Forever and for always

THE STORY is told about siblings gathered around their dying mother. In whispers, they were discussing where to bury her when she died, whether in their cemetery lot in the province or in Manila. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and said: "My dear children, I have a request. Knowing you, you'll hardly visit me at the cemetery in the province or here in Manila. So, have me cremated, and scatter my ashes at the mall. That way, at least I'll always be with you, and for sure I'll see you once a week!"

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Today is Pentecost Sunday. The Lord wanted to be with us forever and for always, so He sent the Holy Spirit. "I will ask the Father and He will give another helper to be with you forever." (Jn. 14: 15-16, 23-26) Love is wanting to be with the beloved. He is always with us, but are we always with Him? The Lord wants to make a room and dwell in our hearts, but are our hearts open to His spirit?

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Somebody once said that the Holy Spirit is like an airplane loaded with lots of gifts, but it can only land in an airport that is open. We need the gifts so badly, and yet we do not allow the airplane to touch down. We need help and yet we refuse the helper. We all badly need strength and guidance, and yet we insist on doing what we want and going on our own.

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The Holy Spirit does indeed bring us gifts. We may remember trying to memorize them when we were in religion class. Let's recall them again: wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord. That makes seven. In the Bible, the number seven suggests completeness. Nothing more is needed. Just look at the words in a spiritual way and we will see how true this is.

Wisdom from the Holy Spirit will enable us to share in Jesus' love for the people we are in contact with. It teaches us to view events in the light of the providence of God. The gift of knowledge will show us the true meaning of the world and the events of our lives. The gift of understanding is very necessary so that we can have a deeper understanding of the mysteries of our faith and how we can live up to them. Counsel will guide our conscience to know what is right and help us do it. It will teach us when to be prudent and when to be decisive in action.

The gift of piety will help us to appreciate what it really means to be sons and daughters of God. It will teach us to bring trust and affection into our relationship with our Father. Fortitude will give us the strength and perseverance to overcome all obstacles in following God's will. How we need this gift in the face of the temptations all around us? And fear of the Lord? Does this mean that we must live in fear of God who loves us so much? Of course not! If you really love someone, you would naturally fear to offend him or her. And the deeper the love, the greater the fear. All the more with God. Our readiness to reject sin is the measure of our love for him. So the gift of fear is really the manifestation of one's great respect for the holiness of God. Fear will enable us to acknowledge our nothingness before God and to express our gratitude for all his blessings.

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If we open our hearts to receive those gifts of the Holy Spirit and live them out in our lives, we will be well on our way to being the persons that God wants us to be. So open up the airport and light up the runway so that the plane can land!

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What happens when we leave out the Holy Spirit? The absence of peace. We have disorder and chaos. From the looks of it, we left out the Holy Spirit in the past elections. We did not make room for Him in the selection and in the counting process, to give way to the almighty and glorious money. When the Holy Spirit is "scattered," there is healing and peace. When dirty money is "scattered," there is division and chaos. Money, as such, is neutral. What makes it dirty is its source and its use. Remember, dirty money makes dirty those who use it, those who receive it, and those who keep it. Look at your hands. Do you have "clean little hands that are good to see"?

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May the Holy Spirit teach us and remind us again of what is really important in this life. Let us ask him to break down the walls in our hearts that keep us trapped in our selfish ways. This frenzy for power and money and for all that they promise can only stop if we remember again that what matters in the end is the love we carry in our hearts. The money we have in our pockets, the power we hold in our hands are only for a while. But the love we carry in our hearts is forever, and for always. Let us ask to be rid of all this "baggage" of fears, anxieties and resentments. Have courage! Don't fear the fire of the Holy Spirit. This is not a fire that destroys. It comes to burn away the things that keep us from seeing Jesus and from loving one another. It will set us free! Come Holy Spirit, truly we need you!

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A moment with the Lord

Lord, remind me again that worldly power and glory are fleeting, but your love and your Holy Spirit are forever and for always. Amen.