Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Luke (10:21-24) in which Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, praises God and says to his disciples ‘Happy the eyes that see what you see’.
Fr Paul notes that, for the remainder of Advent, he will use the ‘Heart of the Disciple’ booklet* for our daily reflections. Fr Paul says, having heard the Gospel, now there are some things to consider. Jesus rejoices and, in so doing, invites us into a contemplation of the heart of God and to a life inspired by the Holy Spirit. He models how we are to live in this world. As we learn what it means to be clothed in him, we too rejoice in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given to us in our baptism and strengthened in our confirmation. The Holy Spirit is ever-present and invites us to a life transformed. The Holy Spirit is most at work in us if we accept the gift he is offering and choose to invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts. This is why we turn again and again to invite the Holy Spirit ‘in’. The Holy spirit is a willing but respectful guest and will always wait to be asked. Our challenge is to let the Holy Spirit open our hears to the presence of God and to lead us in faith. Pope Francis in his’ The Joy of the Gospel also reminds us of this, saying, “With the eyes of faith, we can see the light which the Holy Spirit always radiates in the midst of the darkness…” (EG, 84). We all need the eyes of faith. Today we are called anew to have eyes of faith and to see not as the world sees but as the Holy Spirit guides us. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals the presence of God and leads us into our vocation as the children of God (see Romans 8). For our reflection today… To be wise in God’s eyes I must live in response to true wisdom. Of course, the problem is that God’s wisdom often appears to be folly to us and to others (see Corinthians 1:18-25). To what degree do I downplay aspects of my faith because I’m worried about what others might think? Today we pray: All true wisdom comes from you, loving God. The moment comes when, in faith, I am called to embrace a truth that is beyond my comprehension. Give me the grace to respond to your invitation to follow you, to allow your Holy Spirit to lead me beyond what might be comfortable to me. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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