Daily Meditation - EASTER SATURDAY 29March 2008 - THE FIRE OF LOVE/THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

[BarbaraTherese]

Readings
usccb.org/nab/032908.shtml

Meditation
wau.org/meditations/meditations.asp?month=03&day=29&year=2008&x=9&y=5

After reading this account of Peter and John, we may wonder, “What’s their secret?” Here are two poor, uneducated men preaching the gospel right under the noses of the most powerful men in Israel. They are so successful that the religious leaders have to call a special meeting just to figure out what to do with them. If only our witness to Christ was this effective!

Stories like this move us to ask whether the apostles had something going for them that we don’t. In some ways, they did. They had spent three years in the company of Jesus, learning his teaching firsthand. They had watched him cure the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead. And in his name, they had also done these things. Now they had come to testify to the greatest miracle of all, his resurrection from the dead. There was no way they could be quiet now about everything they had seen and heard!
But for all the special blessings, these men were just like us. They were prone to weakness and sin. Without divine help, they would never have been able to do what they did. That help

—

the power of the Holy Spirit—is just as available to us as it was to them.

The Spirit wants to fill us all with God’s presence, so that our thoughts, words, and actions are charged with his anointing. In fact,

when the Spirit is with us, we are doing far more than passing on a series of religious truths—we are passing on

Jesus himself!

We may not be as eloquent as Luke portrays Peter and John in this reading. But that’s no reason to be discouraged. Rather, we can ask the Spirit to show us how he wants us to announce this gospel. Do we have a testimony to share when the moment arises? Can we relate simply and directly what Jesus has done for us? Or can we share the gospel in other ways, such as lending a hand when someone needs it or serving in our community?
We are walking around
with the fire of God’s love in our hearts
. All he’s asking us to do is

pass it on! “Lord, I want to be your witness in this world.

Today, send me to one person who is searching,
and show me how I can help them find you.”

 

[bwhite06517]

In the Acts Reading (Acts 4:13 - 21) we have:

“Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.”

Do we have that motivation - that no matter what happens, we Have to speak out about our faith?

Are we obeying God - or following men?

My viewpoint, if one has really heard a calling from God, he/she MUST act on it. Peter and John (here) HAD to do it - something so very deep inside of them said “be faithful to God - no matter what”.

Jonah (Old Testament) had a calling from God - and he ran away from it (with almost disasterful consequences for him).

The view of the Church is that we all have a VOCATION - called to a religious life; to a married life - or to a single life.

We also have been given gifts - and we are to use those gifts for the Kingdom of God.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Bruce.

Blessings this Easter…Barb