The Spirit of truth will be my witness;
and you too will be my witnesses. JN 15:26, 27
ACTS 16:11-15 ©
My Soul's Beloved,
Give me a heart like Lydia's and all the great women in the Bible beginning with Your Holy Mother, Mary. She and all the women of renown in Scripture were attuned to the Holy Spirit and docile to the will of God.
St. Paul, who was preaching to the women noticed Lydia's openness to the Word of God. She drank in all that Paul was preaching and teaching about You. She was a leading woman of the town and not only did she open her heart to You but she opened her home as well to Paul and his companions.
Grant me O Lord, not just a receptive heart, and a docile spirit that is always submissive to the will of God but greater generosity in sharing the spiritual and temporal gifts that You have so graciously given me.
JOHN 15:26-16:4 ©
My Soul's Beloved,
You submitted to Your Father in perfect humility and accomplished all He asked of You from the least to its most sublime detail. The Way to Heaven is to follow the template of Your life, if we do, You assure us that we will be co-heirs with You to the Kingdom of God and will receive a share in Your glory.
Being an authentic Christian in a crooked and evil world is impossible without divine assistance. This is why You gave us the Holy Spirit. You call Him the Advocate and the Spirit of Truth. Truth is sorely lacking in our world. Our world is in shambles because the world peddles lies. Lying has become second nature to both religious and world leaders and the gullible, lacking the wisdom to withstand the onslaught of deceit, are easy prey.
We need the Holy Spirit and He is conferred on us at Baptism and He empowers us when we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. With the power and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome the world.
This is what You say of the Holy Spirit whom You will send:
‘When the Advocate comes,
whom I shall send to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father,
he will be my witness.
And you too will be witnesses,
because you have been with me from the outset.’
the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father,
he will be my witness.
And you too will be witnesses,
because you have been with me from the outset.’
We live in a world where our faith is shaken constantly not only by the scandals that have rocked the Church but by Catholic Christians and Christians who profess with their lips that they are Your followers but every word that issues forth from their lips is of satan. They are pawns of evil who are blind and deaf to all that is pure, good, true, and beautiful. Earthly dominion is given to them for a season and they use their power to snuff out Truth and erect false gods before which they demand we worship.
You warned the apostles and disciples what to expect from the enemies of Truth and the warning holds true to this day and until You return:
‘I have told you all this that your faith may not be shaken.’
All around the world, we see churches being desecrated, and the Eucharist is often stolen for evil purposes. People of some faiths actually believe that when they kill us they think that they are doing a holy duty for God.
You also give us the reason why they act as they do:
‘They will do these things
because they have never known
either the Father or myself.
But I have told you all this,
so that when the time for it comes
you may remember that I told you.’
because they have never known
either the Father or myself.
But I have told you all this,
so that when the time for it comes
you may remember that I told you.’
Thank You for warning Christians in every age what to expect from the devil's aides so we will not be taken by surprise but be vigilant and rely totally on the strength and power of the Holy Spirit. With His help, the true, the good, and the beautiful will prevail.
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