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:
The story is told of two brothers that 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 and always full of himself. He doesn’t even go to church he prefers
to be with his drinking buddies rather than go to church for Sunday Mass.
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 the 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 the Lord.
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, calming and enlightening presence of God the
Holy Spirit in your life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas