Spiritum, qui ex Deo (1 Cor. 2:12)

 

Before Jesus was lifted to heaven, He promised a helper to accompany his disciples while they travel and spread the good news. Jesus’s disciples felt it when the Pentecost day come. Holy Spirit came upon them. Consequently, they could speak in various languages so that many people understood them. For the Holy Spirit was their strength.

According to the letter of Apostle Paul to Corinthians, there are two kinds of spirit, namely, the spirit of the world and the Spirit of God. They contradict each other. People with the spirit of the world cannot accept the spirit of God without conversion. For that reason, Paul invited his listeners to move from the spirit of the world towards the Spirit of God. Paul asked them to accept the Holy Spirit and believe in Jesus Christ.

Nowadays, the spirit of the world can be understood as hatred and envy which separates people. The root of the spirit of the world is egoism which makes people destroy each other and even nature. We can see around us wars in many countries, vandalism, human trafficking, and poverty. Even, the innocent earth is broken by human egoism. On the other hand, the Spirit of God can be seen in love which establishes unity, solidarity, friendship, and other universal values.

To this world, God sends the Holy Spirit to recover human’s heart from egoism and hatred. His presence makes people more compassionate and sympathetic to one another. The Spirit of God helps all people comprehend God’s wisdom. Because humans have the responsibility to keep God’s commandments and promote love in the world.

Let us ask God to pour out the Holy Spirit upon us and all people, so we can love each other and protect our nature as a common home in which we could live peacefully.

By Fr. Aris Mada, SVD.

Spiritus novus (Ez. 36:26)

 

Two years ago, I had a new hobby; to feed fish in the pond. I indulged with this hobby when I was staying in one community and this community had a fish pond and a friend of mine gave a bunch of food fish for me.

Every day I took the time to feed the fish in the pond. Day by day, I was interested and glad every time seeing fishes swam to the surface of the water to eat the food that I gave. Through this activity, a new awareness arose inside me. Feeding fish means to feed ourselves. There is no economic advantage of feeding fish in a pond, but it does provide spiritual benefit. My soul is enriched, grows, and develops in establishing a relationship with other creatures.

Thomas Berry, an author of the Book of Christian Cosmology, said that all earthly beings were created from a single creature and therefore all are cousins. Long before that, the same thing experienced by St. Francis of Assisi who saw other living beings as brothers and sisters. Life is not only about building relationships with God and human beings, but also with the earth and all other living creatures that need to survive on the earth.

God put a new heart and a new spirit in ourselves. Consequently, every day we can admire nature and meet with Christ in everything that we see, hear, touch, and feel. Let us pray so that all people love nature and nurture it. Since we want to live peacefully on the earth.

By Fr. Aris Mada, SVD.