The Word God Spells

John 16: 12-15
Acts 17: 15, 22 — 18: 1 / Ps 148: 1-2, 11-14

…when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.
(John 16:13)

May the living Word live within,
That we may grow and bear much fruit;
And God’s will in our life be seen,
Revealed by His Spirit of Truth.

Jesus said, “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are coming. He will bring glory to me because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” (John 16:12-15)

Reflection

Jesus was running out of time, and His apostles were already on their wits’ end trying to grasp all the things that He was telling them. But He knew that when the Advocate came down to them on Pentecost in tongues of fire, they would understand everything. It was enough that our Lord had revealed to them the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, and the working relationships of the Triune God for the first time.

Jesus is the revelation of God the Father. He told His apostles, ”If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him” (Jn.14:7), and “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (Jn.14:11). But it would be the Holy Spirit who would deepen the apostles’ understanding of that revelation. In the course of Church history, the same Advocate would lead all the martyrs and saints in their individual missions to spread the Christian faith all over the world. Without His guidance and inspiration, as well as His power, Christ’s heralds of God’s kingdom would not be able to comprehend His Divine Nature, and the salvation plan of the Father working through Him.

It is also the same Spirit Who inspired the writing of all the books in the Holy Bible, which the Magisterium of our Church had acknowledged as the Word of God, the “Living Word”, or simply, the Truth, because it was inspired by the Spirit of Truth. No one has ever found any mistake or falsehood in the Bible. It is totally trustworthy and reliable. It encompasses the Covenant made by God with man, and is a testament of His will and plan of salvation. All Christians are urged to read the Bible, and meditate on God’s Word as often as they can, because, with the Spirit’s guidance, it is where we come to know all about our Lord, Jesus Christ. St. Jerome wrote that lack of knowledge of Scriptures is lack of knowledge of Christ.

The Bible is rich with passages of life. Whenever we come across verses there that inspire us, let us memorize them so that they may live in our heart. Jesus said, “The Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you” (Jn.16:15). His ‘Living Word’ will protect us from danger, shield us from temptation, and transform us into a new creation of the Spirit of God. We will come to know more intimately the living Triune God, and enjoy His gifts, like wisdom, patience, fortitude, love, and the beauty of life in the Spirit! Live in God’s Word!

We praise and thank You, Father God, for the life of Jesus that we have found in the Bible, as inspired by Your Holy Spirit. His Word has transformed us; may the Holy Spirit sustain our faith all the days of our lives. Amen.

John 15: 26 – 16: 4
Acts 16: 11-15 / Ps 149: 1-6, 9

You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.
(John 15: 27)

Give me courage to testify
On behalf of my Lord Jesus Christ;
For my sake He was crucified,
For that it’s just a small sacrifice.

Jesus said, ‘When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. I have told you these that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when those who kill you will think that they are offering worship to God. And they will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.’ (John 15: 26 – 16: 4)

Reflection

When St. Paul first encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, his personal conversion was immediate. He was filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to testify about Jesus in every place that the Holy Spirit sent him. The Spirit worked so powerfully in him that those who listened with an open heart were instantly converted. In the city of Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia, a prominent woman named Lydia (Acts 16:14) was so taken in by St. Paul’s testimony that she invited him and his companion to her home, and she and her whole household were baptized and became Christians.

The prophecy of Jesus in today’s Gospel of John applied accurately to the experiences of St. Paul in his mission (although he was not with Him “from the beginning”, but was His last apostle). He was not only expelled by the Jews from their synagogues, but was stoned on several occasions. The Jews wanted to kill him because they thought he was blaspheming against their “One true God” by preaching about Jesus. Ignorant about the Holy Spirit and the Trinity, the Jews did not really come to know either the Father or Jesus.

Reflecting on His words, it is not surprising that most of us who “have been with Jesus” (in the renewal) and touched by His Holy Spirit cannot help but testify on His behalf. If we do not give witness to His Good News of salvation, then we will be in danger of falling away, like the proverbial branch cut off from the vine. It is in cognizance of this that our Brotherhood encourages all its members to testify for Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit by sharing their life testimony in our weekly breakfast meetings. In turn, many former nominal Catholics invited to our Saturday breakfasts have found their faith renewed by this unique feature of our Brotherhood’s culture.

