THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) …. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)
The Holy Spirit Renews, Regenerates, Trains, Teaches, and Transforms us. The Holy Spirit is God. He is the Chief Evangelist. He equips us for the mission. This implies evangelization without the Holy Spirit will not yield much fruits or even be fruitless.
Acts 1:12-26 tells of the nine days the believers spent before the coming of the Holy Spirit. Mary, Mother of the Church was with them as they waited and prayed. The remainder of the Acts of the Apostles describes the activity of the Holy Spirit in the Church. Jesus promised to send the Paraclete who will remind them of all that he has thought them (John 14:14-31). We see a great testimony of the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers. (Romans 8) and the effects of the Holy Spirit is bearing fruits as enumerated in Galatians 5:22-23. Peter in the first Pentecost sermon saw in Joel 3:1-5, a prophesy of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The patterns of our lives are probably just like Peter’s, with many ups and downs. There are times when we seem to hear from the Lord clearly and act boldly. Yet there are times when we may act impulsively without thinking, times when we may act cowardly, and times when we may act timidly when we should be bold.
The good news is that our heavenly Father is just as eager to renew in us the Holy Spirit as it was on that first Pentecost. With the Holy Spirit moving in us, we can do the similar things that Peter did. We can be just as effective in our ability to love other people and in our attempts to share the gospel with them. Like Peter, we too can find the wisdom we need, even the right words to speak (Matthew 10:20), so that we can bear fruit for the kingdom of God in our evangelization efforts.
It’s not enough to preach about Christ and tell people about the joy that the Gospel brings. We Christians in our ordinary lives need to demonstrate that joy and fullness of life by the way we live. We have received the Holy Spirit, especially at baptism and confirmation.
The third glorious mystery is a special time to examine our relationship to the Holy Spirit. Do we, prompted by the Holy Spirit, daily make the decision to love others as Jesus loves us?
Evangelization is “a beggar telling another beggar here he has found bread”. Evangelization today, then, is more about being than about doing or speaking. One thing you can be sure of is that Jesus wants to use you, and perhaps in a way you never expected.
So don’t be afraid to say yes to the call to evangelization. Each day we are faced with decisions and need counsel and guidance. We have tasks to perform and need courage. This mystery is a time to pray for the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
To Be Continued…
Mary, Refuge of Sinners, Pray for us!!
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