MONDAY MAY 6, 2024
MONDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER B
Acts 17:11-15
John 15:26-16:4
BE A WITNESS TO THE MISSION OF CHRIST
Christians have the mandate of being witnesses to the good news of Christ. Our task as Christians is to declare the wonderful works of God in our lives, the salvation Christ has won for us and the joy of salvation making it known far and wide. The intention is to charge people to believe in Christ, to live the ideal Christian life and to earn the reward of heaven.
The gospel of today reminds us that in bearing such witness, we need the anointing, the help and the direction of the Holy Spirit. It is the prerogative of the Holy Spirit to direct and guide us in the task of bearing witness. Jesus therefore promises the Holy Spirit to his disciples and declares that the spirit will reveal the truth to us, counsel us and be the supreme witness to the things of God.
The spirit comes from the Father and will be sent by Jesus to us . It proceeds from the Father and the Son and will be humanity’s source of well-being, happiness, and mission to the world. Even in the midst of the world’s hostility, arrogance and fighting, it is the spirit that will surely be our strength and solace in such situations. The need therefore to be firm, resolute and serious in the task assigned us is called for.
For Jesus ended this pericope telling us, “but I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them.”
When Paul and his companions preached the word, witnessing and testifying through the power of the Holy Spirit, God was confirming their words in the lives of people being preached to. In the scene of today’s reading, it was Lydia who listened, and was convinced of the words proclaimed and Lydia urged and pleaded that the disciples come to her household and stay.
The best attitude to the word of God is loving listening, which opens the heart of the hearers and manifest the power of God in their lives. Lydia underwent such manifestation and became an ardent supporter and believer in the ways of Christ.
We are therefore called to testify to the ways of Christ with all our faculties in union with the Holy Spirit who confirms our testimony with admissions and convinctions to the faith.
Heavenly Father, you called us your witnesses and commissioned us to bear true witness to you in our lives. Help us to follow the promptings of your Holy Spirit in bearing true witness, testifying daily of your goodness, mercies and compassion to us and to the world. And may our testimony bear fruits of love, abundance of peace in our lives and the lives of others through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
