They speak of the glory of your reign and tell of your mighty works, making known to the sons of men your mighty acts, the majestic glory of your rule.

I dreaded the third term. In the Charismatic community I belonged to in college, the third term of every school year was evangelization time. That meant a pair of brothers or sisters from the community knocks on classroom doors and asks professors for 10 minutes of their class time. Once granted the time, the pair stands in front of about 40 students and shares their personal testimonies, how they came to know God personally. The pair then invites the class to attend our community prayer meetings.

       I dreaded being labeled “holy,” getting the I-don’t-care-what-you’re-saying looks and the adamant “no” after every invitation. Did I say I dreaded the third term?

       But everything is different now. I’ve come to realize that if you have more of God in you and less of yourself, then there’s no room for hesitation or fear of rejection.

       Now, I write how God has changed my life. I blog about how He has fulfilled His promises. I share how imperfect I am yet God remains good to me. Every day is “third term” for me. Osy Erica (osy.erica@gmail.com)

Reflection: Have you told anyone of the blessings you’ve received recently? Don’t hold back. Be proud of the big God you have.

Father, create in me a heart of a servant that yearns to make You known.

Blessed John Francis Burté and Companions, pray for us.

Paul tells us that we can have the mind of Christ if we surrender everything to God. When I reflect upon the state of the world it is difficult not to get depressed by the seeming faithlessness of this generation. However, despair has no part in the Kingdom of God. Despair is never going to help the Gospel move forward — it is the great paralyzer of the Spirit.

10 Brothers and sisters: The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God. 11 Among men, who knows what pertains to the man except the spirit that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms. 14 Now the natural man does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually. 15 The one who is spiritual, however, can judge everything but is not subject to judgment by anyone. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

R: The Lord is just in all his ways.

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. 9 The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works. (R) 10 Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord, and let your faithful ones bless you. 11 Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might. (R) 12 Making known to men your might and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and your dominion endures through all generations. (R) The Lord is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works. 14 The Lord lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. (R)

Jesus can command demons and they obey Him, not because He is sinless but because He firmly believes that He has been given such authority by His Father in heaven. The Good News is that we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit as well. We, too, can banish the devil from our lives but only if we believe in faith that this is so. This is why it is important to get to know the Word of God by reading and reflecting on it. It tells us the truth of who we are and outlines for us the gifts God has given us.

A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.

31 Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath, 32 and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority. 33 In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, 34 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!” 35 Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. 36 They were all amazed and said to one another, “What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” 37 And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.

think:  It is important to get to know the Word of God by reading and reflecting on it. It tells us the truth of who we are and outlines for us the gifts God has

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Psalm 41-45

THE EVIL SPIRIT AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

When Jesus is confronted by Satan in the form of a possessed man, it’s interesting that He does not discuss things with the devil. He just commands, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”

       The devil is still a reality today. He does not approach us in a possessed person, or with horns and tail. No, “the devil wears Prada,” meaning he has adjusted to the modern world and disguises himself as a nice person. Jesus has come to liberate us. He will set the world free from the presence of Satan forever, as the Book of Revelation says. Satan may still win a few battles, but he has already lost the war. We must not fear him; instead let us reject him when we feel he is tempting us.

       But we should not forget that there is another powerful Spirit — the Holy Spirit. St. Paul, in today’s First Reading, speaks of two kinds of people: those who cannot “see” yet the things of God, such as His plan of salvation, because they don’t know how to use a spiritual microscope, and those who can see all those wonderful realities using a spiritual microscope.

       St. Paul spontaneously refers to this spiritual microscope as the Holy Spirit, the natural mediator communicating God’s revelation to us. Paul explains that just as we alone know our innermost thoughts by the work of our mind, so also only the Spirit of God can know His deepest secrets and communicate them to us.

       We cannot see the Holy Spirit, but we can see its effects through its spiritual gifts. It is like the wind which we cannot see. We sense the wind only by its effects: feeling its coolness or seeing leaves on the trees moving.

       But one of the most important effects of the Holy Spirit is to make us focus on Jesus and the Father. That is why Jesus was so keen on sending His Spirit — so that we might finally come to understand who Jesus is.

       If we want to progress rapidly in our spiritual journey, let us offer ourselves to the Holy Spirit and, as a side effect, we will also be able to resist the temptations of that dark spirit, the devil. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Are you aware of the spiritual warfare that’s going on in your heart and in the world around you? Do you cling to the Holy Spirit to resist temptations?

Lord, send Your powerful Holy Spirit so that I may never give in to the temptations of the evil one.