You call us, Father God, to give witness to Your power of transforming our lives, and Your Spirit has inspired and emboldened us to proclaim Your Word in our assemblies. Open the minds and hearts of those to whom we are giving our testimony, so that the seed You plant may grow and bear fruits abundantly. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

John 15: 18-21
Acts 16: 1-10 / Ps 100: 1b-2. 3. 5

I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
(John 15:19)

How can the choice be hard to make,
Between life or death, wealth or grace?
Let us not make the grave mistake
To love this world and lose the race.

(Jesus said), “If the world hates you, know that it hated me first. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, `No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. And they will do all this to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.” (John 15: 18-21)

Reflection

There is no gray area here. We cannot have one and enjoy the other as well. As Jesus so clearly pointed out, “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Mt.6:24). We also read in the first letter of John: “Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). St. James echoes the same message: “Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

What is the “world” being referred to here? It is everything in this life that appeals to our carnal desires, or those “of the flesh”. St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans: “For the concern of the flesh is hostility towards God; it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7-8). It is only when we have learned to “crucify” our material or carnal concerns and detach ourselves from the pleasures of the world that the Spirit of God can dwell in us.

Ultimately (if we still remain bull-headed), God may take the initiative, and that is when we will experience the pain of purification. Many times in our brotherhood’s assemblies, we have heard testimonies of personal conversions to a more meaningful relationship with God, but only after the speaker(s) experienced a reversal of fortunes, like bankruptcy, a life-threatening illness, imprisonment, or even the loss of a loved one. This is the other kind of ‘persecution’ that our Lord is referring to in this Gospel passage.

St. Paul warns us: “Do not be conformed to this world” (Rom. 12:2). The world is Satan’s domain (his playground, really). At every opportunity he lures us into the false belief that our worldly concerns take precedence over everything in our life. Even above our moral standards and spiritual goal. “But do not be led astray,” St. Paul says, “Bad company corrupts good morals” (1Cor. 15:33). Instead, let the Word of God guide us always in the proper conduct of our lives, and the Holy Spirit will shield us from the evils of this world.

Loving Father, we thank You for the guidance and inspiration that we find in Your Word, the Bible. Grant us the grace to persevere in conforming ourselves to all the values taught by our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel, so that Your Spirit may always abide in us. Amen.

Mark 16: 15-20
1 Pt 5: 5b-14 / Ps 89: 2-3. 6-7. 16-17

They went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the Word through accompanying signs.
(Mark 16:20)

Our strifes and trials when we preach
Are but a light cross that we bear,
But there’ll be more souls we can reach
If Christ’s Good News is ours to share.

Jesus said to the apostles, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons; they will speak new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” So then the Lord Jesus, after He spoke to them, was taken up into heaven, and took His seat at the right hand of God. The apostles went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the Word through accompanying signs. (Mark 16:15- 20)

Reflection

The five signs that our Lord mentioned in Mark 16:17-18 — casting out demons, speaking in tongues, taking up serpents, protection from poison, and healing of the sick — may not be generally applicable to all His followers, but they are still available as gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever necessary in the ministry of evangelization. Of course each one is endowed with different gifts as St. Paul said in 1 Cor.12:4-10. But they are all given for the common purpose of propagating the Gospel. We are not expected to cast out demons or take our chances with poisonous serpents to prove our faith, but healing through communal prayers are common occurrences, just as speaking in tongues happen during prayer assemblies. These gifts serve to awaken or deepen the faith of complacent Christians.

In the renewal we have learned that what we have received we must also share. Our spiritual formation in the Brotherhood is not meant only for our own salvation, but for the task of evangelism, where we are called to “proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” Our Christian education is part of the Church’s never-ending mission of evangelization in every generation. We must be involved in this process in order to learn the ways of the Kingdom at each stage of our life and through all our human experiences. Disciples are made, not born, and our discipleship continues throughout our whole life, with no rest in sight until the day we die. When we were initiated into the renewal, we firmly believed that membership in this Brotherhood of Christ extended beyond our temporal existence in this life.

When we received the commission of Jesus Christ to be heralds of His Good News of salvation, we saw the end of our ‘worldly life’, because we are now living a new life in the Spirit. There is every reason to rejoice and be glad, despite the trials that we might face. For we believe that the risen Lord is working in us through the power of His Holy Spirit, and we are so privileged to share in this task of the saints.

