BE A REAL CHRISTIAN! EVANGELIZE IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT

20160507 BE A REAL CHRISTIAN! EVANGELIZE IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

First reading

Acts 18:23-28 ©

Paul came down to Antioch, where he spent a short time before continuing his journey through the Galatian country and then through Phrygia, encouraging all the followers.

  An Alexandrian Jew named Apollos now arrived in Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, with a sound knowledge of the scriptures, and yet, though he had been given instruction in the Way of the Lord and preached with great spiritual earnestness and was accurate in all the details he taught about Jesus, he had only experienced the baptism of John. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him speak boldly in the synagogue, they took an interest in him and gave him further instruction about the Way.

  When Apollos thought of crossing over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote asking the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived there he was able by God’s grace to help the believers considerably by the energetic way he refuted the Jews in public and demonstrated from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 46:2-3,8-10 ©

God is king of all the earth.

or

Alleluia!

All peoples, clap your hands,

  cry to God with shouts of joy!

For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear,

  great king over all the earth.

God is king of all the earth.

or

Alleluia!

God is king of all the earth,

  sing praise with all your skill.

God is king over the nations;

  God reigns on his holy throne.

God is king of all the earth.

or

Alleluia!

The princes of the people are assembled

  with the people of Abraham’s God.

The rulers of the earth belong to God,

  to God who reigns over all.

God is king of all the earth.

or

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

Jn14:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

I shall ask the Father,

and he will give you another Advocate

to be with you for ever.

Alleluia!

Or

Jn16:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

I came from the Father

and have come into the world,

and now I leave the world

to go to the Father.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 16:23-28 ©

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘I tell you most solemnly,

anything you ask for from the Father he will grant in my name.

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.

Ask and you will receive, and so your joy will be complete.

I have been telling you all this in metaphors,

the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in metaphors;

but tell you about the Father in plain words.

When that day comes you will ask in my name;

and I do not say that I shall pray to the Father for you,

because the Father himself loves you for loving me

and believing that I came from God.

I came from the Father and have come into the world

and now I leave the world to go to the Father.’

BE A REAL CHRISTIAN! EVANGELIZE IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 18:23-28; JOHN 16:23-28   ]

What does it take to be a true Christian?  Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in his encyclical “God is Love”, states that “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”  In the light of this definition, the scripture readings invite us to examine the depth of our relationship with the Lord.

The first group of Catholics who have a deficient faith belongs to those who are ignorant about their Faith.   Unfortunately, many of us Catholics do not take the trouble to deepen our understanding of the faith.  We do not read the scriptures daily; much less explore further our knowledge of the Church’s doctrines and practices.  For many of us, the last time we received any proper instructions on our faith was in RCIA class.  This is ironical because in the corporate world today, one cannot survive in any industry without upgrading one’s knowledge to keep pace with the changing world.   We make time for all kinds of courses, even those not related to our work, but we have no time for our spiritual growth.  We do not realize that understanding our faith better will determine the way we live our lives meaningfully and holistically.

The second group of Catholics is slightly better than the first. They are the intellectuals.  They do make some effort to study about their faith.  They are akin to Apollos in the first reading.  He was an Alexandrian Jew and a good model of what a Christian should be.  We read that “he was an eloquent man, with a sound knowledge of the scriptures.”  He had also “been given instruction in the Way of the Lord and preached with great earnestness and was accurate in all the details he taught about Jesus.”  So this man seems to be knowledgeable in his faith and at the same time, evangelical as well in reaching out to those who do not know Jesus.

Yet, in spite of Apollos’ great enthusiasm, “he had only experienced the baptism of John.”  In other words, he never had a real personal encounter with the Lord Jesus.  He had not yet received the Holy Spirit, which is given only in baptism.  The baptism of John the Baptist was only for the forgiveness of sins but not sufficient for the reception of the Holy Spirit, the personal love of God the Father and the Son.  This observation is very significant for us too.  Again, although many of us Catholics may appear to be knowledgeable in our faith, we lack a personal encounter with Jesus.  We have only fallen in love with the ideas inherent in the Christian Faith, but not with the person of Christ.

This explains why the focus of the scripture texts, especially the gospel immediately following the feast of the Ascension, is on the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is necessary that Catholics become conscious of the Holy Spirit and be in touch with His indwelling if they are to encounter the Lord Jesus as a person, and not simply as a historical figure but as the risen Lord. It was for this reason that Jesus remarked with disappointment that His disciples had yet to ask “the Father in my name … Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”

But what is it that we are to ask?  Above all things, we must ask for the Holy Spirit because it is a gift given by the Father in the name of the Son.  Only the Holy Spirit can give us true joy, since joy comes from love.  With the Holy Spirit in us, we will come to know the nature of God who is Love.  Indeed, Jesus assured His disciples, “I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father.”   Only the Holy Spirit can reveal to us the meaning of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection.  Without the Holy Spirit, the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus would remain extraneous to us.  But with the Holy Spirit, we will enter into the Spirit of Jesus and become identified with Him in His love for the Father and for humanity.  Only then can we truly experience the love of the Father, and only this love can empower us to love ourselves and our fellow human beings.

It is this identification with Jesus which brings about our union with the Father that is the basis for all our prayers to be answered.  For when we pray, we will be praying in union with Jesus and for the world.  Jesus said, “On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God.”  When we are in Jesus and He is with us in the Holy Spirit, the Father will hear us, the Body of Christ, praying and interceding for the world.  Jesus, who is one with the Father, is also one with us, His body, in prayer.  Yes, He said, “I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

Today, we are invited to imitate the docility and humility of Apollos.  In spite of his knowledge about the faith, he was never too proud to learn from Priscilla and Aquila.  Apollos was humble enough to accept correction and instruction.  He never felt he knew too much, unlike many of us Catholics who do not feel the urgency to renew our faith, even though we cannot even remember the basic teachings of the Church or the scriptures.

But most of all, we must be like Apollos who sought the Holy Spirit after becoming aware that the baptism of John the Baptist was not sufficient.  He knew that without a deep awareness of the personal love of God in his life, which is only possible through an encounter with the Holy Spirit, he could not be a real witness of the Lord, nor perform signs and wonders to demonstrate the power of the Risen Lord. But because he was docile and humble, not only did the Holy Spirit work in and through him, but many of his fellow Christians also came to his help, welcomed him and rendered him support and encouragement.

If we find ourselves weak in faith or ineffective in proclaiming the Good News, we must sincerely examine whether we are receptive to the Holy Spirit, directly or indirectly through our fellow brothers and sisters.  More often than not, it is the lack of humility and recognition of the poverty of our personal and intellectual faith that hinder us from knowing Jesus intimately and allowing His Spirit to work freely in and through us.  Today, let us humble ourselves and pray for the Holy Spirit to renew our lives, and if necessary, seek the assistance of those who have already encountered Him so that we too can experience a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Be open to the Holy Spirit!

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved