Community Word:
The gifts of the Holy Spirit strengthen our commitment to serve God.
Order: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (Jn 20:21b)
Reflection:
Our community word for June is – The gifts of the Holy Spirit strengthen our commitment to serve God. This month, we are exhorted to reflect on our relationship with God, particularly on our commitment to serve Him in building His Kingdom on earth. As we live a fruitful prayer life, He equips us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit we need in accomplishing the task of up building the body of Christ. Meditating on the word of God enables us to make wisdom-filled decisions that will allow the Spirit to develop godliness in us, deepening our commitment to serve our Omnipotent God.
The 1st Sunday of the month commemorates the Solemnity of Pentecost. And for this week, the discerned theme is: We are strengthened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit when we forgive others unconditionally. Pentecost is the Church’s celebration of receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit breathes peace and Jesus himself is peace as He says to us – “Peace be with you,” (Jn 20:19b). True peace means to be reconciled with God; and to be reconciled with God is to be reconciled with one another. We become grateful to God for redeeming and saving us through His great mercy and forgiveness. And as Jesus sends us to spread peace, He also gives the authority to extend forgiveness, accompanied with this promise in John 20: 23a – “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.”
The theme for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity is: We are strengthened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit when we firmly believe in the saving power of God. Though the Holy Trinity is a profound mystery, it is a powerful truth that all Christian believers must not doubt! If we deny that the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit are distinct, we deny God His inherent personal and relational characteristics. We must constantly pray to our Triune God that by His grace we may have full knowledge of His mighty power that saved us, and exalt Christ over all so that we will properly represent Him on earth (Phil 3:10,12). Jesus’ promise this week assures us: “Everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life,” (Jn 3:16b).
The theme for the 3rd Sunday – Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) is: We are strengthened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit when we are nourished daily by the word of God. In the celebration of Corpus Christi, we profess our faith in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. As believers of Christ, the “spiritual food” thru the partaking in the mystery of Holy Communion nourishes our piety and turns us into Christ, so that we no longer live for ourselves, but that Christ may live in us. Receiving Holy Communion as often as we can allows us to participate in the ongoing redemptive mission of Christ, as He promised us this week: “The one who feeds on me will have life,” (Jn 6:57b).
On the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, our theme is: We are strengthened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit when we testify to others what Jesus has done in our life. As renewed Christians, we are invited by the Lord not to be afraid to be his witnesses to the transforming grace in our lives. We testify by words, actions and lifestyles, as we openly acknowledge our personal experiences in following Jesus. If our life is a testimony to what Jesus has done, then it should be the reflection of Jesus as we follow His ways. Jesus assures us in His promise that: “Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my Heavenly Father,” (Mt 10:32).
As followers of Jesus Christ, we must not be afraid to defend our faith, but be uncompromising to the truth that He has taught and revealed to us in His words and through the teachings of the Church.