SET APART BY THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

WEDNESDAY, Fourth Week of Eastertide

Reflection from Friar Nicholas Okeke, OP

Acts 12:24-13:5; Ps 67:2-3,5-6,8; Jn 12:44-50

Theme: Set Apart by the Spirit of Truth

The Father who draws the sheep to the Good Shepherd prepares them to hear and recognise the voice of the Shepherd. The Father created the whole world and sustains it by his word. Thus, even before we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we were already prepared to recognise his voice by the reality that came into existence through him. Deep within us is a light of conscience that draws from the light of the word God. It judges our doings, whether they correspond to the truth we know or are characterised by the rejection of truth and inclination to falsehood. These daily rejections or acceptance of what we know to be true accumulate into our rejection or acceptance of Jesus Christ. Thus, we have seen that the sheep of Jesus Christ are drawn from all parts of the world. All who have been listening to the voice of truth deep within their conscience are already familiar with the voice of the Good Shepherd. All who live by the truth they know bear witness that God is true even when they do not know him expressly. God had prepared such people to receive the light that the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings to the world. “I, the light, have come into the world, so that whoever believes in me need not stay in the dark any more.”

No one is completely faithful to the ministration of truth from our human conditions and reality. Our failures in various areas darken our judgment of truth and weaken our moral ability. Because of these failings which characterise our fallen nature, everybody comes under the judgment of the word of God which is Spirit and life. Our acceptance of the judgment and repentance from our sins would win us salvation in Jesus Christ who came not to condemn the world but to save it. “If anyone hears my words and does not keep them faithfully, it is not I who shall condemn him, since I have come not to condemn the world, but to save the world. He who rejects me and refuses my words has his judge already: the word itself that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day.” Before the Gospel message comes to us, the word of God comes to us in an unspoken manner through creation and events of everyday life. Openness to this unspoken word of God prepares us for the reception of the Gospel message. Hence, the Lord affirmed that the Father draws all to him. Those who are open are drawn to Christ, and those who close their minds are unwilling to be drawn to salvation.

This openness and closure of our minds to the Father’s preparatory works in us determines whom the Holy Spirit would guide the disciples to preach the Gospel message to. Those who are to do the work of preaching the Gospel are also prepared. We see confirmation of this in the preparation of Barnabas and Paul in the church in Antioch, as narrated in the first reading. The church had different spiritual gifts due to her openness to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit selected the two from their midst to preach the Gospel to those God had prepared for his Son. “One day while they were offering worship to the Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said, ‘I want Barnabas and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.’ So it was that after fasting and prayer they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” The journey of Christian life is the journey of gradual consecration to the truth. It starts from birth through parental guidance and introduction to a life of honesty, through an encounter with Jesus Christ and gradual assimilation into him. What is required is daily conversion and consecration to the Spirit of truth. 

Let us pray:  Grant us, Lord, to desire more familiarity with your Son and greater consecration to his truth, that we who thirst for what you generously promise may always have our fill of your plenty.    

Comments

  1. ChimbuChiukwu ChimjikaApril 25, 2024 at 12:25 AM

    So encouraging. Keep feeding the flock of God.
    Good morning Padre.

    ReplyDelete

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