Work of the Holy Spirit in Us: Towards the end of his preaching, Jesus felt that his disciples would not be able to bear the burden of understanding all that he had to say. The solution to the problem was his promise of the Holy Spirit who, being the Spirit of truth, would guide them into all the truth. The Spirit will not speak on his own authority but will speak only what he hears. This he does by drawing from the Son who himself has everything from the Father (See John, 16: 12-15).
True Gospel: From the above instruction of Jesus to his disciples it is evident that in proclaiming the Gospel the work of the Holy Spirit is an essential pre-requisite. That is why the Apostles were directed by Jesus just before his ascension to remain in Jerusalem till they receive power from above before they set out on their mission of proclaiming the Gospel (See Acts, 1: 4-5, 8) The most important point to keep in mind here is that even the Holy Spirit does not speak on his own authority. The Spirit conforms himself to the Son and the Father in such a way that what he reveals is true Gospel meant for all the people. How much more is it required for the preachers of the Gospel of all ages to receive the Holy Spirit and conform themselves to the Son and the Father! Whether the Church has succeeded in proclaiming the true Gospel of God is a question of examination of its own conscience The Apostles and other disciples received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (See Acts, 2: 1-4) and we have received the Spirit in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation with a mission to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world. No extraordinary powers are required to fulfill our mission as it is essentially a mission of witnessing to the love of God expressed in Jesus Christ. "By baptism we were buried with him, and lay dead, in order that, as Christ was raised from the dead in the splendor of the Father, so also we might set our feet upon the new path of life" (Romans, 6: 4).
Work in the Spirit: The spiritual endowment we have received through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation is to be nurtured that will blossom into Gospel Proclamation. A similar instruction was given by Paul to Timothy in the matter of prophecy given to him through the laying on of the hands of the elders (See 1 Timothy,4: 14). Paul also tells us in Romans chapter 8 how the Holy Spirit works in us transforming us into sons and daughters of God. Thus the work of the Holy Spirit is crucial not only in our transformation but also in the Gospel proclamation.
God Himself enters our life as a servant to clean us up from the worldly spirit we are used to so that we may become acquainted with the ways of the Holy Spirit. For any cleaning activity, certain upsets and changes are required. We have to discard certain things, shift some others and polish still others and so on. Does it happen in our life too? Earlier we would have done anything for money, but now we have the proper perspective about it. Earlier we would have liked to occupy the highest position among our equals, but now we start offering the best position to our neighbor. Earlier we would have had no time for others, but now we start to have a few thoughts of compassion on others' plights and so on. Thus God becomes King in our life who allows us to serve others in His name for which He has liberated our hearts and we start finding our own true selves whereby we become happy. Ultimately, what God wants to make of us is that we should be sons and daughters who may call God "Abba, Father". This is how the Kingdom of God is being built up by the working of the Holy Spirit in us.
Before ending this Section, we shall summarize below the content of the preaching of Jesus under two heads: The Laws of the Kingdom and the Secrets of the Kingdom.
The Laws of the Kingdom:
1) The Kingdom of God consists in relationships with God and his creation.
2) Unless we are born again and become like children, we cannot enter into such a relationship.
3) In order to become like children, we must leave everyone and everything behind, including our own selves.
4) This kind of leaving behind everything consists in our detachment from people and things we are prone to love.
5) Leaving behind our own selves is accomplished by becoming servants of all.
6) True detachment results in true attachment as Jesus was attached to his mother through his detachment from her.
7) The status of being servant of all releases our potential to be truly liberated from all shackles that bind us.
8) Love for truth liberates us from ourselves.
9) Love for justice empowers us to judge the world.
10) Our love for God empowers us to empower whoever comes in contact with us.
The Secrets of the Kingdom:
1) The Kingdom of God evolves among us in response to the Word of God whereby relationships with God and His creation are entered into by us.
2) The role of Satan and his agents in spreading hatred and subverting our relationships cannot be ignored. "Watch and Pray" is the remedy prescribed by Jesus to avert the dangers inherent in the activities of the Kingdom.
3) Building up of the Kingdom starts from the inspired promptings of our heart deposited there by God Himself that grow into proportions beyond our grasp.
4) The potentialities of the Kingdom spread themselves once they are planted in the right medium, indicating the requirement of Gospel Proclamation.
5) The logic of the action of people involved in the Kingdom-building is strange to others because they have not perceived the values seen by the builders of the Kingdom.
