Holy Spirit, The Advocate

Weekly Missionary Reflection
6th Sunday of Easter, 14 May 2023
Act. 8:5-8,14-17; Ps. 66:1-3a,4-5,6-7a,16,20; 1Pet. 3:15-18; John 14:15-21

This is the 6th Sunday of Easter. Both the first reading and Gospel reading invite us to ponder the role of the Holy Spirit God. As Catholics, we believe that God becomes a  man in Jesus through the mystery of the incarnation.  To the apostles and His followers, Jesus kept on saying that He and the Father were one. We can know the God Father through Jesus, the Son of God.

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared Himself to the disciples and His followers several times. He knew He had little time with them in this world. In today’s Gospel Jesus promised to send an “advocate”:

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you always, the Spirit of Truth, which the world cannot accept because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you.”

After being risen to heaven, the apostles and we, the humans,  can not see Jesus.  However, through His Holy Spirit, God is still present in our lives. Do we ever realize His presence? Before the mystery of Pentecost, the apostles were fear of the Jews. Yet they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they became fearless.  Through baptism and the sacrament of confirmation, we receive the Holy Spirit. Do we realize His presence? Do we ask for her help? Do we say a prayer that God strengthens us through the Holy Spirit? Or do we just count on our own way of thinking, our own power, and we just ask for the Holy Spirit’s help only when we are in a problem?

My brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit is working within us every time we pray, do good to others, and forgive. Let us humbly let the Holy Spirit lead our path, our words, and our daily action. Let us spend time to open our hearts and realize the presence of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate in our lives. God bless.

(Br. Kornelius Glossanto, SX – Xaverian Missionary)

DAILY DEDICATED PRAYER

Lord, our Father, I present my today prayer, thought, word, work, joy, and sorrow in unity with Your Son, Jesus Christ, who always presents Himself in the Eucharist for the salvation of the world. May the Holy Spirit animating Jesus, also be my guidance and strength today so that I am ready to be the witness of Your love.

Together with St. Mary, Mother of Jesus, and the Church, in particular, I present my prayer for our Pope and apostle prayer of the Indonesian Church of this month:

For church movements and groups
We pray that Church movements and groups may rediscover their mission of evangelization each day, placing their own charisms at the service of needs in the world.

For the wisdom of Mary
We pray that the mothers and women be willing to imitate Mother Mary, to be patient, wise, willing to sacrifice, and believe that the Lord will make the impossible possible for the life of their children and society.

Amen