the priest. You honor and bless our faith and You come to us. How good it is, Beloved, to know how much You delight in reposing in us just as we delight in welcoming You. How much greater will our joy be when we do receive You again once our churches open and the Sacraments are celebrated publicly once more.
But for now, we will sing a new song and we will tell of the wonderful marvels You do for us even in these trying and difficult times. Once it ends we will see the wonderful fruit that this mysterious time of suffering has borne.
JOHN 14:7-14
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
You are the Icon and the Image of the Father. Every page in Holy Scripture speaks of the Father's love but only when He sent You, His Incarnate Word, into the world does the invisible God become visible.
No one who is only steeped in the Old will ever discover You and no one who is steeped only in the New will ever find the Father, let alone the Holy Spirit. You are the fulfillment of every Covenant God ever made with His people.
This is why You say reproachfully to Philip who asks that You show him the Father, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip?" The next words You say to him are addressed to all Your disciples through the ages, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father."
The Gospel writers give us an account of all that happened in the three short years of Your public ministry. They reveal that You indeed were God, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, and everything You said and did was done according to Your Father's will and the power of the Holy Spirit.
You go on to make an even more stupendous promise to us,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father.
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”
This is why the leaders of other faiths as well as politicians and rules the world over fear You and fear us who follow You. Christians will never be given the freedom to boldly proclaim the Good News in public because they recognize the power of Your Name.
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