To be the Beacons

My reflection of today’s daily reading, the 6^th week of Easter, Wednesday before Ascension Thursday 2014, of Acts 17:15, 22-18:1; Psalm 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14; and John 16:12-15.

Everyone in this world I believe has a spiritual and religious side of them. They may or may not be conscious of it, and they may or may not acknowledge it, but deep down it is always present in a person. Even the most hardcore atheist is searching for a greater purpose in his/her life, though he/she may deny it. After all, God made mankind in His image and likeness, and imbued in them a longing for fullness to which only He can fulfil.

As Christians privileged into this fullness, it is our duty to help others discover and share in this grace we received. It can be a most difficult task to do, yet if we sit back and reflect a moment, we may realise that anything and everything can be used to point towards God. Quoting the responsorial Psalm, “Heaven and Earth are full of Your Glory”. If so – and it IS so – then everything down to the last particle can be taken to reflect the Glory of God.

Still, there is no denying that many of us find testifying our faith a real challenge. In order to prepare ourselves for this responsibility, we need to arm ourselves with two indispensable and inseparable items: the Church and the Holy Spirit.

Before the Bible came into existence, the Church had already begun her ministry in the world. It was the Church, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit that compiled the Bible as we know today. While it is true that Scripture is essential, equally important is the correct understanding of the passages. Jesus taught His disciples; who later passed the teachings down to the believers; and this continued until today. Should the Spirit alone be enough, God would not have come down in person and spent years living with and teaching His Apostles, and they in turn to the believers (see Acts 18:11, 24-28 as an example).

The role of the Holy Spirit must also not be downplayed. For it is through the Spirit that we are guided to all truth (John 16:13), and it is through the Spirit we will glorify the Lord (John 16:14). The Holy Spirit will take what is from Christ and declare it to us (John 16:14). This can only happen when we make an effort to build our relationship with Him (eg: through Scriptures), guided by His family, the Church (Luke 10:16). Only when we are grounded in the Church and Spirit can we effectively sow the message as God would have it.

In summary, everyone has a spiritual side. As Christians, it is our duty to help them discover it in full in the person of Jesus. Anything and everything can be used to point people towards God. However, we need to be grounded in the Church and the Holy Spirit. Only then can the Gospel be effectively delivered in the world.

RFG always.