ACTS 8:5-8, 14-17

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them. With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured. There was great joy in that city. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

1 PETER 3:15-18

Beloved: Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit.

JOHN 14:15-21

Jesus said to his disciples: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him."

A religion rooted solely on fear of punishment or hope of reward tends to seek loopholes. It is then common to hear people say “How far can I go before I sin? How much can I steal before I sin gravely and seriously? How little can I give and still satisfy and be faithful to my Christian obligations?” In having this attitude of reward, we will be able to reap honors, kind words, and acceptance from other people. As a result, we will feel good about ourselves. Though this is helpful for our self-esteem, there is a more fundamental reason why we are to love one another as Jesus has commanded us.

In loving we are able to reflect the image and likeness of God that is within us. It is when we love and are tireless doing good that we realize the true meaning of freedom. Any person who really knows the meaning of love realizes that love has numerous possibilities. A religion based on love seeks opportunities. With this mentality, we hear people say “What more can I do to help? Is there anything you need?” One offers oneself beyond duty.

St. Ignatius calls this “magis” — the more. It means to excel and signalize ourselves in the service of the Lord. No room for mediocrity in our love and service of God and humanity. This sense of magis that Ignatius tried to pass on, as part of the spirituality of any Jesuit is best captured in the initial AMDG — “Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam” — for the greater glory of God. He believed that we can always do better in our respective vocations in life as parents, priests, professionals and many others. We become capable of loving even more whether this loving means having to forgive always, suspending judgment and criticism of others, being more compassionate, being more faithful to our responsibilities and commitments in life.

This surely would not be easy but we are consoled by the promise of Jesus, that he will send us His Spirit. Jesus assures us of The Holy Spirit, the Paraclete who will guide us as we expend our best efforts in becoming holy and living Christians. The Spirit would help us become faithful to Jesus’ commandments. The Spirit shall be with us and accompany us forever.

The power of the Spirit helps us in our Christian hope and love. Without the Spirit, the followers of Jesus would have to rely on their own resources, which are clearly inadequate especially during difficult and trying times. Yet the world will not welcome the Spirit as it neither sees nor knows the Spirit. Nonetheless, the Spirit of Jesus will be in the disciples even though many people cannot recognize its presence. Persecutors and onlookers would only see something of the reality of the Spirit when they see the courage and love of the disciples in remaining steadfast on witness of Jesus’ love. This promise of Jesus to his disciples is likewise assured to those who love him and keep his commandments. The Spirit who will sustain them through persecution and martyrdom is the same Spirit who is given to all who love Jesus.

To love one another is to essentially obey the commandments of Jesus. What are our reasons in trying to be faithful to these? Is it fear, desire for reward and recognition? Hopefully, it is out of love for Jesus because this is when we become most free. Let us not be distressed or discouraged in fulfilling this commandment of Jesus. The Spirit of Jesus will be with us to guide, strengthen, and accompany us.

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Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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