Be of Good Cheer, I Have Overcome The World.

Monday 3^rd June 2019. Acts 19:1-8, Psalm 68 and John 16:29-33

_*“I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)*_

It is not God’s will that we should be sad and miserable in life. Jesus today concludes his message by asking us to cheer up and be happy because he has overcome the world. Rejoice, be of good cheer. Troubles may come, but remember that the battle we are fighting is one that has been won already on the Cross of Calvary. And so, we do not fight as victims but as victors.

To happy when everything is going on well with you is normal. But to be happy when things are not going so well is extraordinary. The happiness Jesus is referring to is that which we can have despite the tribulations we face. It is happiness that does not depend on money, clothes, food or anything that this world has to offer. It is happiness from above.

No wonder, one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is joy. The joy the Holy Spirit gives is that which remains regardless of whatever trial or tribulations we may encounter in life. Let us pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our lives that He may fill us with supernatural joy and bless us with a kind of peace that this world cannot provide.

In our first reading, we encounter another fruit of the Holy Spirit which is the ability to speak in tongues. We are told that as soon as Paul laid his hands on the people of Ephesus, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

The gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit are very many, and the Holy Spirit being God is the one who decides what particular gift He bestows upon us. It is important to note that no particular gift is greater than another. Nevertheless, all we have to do is to be prepared for the Holy Spirit. If you still haven’t started by now, please begin to pray the novena to the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray: Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart and enkindle in me the fire of your love. Amen.  St. Charles Lwanga and companions, pray for us.

*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Monday of the 7^th week of Easter. Bible Study: Acts 19:1-8, Psalm 68 and John 16:29-33).