DAILY- HOMILY

JUNE 6, 2011
MEMORIAL, ST. NORBERT, BISHOP
MONDAY 7TH WEEK OF EASTER – YEAR I

Acts 19:1-8 / Ps 68:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 / Jn 16:29-33

ACTS 19:1-8
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of
the country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples whom he
asked, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you be - came believers?"
They answered, "We have not even heard that anyone may receive the
Holy Spirit." Paul then asked, "What kind of baptism have you
received?" And they answered, "The baptism of John." Paul then
explained, "John's baptism was for conversion, but he himself said
they should believe in the one who was to come, and that one is
Jesus." Upon hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus. Then Paul laid his hands on them and the Holy Spirit came down
upon them; and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy. There
were about twelve of them in all. Paul went into the synagogue and for
three months he preached and discussed there boldly, trying to
convince them about the Kingdom of God.

JOHN 16:29-33
The disciples said to Jesus, "Now you are speaking plainly and not in
veiled language! Now we see that you know all things, even before we
question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God."
Jesus answered them, "You say that you believe! The hour is coming,
indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home,
and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is
with me. "I have told you all this, so that in me you may have peace.
You will have trouble in the world; but, courage! I have overcome the
world."

REFLECTION
Water is a very familiar cleansing agent used very commonly in washing
rituals in most oriental religions. It was also used during the time
of John the Baptist, referred to by St. Paul as the baptism of
repentance. However, in our sacred Christian tradition water
symbolizes the new life in Christ through sacramental baptism.

While symbols may portray a higher reality, we would still need a
transforming experience of the Holy Spirit. It would be this
experience that would help us recognize the Holy Spirit initially
encountered in the sacraments. That is why development is an on-going
process, a re-creative process making us new and whole again.

Today, we see renewal movements like Focolare, marriage encounter,
Neocatechumenate, family advocacy groups, Life in the Spirit Seminars,
silent retreats, etc. These movements help people experience the Holy
Spirit resulting in positive changes in their lives.

When asked if they received the Holy Spirit when they became
believers, the disciples in Ephesus answered, "No, we were never even
told there was such a thing as Holy Spirit." That's because it is only
through Jesus that the Holy Spirit can come to us.

The relationship aspect with God which Christ came to restore in
humankind is precisely that relationship shared by the Holy Trinity as
community. The Holy Spirit is the bond of love that exists to confer
the gift of peace which Jesus does to his followers. We can only have
peace if we truly seek it in the Holy Spirit but it does not come
easy. Jesus, however, assures us: "Be brave. I have conquered the
world."

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of Pat, Chuck, Maria, Ben, Pam
(6/6 - 6/9)
… for the personal intentions of
- Josheil Dapo
- Mei-Mei Nabua
- JP and Danica
- Milo and Thelma
- Tito and Estrelle
- Josheil Dapo
- Pauline
- Mary T
- Nick
.. Birthday: Jacob Go
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Jacinto Y. Enriquez
- In Memoriam (+): Albert Dy, Sr.
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

**************************************************

These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only.
Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends,
colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the
following:

+================================================+
| The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the
| priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish
| http://www.marythequeen.org
| Distributed free and for personal use only.
+================================================+

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GoogleGroup Address: http://groups.google.com/group/daily_homily
To subscribe from this free mailing service, send email to: dailyhomily@earthlink.net
To unsubscribe: daily_homily-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

© 2011 Daily-Homily