Acts
17:15, 22 - 18:1 / John 16:12-15
Jesus speaks more about the Spirit: “The Spirit will
guide you.”
A young Hindu and a Christian
seminarian were attending the same week-long seminar on the Sermon on the
Mount. In the course of the week, the two young people became good friends. At
one point the young Hindu confided to the seminarian that he had problems with
Jesus’ sermon. He knew how much it had influenced Gandhi, and he wanted to live
his life by it. But he feared it was too lofty an ethic for ordinary people to
live by. Toward the end of the seminar, however, the Hindu gained new insight
into his problem. The ethic was indeed lofty, but he had forgotten about Jesus’
promise. The Holy Spirit will not only teach the people the value of the ethic
but also empower them to follow it.
****
How open are we to the Holy Spirit’s
guidance and help? “Where the human spirit fails, the Holy Spirit fills.” Anonymous
*****
Empiricism is a philosophical theory that all
knowledge is based on experience derived from the senses. It means that as long as we can touch it, see
it, hear it, smell it or taste it, then we can know it or find out more about
it. Anything outside of the senses are
not to be discussed as they don't appeal to the senses and hence, nothing can
be known about it and no experience can be gained from it. So it can be said that empiricism does not
take into account the "sixth sense" or "intuition" as it
cannot be measured or quantified. How
empiricism handles the question of faith depends on how much of it is
considered acceptable.
In the 1st reading, when Paul stood before the whole
Council of Areopagus and made the speech, what he said was acceptable to them
until he talked about God raising a man from the dead. At this mention of raising from the dead,
some of them burst out laughing, while others seem to be interested in that.
As much as we profess that we believe in the
Resurrection of Christ, yet we too may not really understand what it is truly
about. We may not laugh at it but we have our questions that we are still
search for the answers. There may be
much material on it but we will have to let the Spirit of truth lead us to a
deeper understanding of the mystery of our faith.
What we cannot understand, let us not discard or
reject or laugh at it. The time may come when the Spirit of truth will lead us
to a leap of faith and then we will be enlightened.
****
Wednesday of 6th Week of Easter
THE SPIRIT OF THE TRUTH GOD DWELLING AMONG US
Introduction
The apostles should not be sad
because Jesus leaves them. Their faith will become deeper and more spiritual
when Jesus is no longer physically present. The Holy Spirit of truth will
continue with them the mission of Jesus. This Spirit of truth will give them no
new message, but he will guide the apostles and the Church to deepen their
understanding of the life and the message of Jesus and to confront these
constantly with the events and problems of the times. And thus, lead the Church
forward. St. Paul in Athens gives us an example of an apostle and missionary
who tries to take the pagan religion of the Athenians as a starting point and
to spiritualize it by stripping it from materialism and formalism.
Opening Prayer
Lord God, our Father, you are not
far away from any of us, for in you. we live and move and exist and you live in
us through your Holy Spirit. Be indeed with us Lord, send us your Holy Spirit
of truth and through him deepen our understanding of the life and message of
your Son, that we may accept the full truth and live with it consistently. We
ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Commentary
If we surmise correctly, Paul put a
good deal of thought into his first presentation of the faith in the Areopagus
at Athens. It differs considerably from the customary Pauline apologetic, and
we can only regret that it did not meet with a great measure of success, as the
author of Acts of the Apostles admits. While visiting the shrines to the
various Greek deities, Paul comes upon one dedicated to a God Unknown. He
seizes the moment and makes an impassioned plea for the God of Israel and the
Christ. He assures his hearers that this is the true God, the one in whom “we
live and move and have our being.” The turning point in Paul’s apologetic
presentation occurs when he mentions Christ’s resurrection from the dead. This
was an idea that was repulsive to a sophisticated Greek audience. He is met by
sneers and an unwillingness to hear more at that time. Only a few converts were
made. Worthy of note is the fact that Paul’s presentation centered almost
wholly on the God of the Old Testament. There is only a single reference to
Christ, not as Son of God or Messiah but simply as the man raised from the dead
and appointed judge of the world. Paul’s words were carefully selected to
appeal to the Hellenists, with none of the usual apologetic surrounding
Christ’s life and mission. The Gospel today reminds us that the Spirit was to
bring enlightenment after Christ’s departure. There are many ways in which the
Spirit has enlightened the church since the dawn of Christianity. The mystery
of the incarnation and redemption has unfolded for us through the teaching of
countless fathers and doctors of the church. The theological enterprise has
been the source of untold good. Paul selected the way in which he felt the
faith could best be presented. It was not a great success. We have the
opportunity to draw on the wisdom of the ages. Sometimes our efforts are
blessed with remarkable success; other times not. Some occasions call for new
approaches; others, for those which are more traditional. In any case it is
always the one risen Christ who remains at the center of our efforts.
Points to Ponder
Christ as the wisdom of God
We are God’s offspring
The resurrection of Christ: a core
belief
Intercessions
– Lord Jesus, when we lack words to
speak to the Father, let the Holy Spirit put the right prayers in our hearts
and in our lips, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, that men and women in
our media may listen to the Holy Spirit to tell the full and whole truth, we
pray:
– Lord Jesus, that the Holy Spirit
may inspire artists to make us admire the greatness of God’s creation, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, Lord of heaven and earth, you
give us life and breath and have made us your sons and daughters through our
brother, Jesus Christ. Give your Son to us now in this Eucharist. Through him
and his Spirit make your home among us, your people, and mold us into a
community of faith and love, that we may build up your kingdom and praise you,
forever and ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, you have reassured us
again in this Eucharistic celebration that you are with us through your Son,
Jesus Christ. May his Spirit of truth guide us to face the truth in all its
consequences – the truth about your Son and his Gospel, that we may live his
life more deeply, and the truth about ourselves, that we are but pale images
and poor witnesses of him who is our Lord forever.
Blessing
May the Spirit of truth come and
guide us to all truth, about ourselves, in our mutual relations, concerning
what is going on in our world. May God give our world this Spirit and bless us,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
