Gospel: John 20:19-23
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors
were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and
stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said
this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they
saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has
sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and
said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven
them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
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Reflection:
There’s this story of two brothers who lived in a remote
rural area; these two have very extreme behaviors. Brother A, is a good natured
fellow he’s very helpful towards his neighbors he is also very humble,
prayerful and active in their church.
Brother B, is the opposite of Brother A, he has a rude
behavior, has vices he seldom smile and acts as if he has no relatives and
neighbors in their area. He doesn’t even
go to church he prefers to be with his drinking buddies rather than go to
church for worship.
Due to his good natured characteristics the people around
the community gravitates towards the side of Brother A. Whenever there’s
conflict in the area they would run to him for help to be the peacemaker. They
would also go to his house every week to ask him to be their guide and
facilitator in their prayer meetings.
How does the Holy Spirit work in our lives or how does the
Holy Spirit manifest its presence in our lives? This is the million dollar
question that is very hard to answer mainly because many of us have no
experience of feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit.
God the Holy Spirit makes his presence obvious on those
people who lead their lives worthy in the eyes of God. The Holy Spirit is like
those people who gravitated towards the side of the good natured, humble and
prayerful brother A.
The secret therefore to unleash the presence of the Holy
Spirit in our lives is to live our lives according to the teachings of God.
In our gospel this Sunday, the disciples of Jesus were in a
room hiding from their persecutors. Aside from hiding from the Jews who were
persecuting them what else were they doing there? They were obviously praying
for Jesus’ protection and care and they were not failed by Jesus.
In the midst of locked doors He appeared to them and gave
them His peace, He twice told them: “Peace be with you.” To pledge them that
there’s nothing to worry about for the reason that He is there in their midst. Peace
be with you to reassure them of His abiding presence and protection. Then
finally he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
God’s peace and the presence of the Holy Spirit will come to
us the moment we become His faithful and prayerful followers. This peace that
God gives us doesn’t mean the absence of problems and challenges in our lives.
It means that amidst these problems and challenges we would still be calm and
peaceful because we know that God the Holy Spirit is with us.
Do you feel the guiding presence of God the Holy Spirit in your
life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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