The Holy Spirit - Boldness - Community

Hi.  Peace.

 

This morning's First Reading is from Acts 4:23-31.  It is inspiring.  The early Church must have been filled with excitement!  When Peter and John return from being chastised  by the Sanhedrin for preaching in the Name of Jesus, the community prayed together aloud, "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and enable your servants to speak your word with boldness as you stretch forth your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are done through the name of your holy servant, Jesus."

 

Further, the passage reads, " As they prayed, the place where they gathered shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and continued to speak the word of God with boldness."

 

We do gather as a community of believers on Sundays.

 

Do we raise our voices in unison and boldly, loudly declare our allegiance to God and our desire to serve Him?

 

Do our gathering places shake with the Presence of the Holy Spirit?

 

Do we ask for the graces to proclaim the Word of God in public?

 

Do we expect God to make Himself known to the world through healings, sings and wonders - through us?

 

Remember Bartimaeus.  He was bold.  He would not be silenced.  He was clear when Jesus asked him "What do you want?"  "I want to see," he answered.  He was healed.  Let us learn to be bold in our prayer and in our witness.  Let us not be silenced by the skeptics around us.  Let us be clear in asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Let us expect that God will hear us, will fill us, will bless us, will heal us, will perform signs and wonders through us.

 

We need faith, boldness, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Let us pray for all our families and friends, our military, our leaders, our Church, all who minister in Jesus' Name, and for each other.

 

 

Father, God, we adore you and bless your holy Name.  First, Father, we ask that you lead us to reconciliation that we may, as a people, be worthy to call ourselves your people.  Second, we ask as the Community of the Christ that you use the graces of the Sacraments we have received and the Presence of your Holy Spirit within us to spread your Word and to bring glory to your Name.  We ask these things as we lay our needs before you in one voice in the Name of your Son, Jesus.  Amen.

 

Be like Bartimaeus.  Pray!  Trust!  Expect!

 

In Him and always in His love,

Lou