Retreat after retreat, formation, after formation, and at every Eucharistic Celebration, the Lord our God heals you, embraces you and sets you free to live fully in His love. Empowered, how do you go living a renewed life in the Spirit? Or do you go back into your daily routines as before thinking it felt good but don’t let it get to your head? Yes, I have received but wasn’t it for me alone? How am I going to share with others? Who will receive? Why would they want to listen to what I have to say? Whose voice is it that you hear that seeks to scatter?
Rely on faith and act in faith! That is just what I did after attending an intensive training under School of Faith. At first I thought, I was going to simply host the first in-person session of a series of basic Christian formation which will lead to an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The first four was done via zoom while this fifth one onwards was live and in person. Then later I was requested to also lead the worship session, while supported by fellow sisters and a brother who would play the guitar and sing. In obedience to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, I agreed and decided to be fully Spirit led. I left the worship songs to them but gave simple directions of how we were going to proceed. The theme of the Session was ‘How we can turn back to God?’ While on the train, I asked the Lord to show me a passage that I might pray or proclaim to His flock and just as I opened my bible the word psalm 32 came to mind. I flipped it to Psalm 32 and was amazed! Next question was when would I share this? When the session started, I began to feel our Lord’s amazing presence as we worshipped Him in prayer and song. It was after the first worship song I shared the Psalm 32 with the group. And after the second worship song I was prompted to start with a simple activation. Jesus was present to love and embrace everyone in the room.
After the sharing of a testimony and the talk we broke of into two groups to share on the topic at hand. The other group seemed very much alive with joy while they shared and laughter could be heard every now and then. Ours was by far different, the sharing was more solemn and heartfelt. Healing and deliverance was taking place. A lady in our group was sharing just how painful it was for her to lose her son to cancer and while the Lord has seen her through it, there is still lingering pain every now and then. Before sharing a vision I got, I sought confirmation from her other son seating beside me. I asked him if his brother liked wearing caps, because I saw a vision of a young man wearing a cap beside Jesus, looking down and smiling at his mother who was pouring her heart out to us. He wanted to assure her that He was with Jesus and has been praying for her and his siblings. Two others then shared similarly painful yet different accounts of what was going on in their lives. Then the daughter of the earlier lady who was also present shared her excruciating journey back to Jesus after her brother had passed on. I saw a word. ‘Love’ in front of her and shared it with her after her sharing. She was not only deeply loved by our Lord but she that she was filled with so much love to share with the world. And that she is going to be a great instrument of His grace and love for others. For she could reach others with similar pains in their lives in a very unique way and loving them into His Kingdom.
What a truly amazing and wonderful, spirit filled session! All praise to Jesus!
Rely on Faith and Act in Faith! Amen
Our Lady of the Rosary pray for us…
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First reading
Galatians 3:7-14 ·
The sons of Abraham are those who rely on faith
Don’t you see that it is those who rely on faith who are the sons of Abraham? Scripture foresaw that God was going to use faith to justify the pagans, and proclaimed the Good News long ago when Abraham was told: In you all the pagans will be blessed. Those therefore who rely on faith receive the same blessing as Abraham, the man of faith.
On the other hand, those who rely on the keeping of the Law are under a curse, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in observing everything prescribed in the book of the Law. The Law will not justify anyone in the sight of God, because we are told: the righteous man finds life through faith. The Law is not even based on faith, since we are told: The man who practises these precepts finds life through practising them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being cursed for our sake, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who is hanged on a tree. This was done so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit.
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Gospel
Luke 11:15-26
The finger of God has overtaken you
When Jesus had cast out a devil, some of the people said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.
‘He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.
‘When an unclean spirit goes out of a man it wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and not finding one it says, “I will go back to the home I came from.” But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied, it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends up by being worse than he was before.’
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