Saturday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time (October 21, 2017): Fidelity to the Holy Spirit

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 12:8-12)

Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”

Good News Reflection:

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I put myself before you in all humility. I know that I have often failed you, but I trust in your grace to help me to pray this morning with fervor and intensity.

Petition:Grant me a profound awareness of the Holy Spirit’s presence in my soul.

1. The Unforgivable Sin. What sin could never be forgiven? That’s hard to say, because Scripture gives us the example of one person being forgiven of the sins of laziness, lust, adultery, scandal and murder, all committed in the space of one chapter (2 Samuel 11). So rather than any concrete sin, the unforgivable sin is an attitude: “God can’t forgive me.” This is indeed a deep blasphemy because it denies the very core of God’s being: his love and mercy. Some people fall into this type of despair, which is a very dangerous state of soul. We need to pray for them, and, if we know them, encourage them that God is always waiting for us with the open arms of a forgiving father. No prodigal is so far gone that he will find the door shut if he tries to return home.

2. Listening to the Holy Spirit. Why is this the sin against the Holy Spirit? Because he is the Advocate, always whispering to our heart, “Turn back to the Lord who loves you.” The grave sin of despair blocks the perception of this call. But we don’t need to blaspheme the Holy Spirit to become spiritually obtuse. We allow distractions to overwhelm our interior life — the needs of home and work being so much more immediate than the need to pray. Or we become absorbed in entertainment, surfing the Internet or TV channels, with the result that it becomes even painful to try to sit still long enough to enter into a true dialogue with God. But it does not have to be this way. God wants to help us! He is sending the Holy Spirit to aid us in this spiritual journey. When we start to make an effort, we will soon experience that joy of soul that comes from the Lord.

3. An Unbeatable Defense.When the Holy Spirit lives in our soul, we experience God’s forgiveness. We know and are convinced of his love. This makes us strong. The Lord says that the Holy Spirit will teach us what to say in moments of persecution. In other words, cultivating his presence will give us peace. He will enable us to overcome passivity and the fears we have of saying or doing the right thing. So frequently we want to the dodge difficulty and will even at times cut corners on our faithfulness in order to do so. But the Holy Spirit’s presence gives us courage. God doesn’t leave us hanging out to dry. He’s there! He’s even inside of us!

Dialogue with Christ: Oh Lord, you have given me so much! The Holy Spirit dwells in my soul, constantly reminding me of your love and mercy. Please help any soul that is teetering on the brink of despair. Help them to know what you have taught me: we can never ever exhaust your mercy.

Resolution: I will seek out a discouraged soul to show him that God loves him.

Fr. Marcial Maciel, LC

• Vatican
• HĐGM Việt Nam
• CSsR
• DCCT
• Nhà sách Đức Mẹ
• Đức Mẹ Hằng Cứu Giúp