Father God, You fill our hearts with a spirit of joy which no trials or difficulties can overcome. May we always live a life of praise and thanksgiving for our renewal, and may we fulfill Your purpose in our life. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

John 15: 9-11
Acts 15: 7-21 / Ps 96: 1-3, 10

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.
(John 15:9)

How can we give back to the Father
For giving us Jesus, His Son?
Only by His love as we gather
Our people together as one.

Jesus told His apostles, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”

Reflection

Have you ever wondered what motivated all the saints and martyrs to dedicate their lives to the point of death for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel? In the face of persecution, they seemed to be in a state of immeasurable joy. Instead of fear for their imminent death, they welcomed it like a loving friend. It was simply God’s love, the love that conquers all. Since they had all been true to God’s commandments, and abided in Christ’s love, they were all immersed completely in His joy, displacing all fears, doubts and even physical pains. Even death had lost its sting, because it had become a doorway to eternal bliss in the Father’s kingdom.

The kind of love that our Lord Jesus speaks of is a special grace that the Father gives only to those who are steadfast in their obedience and in their faith. We can never outdo God in love because His love is without measure. Our love for others is merely a reflection of God’s love, and a natural response to his boundless compassion and mercy. We cannot help but give what we have already received.

I recall one fateful day when an old high school classmate and brother from BCBP Alabang came to ask for my help in re-establishing a Namfrel “operation quick count” center in Davao city, barely four days before the national elections. The former group, for some reason, had decided to back out at the last minute. It seemed a foolhardy decision to accept the chairmanship at such short notice, considering the manpower & logistics involved, but the call of love for brotherhood and country, and the power of faith that could be employed for such a noble undertaking were simply overpowering. Foolhardy, yes, but aren’t we supposed to be fools for Christ? Lifting it all to God, I accepted the offer.

St. Paul tells us that there is always reason for hope, since God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Whom He has given us (Rom.5:5). Being personally involved in pursuing clean and honest elections is following Jesus’ will for us to love others as He has loved us. True love is sacrificial. There is no greater proof of love than sacrificing one’s time, effort and resources for the sake of our country’s future. Jesus proved his love for us by humbling Himself, becoming human, and even dying painfully as a sacrifice for our sins. How else can we reciprocate that love?

Lord, inflame our hearts to serve with love You and our beloved country. May our sacrifices in the coming political exercise be worthy of Your great love. Amen.

John 14: 7-14
Acts 13: 44-52 / Ps 98: 1-4

Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
(John 14: 13)

Have we been with Him all this time
And still can’t be one with the Lord?
Life’s meaning we can only find
If we believe and live His Word.

Jesus said, ‘If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.’ Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. (John 14: 7-14)

Reflection

How ironic it is that hundreds of millions of Christians all over the world believe in the divinity of Jesus, Whom we had never seen, and yet His own disciples who had witnessed so many of His miracles doubted His true Nature even up to the very end of Jesus’ life. I believe it is because unlike them we have the benefit of the Bible. What is there in the Bible that is so compelling that most of us Christians do not doubt the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He and the Father are one? I believe it is by God’s grace that we have been given insight to ‘see’ spiritual things that our practical eyes can never see. That grace is given through our faith. And the Bible, which nourishes us happens to be the book of faith.

Perhaps this was what Jesus meant when He said, ”You will do greater things than these.” He probably meant our faith, which is stronger than the faith of His disciples (before His resurrection) even without the benefit of miracles. True faith is all about believing, and not seeing miraculous phenomena. It is by faith that we can perceive God’s miracles working in our lives. And it is by meditating constantly on the Bible that our faith is increased and fortified.

In one bible sharing session last Wednesday with a group of BCBP brothers, the common thread in our personal sharings was about doubt and anxiety. I was particularly moved by the sharing of one brother who said it is by living up to God’s assurance that we can accomplish great things. This is the power of faith that Jesus was talking about, and what His Father promised in Psalm 91:16: “I will show you my saving power.” Many times in our lives God has shown His love and power, and yet, ‘men of little faith’ that we are, we still doubt His divine providence and dwell in anxiety during times of crisis. Oh well, we can only say perhaps it is because our faith is still a work in progress.

How like Your apostles Philip and Thomas we sometimes behave in our faith, Lord Jesus. Thus, our constant prayer to You, Lord, is to increase our faith, so that we may always live in the light of the Father’s love, and hope in His Providence. Thank You, Lord God, for this Daily Bread that sustains our growth. Amen.