6) This building process of the Kingdom cannot be accomplished without selling all our possessions, and in this our readiness for detachment holds the key.
7) There would be judgment and selection at the end of the world so that the children could be given their due share, while those of darkness and evil may be thrown out of the presence of God..
True Gospel: From the above instruction of Jesus to his disciples it is evident that in proclaiming the Gospel the work of the Holy Spirit is an essential pre-requisite. That is why the Apostles were directed by Jesus just before his ascension to remain in Jerusalem till they receive power from above before they set out on their mission of proclaiming the Gospel (See Acts, 1: 4-5, 8) The most important point to keep in mind here is that even the Holy Spirit does not speak on his own authority. The Spirit conforms himself to the Son and the Father in such a way that what he reveals is true Gospel meant for all the people. How much more is it required for the preachers of the Gospel of all ages to receive the Holy Spirit and conform themselves to the Son and the Father! Whether the Church has succeeded in proclaiming the true Gospel of God is a question of examination of its own conscience The Apostles and other disciples received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (See Acts, 2: 1-4) and we have received the Spirit in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation with a mission to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world. No extraordinary powers are required to fulfill our mission as it is essentially a mission of witnessing to the love of God expressed in Jesus Christ. "By baptism we were buried with him, and lay dead, in order that, as Christ was raised from the dead in the splendor of the Father, so also we might set our feet upon the new path of life" (Romans, 6: 4).
Work in the Spirit: The spiritual endowment we have received through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation is to be nurtured that will blossom into Gospel Proclamation. A similar instruction was given by Paul to Timothy in the matter of prophecy given to him through the laying on of the hands of the elders (See 1 Timothy,4: 14). Paul also tells us in Romans chapter 8 how the Holy Spirit works in us transforming us into sons and daughters of God. Thus the work of the Holy Spirit is crucial not only in our transformation but also in the Gospel proclamation.
God Himself enters our life as a servant to clean us up from the worldly spirit we are used to so that we may become acquainted with the ways of the Holy Spirit. For any cleaning activity, certain upsets and changes are required. We have to discard certain things, shift some others and polish still others and so on. Does it happen in our life too? Earlier we would have done anything for money, but now we have the proper perspective about it. Earlier we would have liked to occupy the highest position among our equals, but now we start offering the best position to our neighbor. Earlier we would have had no time for others, but now we start to have a few thoughts of compassion on others' plights and so on. Thus God becomes King in our life who allows us to serve others in His name for which He has liberated our hearts and we start finding our own true selves whereby we become happy. Ultimately, what God wants to make of us is that we should be sons and daughters who may call God "Abba, Father". This is how the Kingdom of God is being built up by the working of the Holy Spirit in us.
Before ending this Section, we shall summarize below the content of the preaching of Jesus under two heads: The Laws of the Kingdom and the Secrets of the Kingdom.
The Laws of the Kingdom:
1) The Kingdom of God consists in relationships with God and his creation.
2) Unless we are born again and become like children, we cannot enter into such a relationship.
3) In order to become like children, we must leave everyone and everything behind, including our own selves.
4) This kind of leaving behind everything consists in our detachment from people and things we are prone to love.
5) Leaving behind our own selves is accomplished by becoming servants of all.
6) True detachment results in true attachment as Jesus was attached to his mother through his detachment from her.
7) The status of being servant of all releases our potential to be truly liberated from all shackles that bind us.
8) Love for truth liberates us from ourselves.
9) Love for justice empowers us to judge the world.
10) Our love for God empowers us to empower whoever comes in contact with us.
The Secrets of the Kingdom:
1) The Kingdom of God evolves among us in response to the Word of God whereby relationships with God and His creation are entered into by us.
2) The role of Satan and his agents in spreading hatred and subverting our relationships cannot be ignored. "Watch and Pray" is the remedy prescribed by Jesus to avert the dangers inherent in the activities of the Kingdom.
3) Building up of the Kingdom starts from the inspired promptings of our heart deposited there by God Himself that grow into proportions beyond our grasp.
4) The potentialities of the Kingdom spread themselves once they are planted in the right medium, indicating the requirement of Gospel Proclamation.
5) The logic of the action of people involved in the Kingdom-building is strange to others because they have not perceived the values seen by the builders of the Kingdom.
6) This building process of the Kingdom cannot be accomplished without selling all our possessions, and in this our readiness for detachment holds the key.
7) There would be judgment and selection at the end of the world so that the children could be given their due share, while those of darkness and evil may be thrown out of the presence of God..
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