Spiritus | Spirit

She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour. – Acts 16:18

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Dear friends in Christ Jesus, in this Bible passage we come across Paul and Silas who are proclaiming the Kingdom of God with the power of the Holy Spirit. They used to spend a lot of hours in prayer. On the way to prayer they encounter a slave girl who was controlled by an evil spirit. This girl with the help of an evil spirit was able to tell the fortune to the people. That brought about a great income to the owners of this slave girl. Paul understood what is going on with this girl and wanted to liberate her from the evil spirit.

Paul is casting out the evil spirit from the girl 'in the name of Jesus Christ.' This action brought about a lot of anger towards Paul and Silas by the owners of the slave girl because they were no longer able to make money. They were falsely accused, stripped publicly, beaten with iron rods and put into prison.

Dear friends, it is very important for us to be aware of the work of the Holy Spirit and evil spirit. We should be able to differentiate between the both. The world that we live in can easily make us believe so fast what we see and hear. Paul, a man of God filled with the Holy Spirit was able to identify the kind of spirit working in that slave girl. Similarly let us also be filled with the Holy Spirit and do the works of the Holy Spirit in building up the kingdom of God. 

Just like Paul let us also trust in the power of the name of Jesus. Amen.

Reflection on Acts 16: 16-24 by Fr. George Joseph SVD

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