Jesus: Our Eternal Security

𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝟐𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓. 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏 𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐈, 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐀𝐜 𝟏𝟔:𝟏𝟏-𝟏𝟓

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟏𝟒𝟗:𝟏-𝟔, 𝟗 “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐉𝐍 𝟏𝟓:𝟐𝟔𝐛-𝟏𝟔:𝟒𝐚

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “… 𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚.” (𝑱𝒏 16:1) 

         It is quite normal for anyone who find themselves in dire situations to  call on their closest friends if not their trusted relatives to help them out of their predicament whatever it may be. But supposing there is no one who will sympathize with you, to whom will you turn to?

         If you reflect on the gospel readings, you will find that the disciples of Jesus also found themselves in the same situation you could be in when the world seems to have caved in on you.

         But Jesus being the best and truest of a friend that you can ever find had offered his disciples his very own Spirit whom he called the paraclete or helper. Other translations also referred to the Holy Spirit as Advocate or Counselor the latter being a legal term for the one who will defend someone against an adversary and who guides that person during the ordeal of trial.

         Thus, the Holy Spirit is in a sense our Advocate and Helper who will lead us safely through the challenges and adversities we will face in life. As the hour of the passion and death of Jesus approached, he began revealing more fully to his disciples the person and role of the Holy Spirit.

         What does Jesus tell us about the Holy Spirit?  First, the Holy Spirit is inseparably one with the Father and the Son. It is the Holy Spirit who gives life which is the very life of God that is being handed to us and it is also the same Holy Spirit who kindles our faith especially if we become receptive to Word of God.

         The Spirit also paves the way that allows us to know God personally as he fills our minds and our hearts with the wisdom and knowledge of God. In the same way, the Spirit inspires us and moves in our soul to lead us into accepting Jesus Christ as the Messiah whom the Father has sent his Son to redeem the world from its sinful nature.

         The Holy Spirit reveals to us the plan of God for all of his creation and he enables us to discern God’s plan with the “eyes of faith.” It is through the gift of faith that we are given the empowerment and inspiration to testify to the transforming power of God in our life.

         Last week, I was in a small renewal community that is attached to a parish in Paranaque and I talked of receiving God’s Gift as a prelude to the Baptism in the Spirit. I focused on the importance of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit as a requisite in receiving all the other nine gifts that the Holy Spirit will choose to apportion to each one of those who will be baptized in the Spirit.

         I believe that many find it difficult understanding the nature of the Holy Spirit and it is because of the unclear teachings that are being made to appear that the Spirit of God is like a gift that is being given to us in the here and now. What we must understand is that the Holy Spirit indwells in everyone who receives the sacrament of baptism and consequently the virtues of faith, hope and love are infused in everyone who is being baptized with water and spirit.

         When a baptized Catholic is confirmed seven years following his baptism, the same Holy Spirit by some mysterious action also infuses what is called the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (𝐈𝐬𝐚 𝟏𝟏:𝟏) and these are: the gifts of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Courage or Boldness, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord. The infusion of these gifts is also referred to as sanctifying graces because when practiced these gifts are designed to sanctify us and bring us into a close relationship with God.

         For those who have attended the Life in the Spirit Seminar or LSS, the Holy Spirit also distributes other gifts, and we can see these in 𝟏 𝐂𝐨𝐫 𝟏𝟐:𝟏𝐟𝐟 and these are the so-called spiritual or charismatic gifts: Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Prophecy, Discernment of Spirits, Healing, Miracles, Tongues and, Interpretation of tongues.

        These gifts are intended not only to enable a person receiving these gifts to live as a Christian, but these are given for the common good which means that we are to use these gifts to help the Church, the Community and others as well.

         We are given the Holy Spirit to help us live as disciples of Jesus Christ because the Spirit provides us with courage and perseverance when we face adversities in life. Hence, it is incumbent upon us all to also pray for the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in faith, hope and love and to give us the strength to endure with hope when we encounter difficulties in life no matter how difficult these may be.

         It is not easy to live a Christian life because to do so we need to take that leap of faith so we can step into the same path that Jesus walked on. When Jesus summarized the Mosaic Laws into two – love of God and love of neighbor – many of us balked at the prospects of loving those who hurt us, who offended us, who caused us pain and at times ruin.

         And I am no different than some of you as I too was in a situation when I could not forgive those who have offended me but God led me to a renewal community where I have served in the last 39 years and Our Lord impressed upon me the need to forgive and love even the unlovable.

         With the formation programs that followed after my baptism in the Spirit, I found myself forgiving those who wronged me and by the power of the same Spirit I was able to gather the courage to humble myself and seek forgiveness of those whom I have wronged.  

         This is what the Holy Spirit does and when Jesus said that he is going to send the Holy Spirit to make sure that we don’t fall away, this was what he did because if God did not find me I could have persisted in filling my heart and mind with anger and hatred towards those who wronged me and which could have separated me from God and thus be deprived of the salvation of my soul.

         Christian discipleship is not for the faint-hearted because everyone who wants to become a disciple of Christ must make a choice and that is what is most difficult, and it would take a great deal of obedience that is steeped in humility to follow Christ.

         But follow him we must if we want to take our places in one of the rooms in the heavenly mansion that Christ has prepared for us. The good thing is that we have the Holy Spirit who will provide us with the wisdom, knowledge, counsel, boldness and piety that are anchored on fear of the Lord to get us to where we are going. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘔𝘢𝘺 26, 2025)