Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter
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May 16, 2020As we look at this first reading of the Acts of the Apostles we see that they are doing the work of Spreading the News of the Gospel. One of the most important things throughout the Acts of the Apostles is the work of the Holy Spirit.
I have mentioned this recently with the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. Yet most Christians do not pray much to the Holy Spirit or have learned to live in the Holy Spirit. Let’s look at the Holy Spirit in the lives of those in the first reading.
First it says they traveled another way because the Holy Spirit prevented them from preaching in the province of Asia. Then it said they tried to go to Bithynia but the Spirit prevented them. Then Paul had a Vision about Macedonian and asked him to come there, so he went to Macedonia to preach the gospel.
Paul could have done whatever he wanted with Timothy. They could have gone anywhere they wanted in any way they wanted, but they were so open to the Holy Spirit that they allow the Holy Spirit to direct them.
This is extremely important because the Holy Spirit probably protected them from some danger in the first place so that they can get to Macedonia where they were needed. It seems the Holy Spirit was two-fold, possibly redirecting them to avoid something and placing them where the Gospel was needed to be proclaimed.
Listening to the Holy Spirit is key for our lives, it is so important for us to know what to do daily as a whole, making decisions and so forth.
We have to allow the Holy Spirit to direct us the same way. We allow the Holy Spirit to be alive in us when we say to God be it done according to your will. He will direct us every day all day long. He will direct us in the most minor decisions to the largest and hardest decisions and most important major events.
We have the Holy Spirit in us from Baptism and from Confirmation and from Eucharist even though it's Jesus Body and Blood, His Spirit is there and with every Confession we're absolved by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We have to grow and learn to live in that Spirit of God and listen to that Spirit talking to us. That Spirit will talk to us in our minds and or our hearts and whatever way that God speaks to you in your personality.
Father Michael Scanlon wrote a book, “What does God want.” He talks about how the Spirit of God will speak to you the same all your life from the time you were a child until the day you die because that's your personality.
The book directs people to go back and look deeply into their lives to see how God spoke to them when they were young.
When we are young we are much more open to the Spirit working in us, listening to God and hearing God, hearing our Guardian Angels, and so on.
Live in that Spirit of God so every move, everything we do is Guided by that Spirit for the sake of the Kingdom and for our eternity and the eternity of others who we will touch with our lives.
