The Life-Giving Spirit

𝐃𝐄𝐂. 𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈: 𝐈𝐬𝐚 𝟏𝟏:𝟏-𝟏𝟎

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟕𝟐:𝟏-𝟐, 𝟕-𝟖, 𝟏𝟐-𝟏𝟑, 𝟏𝟕 “𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐊 𝟏𝟎:𝟐𝟏-𝟐𝟒

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝑩𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒆𝒆.” (𝒗.23)

         There are three things in this Gospel passage that will definitely enliven the thoughts of the serious reader of the Scriptures especially those who may be searching for their purpose in life in this Season of Advent.

         The first thing we will notice is right there at the beginning of this passage when Jesus thanked God for keeping the spiritual truths from the wise and the learned as he spoke of their inability and or failure to grasp the message that lies behind the Word of God that was accepted and ingested by the ordinary people.

         In this world we live in, much of life’s rewards go to those who are intelligent, those who were accorded the opportunity of a good education to hone their talents, those who are rich and have access to capital, the powerful who can influence the workplace they are in. Sadly, however, those who belong to this societal class are those who have a hard time subordinating their will to the Will of God and because they have to operate in a system dictated by worldly values, they try to find a spiritual balance that will allow them to live in both worlds.

         In 𝐯.𝟐𝟏 Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit as he expressed his gratitude to God for making available the spiritual truths to everyone regardless of titles and positions. Jesus desires that all men come face to face with the truths revealed by the Father with childlike trust and not because of their intelligence and or positions in life. What Jesus requires for membership in the Kingdom of God is not our impressive bio-data but our complete trust in the Grace of God that is freely given.

         As he thanked God for making the Kingdom of God available to all, he also warned of pride that can close the mind of the wise and the clever from accepting God’s truth and wisdom and contrasting this to the bare simplicity by which ordinary men seek the greatest good – God Himself.

         Simplicity of heart is founded on the humility of ordinary men who like children are possessed with hearts that are inclined to receiving Grace and truth. Just as pride is the root of every evil, humility is the good soil in which the Grace of God will take root. The Apostle James could not have been more emphatic when he said: “𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞.” (𝐉𝐚𝐦 𝟒:𝟔)          

        The second remarkable thing that will certainly catch our attention was the kind of relationship that Jesus has with God as he said in 𝐯.𝟐𝟐. This filial bond gives credence to Jesus as the second person of Our Trinitarian God as he and the Father are one (𝐉𝐧 𝟏𝟎:𝟑𝟎) and there can be no doubting the presence of God in Jesus as whoever has seen him has also seen the Father (𝐉𝐧 𝟏𝟒:𝟗).

         What Jesus was saying was that anyone of us who wishes to know God all we must do is to simply look at him who is the exact revelation of who God is. In saying this in 𝐯.𝟐𝟐, Jesus was telling his disciples, and he is telling us now that our knowledge of God is not limited to knowing about God but that we have the opportunity to personally know God as our Father and be united with him in a relationship founded on love and trust.

        And Jesus makes it possible for us to not only know God but to enjoy the love and freedom that has been available to all of us. Through Jesus we are given the opportunity to experience love in its perfection, a love that found its fulfillment on the cross.

         Notwithstanding the teachings, the healing miracles including the dead who were raised back to life, his claim of being the Messiah sent by God, many of the people and even from among the ranks of his disciples took Jesus for granted. Some 2,000 years later and amidst the legacy of the Church, the availability of the Scriptures, the presence of Priests and Pastors who deliver good sermons and talks and yet we also take these for granted.

         We listen to them, but we don’t take to heart the message imparted. We open the Scriptures, and we either can’t see God and the messages that are in them or worse, we refuse to accept the truthfulness of what the Scriptures say. Even when Jesus walked the earth and claimed he was the One whom the prophets and kings desired to see but did not see, many of us are falling into the same trap of not seeing God.

         The opportunities that have been made available for us to know God through Christ is a privilege given to us but with privilege comes responsibility. And the key to knowing and seeing God is right there at the beginning of this passage in 𝐯.𝟐𝟏 when Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit which is also the third significant part of this Gospel passage.

         Isaiah in the First Reading prophesied that the Messiah who is to come will be filled with the gifts of the Spirit (𝐈𝐬𝐚 𝟏𝟏:𝟐) and establish a kingdom that is based on his atoning sacrifice on the cross that redeemed all the nations of the earth and made us citizens and co-heirs of the Heavenly Kingdom.

         To see the things that God has placed before us which prophets and kings desired but did not see is for us to also be filled with the Holy Spirit because when we receive and accept the Holy Spirit, we have God Himself abiding in us, giving us life and working in and through us. With the Spirit in us, we will have a foretaste of what heaven is like.

         The need for all of us to be filled with the Holy Spirit could not have come at a better time than today as Pope Francis “𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘴𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩.”  The Catholic Church, said Pope Francis, “𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳.”        

        The late Pope Francis has stressed that an encounter with God is the source and inspiration of all our efforts at evangelizations and that in order to lead a dignifying and fulfilling life, the Catholic lay faithful must reach out to others and we can all do this if we allow ourselves to be filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit who provides us with the power to obey the Will of God. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘋𝘦𝘤. 2, 2025)