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Daily Feed From Dominum Et Vivificantem, #58 "United with the Spirit, the Church is supremely aware of the reality of the inner man, of what is deepest and most essential in man, because it is spiritual and incorruptible. At this level the Spirit grafts the "root of immortality," from which the new life springs. This is man's life in God, which, as a fruit of God's salvific self-communication in the Holy Spirit, can develop and flourish only by the Spirit's action. Therefore St. Paul speaks to God on behalf of believers, to whom he declares, 'I bow my knees before the Father..., that he may grant you...to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man.' Under the influence of the Holy Spirit this inner, "spiritual," man matures and grows strong. Thanks to the divine self-communication, the human spirit which "knows the secrets of man" meets the "Spirit who searches everything, even the depths of God." The Vicissitudes of Life Today, as it was yesterday, and as will always be, people will have to face with much courage and fortitude all the vicissitudes of life. Its face takes on many expressions: it could be conflict of relationships, or financial straits in the family; it could mean the moral breakdown or corruption of longstanding institutions; or it could simply mean the tackling of everyday problems that come to us either in big chunks, one after another, or in droves that can swamp and overwhelm us. These are the vicissitudes of life that can break or make us - depending on how we react or respond to them, and how we cope with the continuous changes in the setting of our family, work, or parish environment. Life is a reality of ups and downs; of changes and upheavals; and of passageways that can lead to destruction or progress, to death or to life. Life is a choice we are called to make. Not once. But everyday. Christ is the Same, Yesterday, Today and Forever Despite the vicissitudes of life, there is a mystery-reality that never changes - something spiritual and incorruptible. This is the Spirit of Christ Jesus - the Holy Spirit, who, when He dwells within our being, roots the Triune strength of the Father, the Son and Himself in us. Everything around us that is material and external will always change; and we indeed witness to it not only in others and the world, but in our very own bodies that slowly grow old and degenerate. Yet, despite all the changes that may occur in our lifetime, in a whole century, or even in two millenium of Catholic tradition, the person of Christ Jesus remains the same, yesterday, today, and forever. If we bond ourselves with Christ, and join with Him as branches to the vine, then we will not only be strengthened in our inner self, but even mature and bear fruit for ourselves, and for the good of others. All Catholics Sent for the Mission The purpose why God sent His Holy Spirit into the world was to strengthen us in a way that we become more and more like His Son, and have the courage and fortitude to bring the Gospel to all peoples. For those of us who are working along this line on the Net, we receive His Holy Spirit continuously, and every moment of our life, by our commitment to follow His will through our participation in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and then make the Catholic presence on the Net a way of making Christ more central, and vital to anything technological in content or in tools. The witness on the Net shows that the Net is not only a mere mass of technological information, but can also contain the words of the Gospel of Christ Jesus. If we use it rightly, the Net can disseminate and spread classic Catholic tradition to those who use this medium as part of their daily lives: in their family setting, in their workplace, in their religious communities, in their parish, or in big secular institutional settings. Tapping Our Source of Life and Strength To perform the tasks in proclaiming the Gospel on the Net, there is a need of quality of spirit, life, and strength, that will overcome many problems, difficulties and obstacles. Technological knowledge, tools and techniques can assist us in dealing with all sorts of hindrances, but the best source, and one that will truly endure the test of time is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our innermost being. We can tap the gift of strength and the power of life that the Holy Spirit can give us simply by being docile to Him in much prayer, meditation and contemplation. And the Gift of Himself is for all of us. All Catholics are privileged because aside from the strength and power that we can derive from the Holy Spirit as He speaks to us in the Scriptures, we can also tap the strength and power of life that is given to us through the celebration of the sacraments. Strength and the Power of Life in God at the Service of All All genuine strength and power come from the life given to us by the Holy Spirit. It is His presence in the temple of our bodies, and our entire being, that strengthens our innermost selves. If we always place our thinking within this context and act by its very truth, then we will never forget that the gift of strength and power from the Holy Spirit is for the service of all people - to help them especially see and realize that their weakness can be transformed into strength if they only believe in the resurrecting power of Christ Jesus our Lord. The Holy Spirit will always be there for us who have received Him in the sacraments of the Church. We are then called to shepherd others to this source of life: the living, liturgical and sacramental life of the Church - where bonds of interpersonal relationships are forged under the divine fire of God's love and mercy. To learn more about the person of the Holy Spirit, there is a 30-day posting of The Holy Spirit in Focus at The Spirit's Love Leaders Corps list and archives. |