“But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.” (John 16: 13)
Easter Day #38 & #39: Person & Presence!
My Parish hosted our Bishop last night for the Celebration of Confirmation. In the Catholic Faith, this is a recognition of the “coming of the Holy Spirit”! Just like at Pentecost, when the fire of the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples, our young people were called to accept the coming of the Spirit, and bring forth their individual giftedness, and use the Gifts of that Spirit to serve the community, and one another! Celebrations like this are long, purposeful and absolutely amazing! I get to witness the PRESENCE of the Holy Spirit, and the PERSON of Jesus Christ, as they come to bear the Truth to a new generation.
As we walk through Easter together, we too must remind ourselves that we are in the PRESENCE of God, calling us to be PERSONS of faith. To be a Christian is to be a PERSON who see themselves as part of the “WE”, and not just an “I”. To be in the PRESENCE of our Lord is the “real deal”.
Today, I am not sharing a symbol of faith with you, I am sharing a real Truth and a real PRESENCE, and I am calling you to be a real PERSON who is rooted in the PERSON of Jesus Christ. As the quote from John’s Gospel says, “He will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.”.
The Spirit of God is among us and around us, and truly PRESENT in our midst. To be the best PERSON you can be, is to open your eyes, ears and hearts to the reality of the power of the Holy Spirit, and act on the gifts and Truth that it bears. For just like the young people did at last night’s celebration of Confirmation, you too can be in the PRESENCE of something absolutely amazing, and dedicate your whole PERSON to acting on the power that comes with the Holy Spirit.
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