Promissio| Promise

“Jesus was given the Holy Spirit, just as the Father had promised... [He] has given the Spirit to us" — Acts 2:33.

Last Sunday on the 9th of January we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord. From this celebration which was described in the Gospel of Luke (3:21-22), we learn a lot for ourselves.

Jesus was able to perform many miracles because he was united with the Holy Spirit and the Father. He felt the strength and love of the Father during his mission on the earth. We as Christians also can make great things if we are in communion with the Holy Trinity. Moreover, all the people can receive such spiritual gifts because God the Father is omnipotent.

What kind of gifts are they? Apostle Paul reminds three of them: the gift of prophecy for sons and daughters, visions for young men, and dreams for old men.

At the beginning of the New Year, we would like to experience these supernatural gifts. Since there are so many doubts, anxieties, problems which we are to solve in this year. We know that sometimes miracles are necessary. Otherwise, we cannot manage everything.

The Word of God helps us to see these miracles in the sky above and on the earth below. It means in the spiritual and material world. Both in our soul and in our body. The Lord tells about the difficulties, darkness, and even blood which we must survive. But afterward, the wonderful day of the Lord will appear. That is the Good News.

My dear friends, sisters, and brothers in Christ Jesus, we can be saved if only we will ask our Lord for his mercy and grace. Let us work miracles, wonders, and signs in the name of Jesus. He is always near us and in our hearts. So we are to rejoice and to live in hope during the whole New Year 2022.

Reflection of Acts 2:14-36 by Fr. Józef Trzebuniak SVD.

(Listen to the Podcast here).

Christus peccatis nostris mortuus | Christ died for our sins

For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. —1 Peter 3:17 (ESV)

This reading reminds me of one of my experiences six years ago after my first profession, when I was assigned to the boy’s orphanage in one of our ministries. For three years, I learned and experienced many things with the children.

We encountered each other by sharing our joys and happiness and even our sorrows. One thing that I always remember is that they were always grateful for everything that they had received, even small things, and that always made me happy. 

One day, one of the high school boys came to me and shared his experiences in school. He was a nice boy and he was loved by many people. But this is also why he was always neglected by some of his friends in school. At the end of his sharing, he said, “it is really difficult being a good person.” When I reflected on this, I thought that everyone would agree. 

Often, people in minorities experience injustice and intolerance in society, community groups, and in workplaces. They are often neglected, isolated, criticized, and whatever they do always rejected. Perhaps they will humanely rebel when treated unfairly, but they will choose to be silent because of their heavenly thoughts. 

To be still and to yield does not mean to lose, but to gain power. Perhaps we have seen on television, we are often despised by certain groups because of our religion. They were greatly disturbed by the attitudes, actions, and behavior of God's good people.  Self-righteousness will always be an individual  burden, because rivalry and honor are often considered. 

But we need not share the fear of those who insult us, but rather we should rejoice in suffering because of our hope in Christ. Through His suffering and death, Christ, the righteous one, saved the unrighteous from eternal death. 

Just as Noah’s family was saved through the flood, baptismal bath is a public representation of a believer’s appeal to God for a clean conscience through personal faith in the resurrection of Jesus, which actually saves the believer. Through faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our sins has been forgiven by the grace of God and we have a new life in Christ. 

Reflection on 1 Peter 3:13-25 by Sr. Maria Venidora, SND 

(Listen to the Podcast here)

Non pacem sed gladium (Mt. 10:34)

The opening saying of Jesus in today’s gospel reading might strike us as strange, ‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth; it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword’. Jesus recognizes that His presence on earth will be divisive; some will welcome him and others will reject him and those who reject him will persecute those who welcome him. He goes on to elaborate on how we can welcome him. He says to those he sends out as his followers, ‘anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent me’. All of us who have been baptized are always being sent out by Jesus as His mirror. In welcoming each other, we are welcoming Jesus, and in welcoming Jesus we are welcoming God the Father. Jesus identifies himself very closely with each one of his followers, to such an extent that how we relate to each other determines how we relate to him. Even the smallest act of kindness to another disciple of Jesus, such as the giving of a cup of cold water, will not go unnoticed by the Lord. The Lord whom we are to prefer more than even our closest family members nonetheless comes to us in and through each other. The ground which we share with our fellow pilgrims is a holy ground, sacred space, where the Lord is present.

By Sr. Mary, CM.

Obviam Iesu (Mt. 8:34)

What we need to understand that when Jesus cast out the devil and healed the sick, Jesus wanted to confirm that God’s Power is able to overcome all other powers on earth.

All evil powers were afraid of Jesus because they knew who Jesus was. They were enemies of Jesus and they always tried to stop Jesus in doing his mission to become the Saviour of the world. But Jesus showed that everything that was against God would lose and perish.

As disciples of Jesus, we are called to fight against the power of darkness and evil who always try to destroy peace and people’s lives in this world. We received the baptism already and we have become the children of God, so no need to be afraid to proclaim God’s love and peace to this world.

It is not an easy task but if we trust our Loving God and walk with Him, we will be able to carry this good work – this good mission. Always working with Jesus because he has overcome the world. Today, Jesus has proved this to us. Everything that is against God will lose and perish.

By Fr Risco Batbual, SVD

Baptizati in Christum Iesum (Rom. 6:3)

Yesterday my little niece was baptized in Poland. Her parents and the whole family were glad because a new child became a member of the Church. The new life has started when we were baptized in Christ Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul explains that when we are baptized, we die to the earthly life and began a new spiritual life. Do we still remember this fact in our daily life?

Obviously, we would like to live a new life in Christ. Every morning when we wake up and make the sign of the cross we remind ourselves that we live and die in Jesus Christ. For human beings, earthly life is so important. They want to enjoy seeing their children and grandchildren. Very often they wish each other to live a happy and long life. 

However, from the first moment of our life, we are to remember that our life on earth is only for a moment. We are invited to live forever in the heavenly Kindom. Do we really trust and believe that our true life is going to start in heaven with God? 

Jesus Christ is the Lord of life and death. Similarly, we are to overcome death. We are to know that death and sin have no power over us if we are united with Christ. 

May Jesus live in our hearts. May our Lord make us defeat the power of death and sin. We pray to start a new life and be alive in the Holy Spirit. Let us rediscover the grace of the sacrament of baptism. Let us rejoice that we are sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus. We live through him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.