Jesus promised us another advocate before the Father in order not to leave us orphans when he had to return to the Father after completing his mission entrusted to him by the Father (See John, 14:16). The Spirit of God had been active from the beginning of the world as we see from the creation narrative in the Book of Genesis. Throughout the history of Israel, we see how the Spirit of God directs the course of their relationship with God through their leaders like Moses and Joshua, kings and prophets etc. Even the life of Jesus was under the influence of the Holy Spirit beginning with his conception in the womb of Mary and culminating in his resurrection. However, although the Spirit was given sporadically to individuals before the resurrection of Jesus, it was only with his resurrection that the Holy Spirit was given as a matter of course to everyone(See John, 7: 39). If the Spirit is given to everyone without any restrictions, what is the role of the Church and why should the Gospel be proclaimed throughout the world?
In order to answer this vital question, we have to be prepared for understanding the distinction between the role of an infrastructure and its actual use.The whole redemptive work of Jesus Christ as well as the establishment of the Church may be considered as the infrastructure of salvation that has to be freely appropriated by us. In this sense, God has shown us the way to Him and as it is the only way acceptable to Him, Jesus Christ and the Church occupy a unique position in the plan of God. Here arises the necessity of Gospel Proclamation announcing the acceptable way to God, which, however, does not restrict the action of the Spirit as it wills and where it wills. The Holy Spirit is bestowed upon the faithful through the sacraments of the Church for the purpose of inviting the faithful to become disciples of Jesus Christ. The genuine disciples of Jesus Christ alone are able to proclaim the Gospel through their witnessing and preaching of the Gospel. The Church should not be led by the false notion that the consequence of its special election is the rejection of all others as Israel was unfortunately led to believe.
St. Paul tells us what are the implications of 'walking in the spirit'(See Galatians, 5: 13-26). As we are freed by Jesus Christ from the yoke of slavery imposed on us by Satan, we are not obliged to be under the tyranny of the flesh and are free to walk in the Spirit. The Spirit and the flesh are opposed to each other and we should refrain from satisfying the cravings of the flesh and walk in the Spirit instead. The acts of the flesh are mentioned in Galatians, 5: 19-21and the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians, 5: 22-23. Add to this the loving service to our neighbor with humility and we are on the fast track to self-transformation, effected by the Holy Spirit, leading to victory over death culminating in our own resurrection. In this way, we follow Jesus Christ not only in life but also eternally by turning our death into the gateway of the new life along with him.
How shall we connect this mystery of our life in everyday experiences to our ordinary way of speaking to make it more meaningful? Jesus himself invited us to consider the fate of a seed that falls to the ground and dies so that it may produce much fruit and compare it with our own life (See John, 12: 24-25). Jesus actually enunciated a fundamental law of life from which no one and nothing is exempt. The richness and fullness of life are hidden in our everyday realities that very often are missed by us in the hustle and bustle of life. The life eternal is nothing but a continuation of our present life, if only we understand the mysteries of life. The presence of the Holy Spirit, freely given by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, is operative in the world and our co-operation with the Spirit is our response to the invitation for us prepared by God Himself. The wonderful fact of life is that in order to be sanctified now and be glorified later, we do not have to run away from our ordinary life, but only be faithful in our daily duties keeping in mind the presence of God through His Spirit always and everywhere.
In order to answer this vital question, we have to be prepared for understanding the distinction between the role of an infrastructure and its actual use.The whole redemptive work of Jesus Christ as well as the establishment of the Church may be considered as the infrastructure of salvation that has to be freely appropriated by us. In this sense, God has shown us the way to Him and as it is the only way acceptable to Him, Jesus Christ and the Church occupy a unique position in the plan of God. Here arises the necessity of Gospel Proclamation announcing the acceptable way to God, which, however, does not restrict the action of the Spirit as it wills and where it wills. The Holy Spirit is bestowed upon the faithful through the sacraments of the Church for the purpose of inviting the faithful to become disciples of Jesus Christ. The genuine disciples of Jesus Christ alone are able to proclaim the Gospel through their witnessing and preaching of the Gospel. The Church should not be led by the false notion that the consequence of its special election is the rejection of all others as Israel was unfortunately led to believe.
St. Paul tells us what are the implications of 'walking in the spirit'(See Galatians, 5: 13-26). As we are freed by Jesus Christ from the yoke of slavery imposed on us by Satan, we are not obliged to be under the tyranny of the flesh and are free to walk in the Spirit. The Spirit and the flesh are opposed to each other and we should refrain from satisfying the cravings of the flesh and walk in the Spirit instead. The acts of the flesh are mentioned in Galatians, 5: 19-21and the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians, 5: 22-23. Add to this the loving service to our neighbor with humility and we are on the fast track to self-transformation, effected by the Holy Spirit, leading to victory over death culminating in our own resurrection. In this way, we follow Jesus Christ not only in life but also eternally by turning our death into the gateway of the new life along with him.
How shall we connect this mystery of our life in everyday experiences to our ordinary way of speaking to make it more meaningful? Jesus himself invited us to consider the fate of a seed that falls to the ground and dies so that it may produce much fruit and compare it with our own life (See John, 12: 24-25). Jesus actually enunciated a fundamental law of life from which no one and nothing is exempt. The richness and fullness of life are hidden in our everyday realities that very often are missed by us in the hustle and bustle of life. The life eternal is nothing but a continuation of our present life, if only we understand the mysteries of life. The presence of the Holy Spirit, freely given by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, is operative in the world and our co-operation with the Spirit is our response to the invitation for us prepared by God Himself. The wonderful fact of life is that in order to be sanctified now and be glorified later, we do not have to run away from our ordinary life, but only be faithful in our daily duties keeping in mind the presence of God through His Spirit always and everywhere.
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