20260518 REALITY CHECK
18 May 2026, Monday, 7th Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 19:1-8 |
The moment Paul laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul made his way overland as far as Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples. When he asked, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ they answered, ‘No, we were never even told there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.’ ‘Then how were you baptised?’ he asked. ‘With John’s baptism’ they replied. ‘John’s baptism’ said Paul ‘was a baptism of repentance; but he insisted that the people should believe in the one who was to come after him – in other words, Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy. There were about twelve of these men.
He began by going to the synagogue, where he spoke out boldly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. He did this for three months.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 67(68):2-7 |
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Let God arise, let his foes be scattered.
Let those who hate him flee before him.
As smoke is blown away so will they be blown away;
like wax that melts before the fire,
so the wicked shall perish at the presence of God.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
But the just shall rejoice at the presence of God,
they shall exult and dance for joy.
O sing to the Lord, make music to his name;
rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Father of the orphan, defender of the widow,
such is God in his holy place.
God gives the lonely a home to live in;
he leads the prisoners forth into freedom.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | 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!
Or: | Col3:1 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ,
you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is,
sitting at God’s right hand.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 16:29-33 |
Be brave, for I have conquered the world
His disciples said to Jesus, ‘Now you are speaking plainly and not using metaphors! Now we see that you know everything, and do not have to wait for questions to be put into words; because of this we believe that you came from God.’ Jesus answered them:
‘Do you believe at last?
Listen; the time will come – in fact it has come already –
when you will be scattered,
each going his own way and leaving me alone.
And yet I am not alone,
because the Father is with me.
I have told you all this
so that you may find peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but be brave: I have conquered the world.’
REALITY CHECK
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 19:1-8; Ps 68:2-7; Jn 16:29-33]
The disciples of Jesus confidently told our Lord they believed He came from God. They were able to do so because Jesus had anticipated their questions even before they asked. In doing so, Jesus revealed His divinity since it was believed that only those who are from God have the gift of foreknowledge. Therefore, the disciples said, “Now you are speaking plainly and not using metaphors! Now we see that you know everything, and do not have to wait for questions to be put into words; because of this we believe that you came from God.”
However, Jesus was not impressed by their remarks. Instead, he warned them their confidence would be shaken and tested. Jesus answered them, “Do you believe at last? Listen; the time will come – in fact it has come already – when you will be scattered, each going his own way and leaving me alone.” Not that Jesus doubted their love and confidence in Him but they lacked self-awareness of their ignorance, and their love for Him is weak and superficial. This was not the first time that the disciples had claimed they knew Jesus but when in actual fact, they did not. St Peter had said to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Mt 16:16) Almost immediately, when Jesus announced His imminent Passion, Peter rebuked the Lord saying, “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” (Mt 16:22) He did not grasp the meaning of His Passion. The rest of the apostles were oblivious to Jesus’ Passion. Immediately after the third prophecy of His Passion, they were more preoccupied about who would be seated on His right hand when the kingdom came. (Mt 20:17-28) St Peter had also professed his fidelity to the Lord like the rest of the apostles, only for Jesus to say to him, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow, till you have denied me three times.” (Jn 13:38)
Indeed, the disciples were ignorant of the impending Passion of our Lord. Jesus knew better. He knew they would abandon Him. He knew they were sincere, but they over-estimated themselves. They were over-confident of themselves. Their loyalty to the Lord had yet to be tested. In truth, they were cowards and in the face of suffering, they would run away. They would face endless persecution and Jesus told them, “In the world you will have trouble.” And after Jesus’ death and resurrection, we read about the persecutions of the early Christians in the Acts of the Apostles. Only after receiving the Holy Spirit, did the apostles and disciples find courage to testify to the Lord.
It is true for all of us as well. Many of us are overly confident of our faith. We think that we are faithful to our Lord. We think just because we know the Bible well and are involved in Church programmes and activities, we are very good Catholics. If we are patting ourselves on our backs, thinking how good we are, the Lord too is also asking us this question, “Do you really believe at last?” The truth is we do not know where we stand. It is only when we are tested, will we know for sure. How many Catholics would really stand up for Jesus? How many of us would defend our faith when others attack us for our values and beliefs? Most of the time, Catholics are silent when the Church is under siege. Few would dare risk their reputation, their security, their privacy and popularity to stand up for what the Church teaches.
