Love Cannot Lie; Whatever we Love Controls us.

Homily for May 21, 2017.

Our Gospel passage today continues from that of Last Sunday. Jesus is consoling the disciples and preparing their minds for the hard times, the trials and tribulations that would come soon.

Last Sunday, we heard Jesus say: “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me, in my Father’s house are many rooms.” Today, Jesus is saying: “Don’t worry, you will not miss me too much, I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you in the Holy Spirit.”

In other words, Jesus wants us to understand that no matter what we face in life, we are never alone. We can never leave the presence of God because God is everywhere. And even if we cannot see God face to face, we can feel God within us in the Holy Spirit.

This Holy Spirit that Jesus promised is what came upon the Samaritans in our first reading. The Samaritans received the Holy Spirit not simply because they had prepared their hearts through the reception of the Gospel preached by Philip.

As Jesus said, the Holy Spirit is not meant for everybody but those rightly disposed to it. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him…”

The world cannot receive the Holy Spirit because the spirit of the world opposes the spirit of God. When we are worldly minded, we become opposed to the things of Holy Spirit. St. Paul gives a hint to this in Romans 8:7-8 saying: “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, indeed it cannot; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

The world cannot receive the Holy Spirit because it does not recognize him. Those who belong to the world are ruled by the flesh; they cannot keep God’s commandments, instead they do the very opposite of what God says because they have no love for God. In fact, the people of the world are those who make life difficult for God’s children.

St. Peter had such persons in mind when he said in our second reading today: “Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame.” Yes, there are people who hate you simply for being a good person, they will try all means to make you abandon your Godliness to join them in evil.

St. Peter, like Jesus in our Gospel passage offers a message of hope. He tells us not to give up or bend. Even if we have to suffer, let our suffering be for the right reasons. “It is better to suffer for doing right, if that is God’s will, than for doing wrong.”

There are two kinds of people on earth; those who are worldly minded who lack the Holy Spirit and those who are Godly minded who possess the Holy Spirit. The worldly minded live according to the flesh and oppose anything concerning God even if it means persecuting those who belong to God.

The question is: “Where do I belong?” To God or to the world? Who am I loyal to? Who do I love? I may claim to love God but it is possible that I have a greater love for the world and perhaps my love for the world is preventing me from living according to the commandments of God.

As Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments… He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who love me will be love by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

Do you find yourself battling with sin? Going back again and again like a dog to its vomit? Then you need to find out what is it that you really love in this life. Could it be that there is something/someone you now love more than God? Yes, no one can have two masters. Matthew 6:24.

Make God your number one priority once again, rekindle your love for him; go back to his words like a Bride eager to hear the voice of her Groom. Love God sincerely, create time for God, let nothing else take your attention and love and you will notice how you will begin to drop your bad habits and win the battle against sin.

Love cannot lie; whatever we love controls us.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, may my love for you reflect in my thoughts, words and deeds. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (6^th Sunday of Easter. Year A. Bible Study: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17, 1^st Peter 3:15-18 and John 14:15-21).