Comforter

6th Week of Easter 21 May  2017

First reading                              Acts 8:5-8,14-17  

Philip went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. There were, for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured. As a result there was great rejoicing in that town.

  When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, and they went down there, and prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he had not come down on any of them: they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Responsorial Psalm

Responsorial           Psalm 65(66):1-7,16,20                    

Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth

Second reading                     1 Peter 4:13-16 

If you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad, because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed. It is a blessing for you when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ, because it means that you have the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God resting on you. None of you should ever deserve to suffer for being a murderer, a thief, a criminal or an informer; but if anyone of you should suffer for being a Christian, then he is not to be ashamed of it; he should thank God that he has been called one.

Gospel                                           John 14:15-21

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If you love me you will keep my commandments.

I shall ask the Father,

and he will give you another Advocate

to be with you for ever,

that Spirit of truth

whom the world can never receive

since it neither sees nor knows him;

but you know him,

because he is with you, he is in you.

I will not leave you orphans;

I will come back to you.

In a short time the world will no longer see me;

but you will see me,

because I live and you will live.

On that day you will understand that I am in my Father

and you in me and I in you.

Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them

will be one who loves me;

and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father,

and I shall love him and show myself to him.’

Reflection:

by Ms Fely Santiago

“He will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth”

From the devotional of Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson he wrote – “Incredibly,  Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to be our indwelling, personal source of comfort. Somehow, I’d never linked this supernatural provision to my struggle for sin. I wondered what would happen if I specifically asked for this divine comfort in a time of temptation. Would the Holy Spirit give to me the needed comfort so that I would feel less need to sin?”

He called this the Three-Minute Temptation Buster. When you feel sorely tempted to sin, remember that you can take your underlying need for fulfillment and comfort to God. Ask for His Advocate, the Holy Spirit to comfort you. Then take off your watch and time this miracle of God’s intervention – I can guarantee that the Spirit will comfort you in less than three minutes. And by then you won’t need to sin because the temptation will have vanished.

I tried what he suggested. During my moments of temptation, I decided to call the Holy Spirit and indeed in less than three minutes the temptation is gone! These are some of the things we take for granted- that God sent the Holy Spirit to be our comforter. This is the aspect of our daily living thatwe often forget. Yes, I pray to the Holy Spirit whenever I seek for guidance, for wisdom before doing a presentation or sharing. Or even ask the Holy Spirit to provide a parking space in the mall which He always answer! But I often forget to ask for His help in moments of temptation like when I am tempted to quickly judge others, flaring up when things don’t happen as expected, getting angry when I am inconvenienced on the road or even at work, and many more. Now when I am tempted, I pause and ask the help of the Holy Spirit. And in less than three minutes the temptation is gone. The is the gift of the gap. Whenever you feel tempted, pause and seek the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever asked for the comfort of the Holy Spirit especially in moments of temptation? When have you experienced it lately? Just pray this "Dear Holy Spirit, You've been sent to be my personal Comforter. I am in desperate need of comfort. I don't want to sin. Please comfort me."

Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:16, 22-23)

Prayer

Father God thank You for sending us our comforter and advocate, the Holy Spirit. You really take care of us and never leave us orphans. Help us to always seek the Holy Spirit so we can really produce the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Thank You for always being there for us. Amen.