“SPRINGS OF LIVING WATER”
Daily Spiritual Reflections
17th May 2021
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MONDAY, SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER
Reading 1: Acts 19: 1-8 Paul runs into a group of disciples at Ephesus who had been baptized by John. He baptizes them in the name of the Lord Jesus, and they receive the Holy Spirit.
Gospel: Jn 16: 29-33 Here we have the conclusion of Jesus’ discourse with the apostles at the Last Supper. He tells them that they will suffer. “But take courage! I have overcome the world.”
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YOU ARE NOT ALONE
The first reading seems to indicate that Luke, the author of the book of Acts, is travelling with Today the Gospel speaks about Jesus’ farewell address to the apostles. Do you recall a time when you felt completely alone? How did you feel? How did you cope? Were you anxious? Fearful? What did you do to relieve the loneliness? It should be of some comfort to learn that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was left alone, too, and he knew his disciples would leave him, scattered each to their own homes. But Jesus also knew that he would never be completely alone, for his heavenly Father would always be with him, even at the lowest depths of his humiliation. Even when he himself will cry out: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
When Jesus tells us in the gospel, “I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world”, he did not only want to console us that he will always be by our side no matter what happens. He wanted to also reveal to us that when we allow fear to take control of our lives instead of entrusting our lives to him, we can go to great lengths of trying to protect ourselves and closing our minds and hearts to someone whom he may have sent to us.
Jesus wants us to give up all fears, surrendering them to God, so that our hearts may be free and open to receive every single one of God’s creatures, and, God himself. None of us will ever have to face the kind of life Jesus faced, but at times the fear in our hearts can cause us to do what is not right because our trials can be very real. There is only one possible way of addressing those moments successfully, and that is to entrust ourselves into the Father’s hands just as Jesus did. We have to place ourselves entirely into his hands and hold nothing back so that he may hold us, walk with us and guide us through our darkest moments, by the light of his grace.
Res. Psalm: Ps 67: 2-7, 33 You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
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