How many of us, in the face of crisis, terminal illness, an accident, a misfortune, or when we lose our jobs and loved ones, would continue to trust in God’s love? Like the disciples, we too would run away when our faith is challenged. Some of us become resentful of God and give up on Him and stop praying to Him altogether. It is easy to profess our faith in God when times are good but when we are facing trials, it is a different matter. Therefore, we have to give ourselves a reality check.
Nevertheless, the Lord assures us that He would not be left alone because His Father would always be with Him even if we abandon Him. “And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world.” The Father was always with Jesus in His Passion and death on the cross. He raised Jesus from the dead. Sin and death were conquered by His death and resurrection. So the Lord wants to assure us that He is in control. He has overcome the world. So we can be brave even in the face of death as He will also not leave us alone. He will give us His Holy Spirit to be with us forever. The Holy Spirit will help us to be strong in our faith.
Indeed, the reason why we are not strong enough to withstand the challenges to our faith even though we think we have faith in Jesus is because we are not conscious of the Holy Spirit we have received at baptism. Perhaps, we are just like those nominal Christians in Ephesus who were baptised with the baptism of John. “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance; but he insisted that the people should believe in the one who was to come after him – in other words Jesus.” For many Catholics, faith is reducible to living a moral life. So long as we have not done wrong and if we have done some good, we will get to heaven. We should not be bothered about what others do or do not do. Everyone must answer for himself or herself. That is a very individualistic form of faith.
However, Christian Faith is fundamentally a relationship with Jesus. It is a personal encounter with the Lord in the Holy Spirit. It is not reducible to a moral philosophy of life. Repentance from sins is not a sufficient motive to stand up for Jesus. Only when Jesus is someone very important to us that we would stand up for Him. Indeed, some might fight for an ideology but even then, people change ideology when they see themselves losing. Whereas for a person, we will fight with our lives because we love that person. We do not change relationships as often as we change an ideology. Relationship engages the entire person, mind and heart whereas an ideology engages the head. That is why; it is hard to break from a relationship. It takes many months and even years before we can break a relationship that has turned sour or become difficult. Emotional ties are stronger than intellectual ties.
Therefore, Paul told the so-called Christians at Ephesus that they must be baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. This requires that they know who Jesus is. Until they were instructed how Jesus is the Messiah as implicitly recognised by John the Baptist and how in His death and resurrection, Jesus is Lord and Saviour, they could not be considered real Christians. In Christian baptism, faith in Jesus is a prerequisite. Unfortunately, many have been baptised with little knowledge of Jesus and end up living with a superficial faith. They are more interested in receiving the sacrament as a ritual rather than having a real relationship with Jesus. For example, if Catechumens at RCIA do not develop a personal relationship with the Lord, and only acquire head knowledge about the Sacraments and the Bible, we would have failed in leading them to Jesus. Consequently, it is important that catechumens have a real encounter with the Holy Spirit because only He can lead us to Jesus, to know Him intimately and to understand what we read in Scripture.
Baptism in the name of Jesus includes the reception of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, there will be other moments in one’s Christian life when we need to exhibit the signs of having the Holy Spirit in our lives. Perhaps, when St Paul went to Ephesus, he saw something was amiss and something was absent in the lives of these believers. They lacked the enthusiasm, passion and zeal of those Christians who had a real personal contact with Jesus in the Holy Spirit. Hence, after baptising them in the name of Jesus, “Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy. There were about twelve of these men.” These men had a similar Pentecost experience as the apostles had at the beginning of the Church.
What are the signs we need to see to discern whether we have the Holy Spirit in us and are conscious of the Holy Spirit? Those who have been touched of the Holy Spirit will normally exhibit a deep love for the Word of God and the Eucharist. They are zealous in their desire to spread the good news of God’s love. They seek to reach out to others instead of being exclusive because they see all men and women as their brothers and sisters. They are able to forgive and let go of the past. Most of all, they believe in miracles, in healing and exorcisms. And some receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
To recover our zeal for the Lord and our courage to stand up for Jesus, and be able to face sufferings in life, we need to deepen our relationship with the Lord by welcoming the Holy Spirit into our lives. We must relate with Him consciously as we do with the Father and the Son. If the Holy Spirit is a stranger in our faith and personal life, we will not be transformed in our life nor will our faith be alive in the Spirit. This explains why those in the Renewal Movement who have encountered the Risen Lord in the Spirit are ready to give up their lives and careers to give witness and glory to the Lord. So, let us welcome the Holy Spirit with open hearts!
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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