The Spirit of the Lord

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Thursday after Epiphany, January 7th, 2021

Texts: 1 John 4:19-5:4;  Ps. 72: 1-2.14.15.17; Luke 4:14-22a

In today's gospel reading, Jesus reads: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,  because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor." The Spirit of God in us is not for nothing but for salvation of souls. For St. John, in the first reading, the Spirit of God is to keep His commandment, which is to have faith in his Son and to love one another. He says, "And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also. Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and every one who loves the parent loves the one begotten by him." He puts it clearly in another place, "And this is the Commandment of God, that we should believe in the  name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us" (1John 3:23). What the gospel reading mentions as the purpose for which the Spirit of God dwells in us are what we should do for the love of our neighbours. We are to proclaim good news to those who are poor, to work for the release of the captives, to instruct the ignorant (opening the eyes of the blind), to free the oppressed, and to bring about forgiveness of debts, sin, and freedom from slavery to sin.

St. John, in the first reading, also reminds us that God always takes the first step. He says, Beloved: We love God, because he first loved us." Our love for God should be a response to His love for us. The love we are talking of here is   the love He has shown us by sending his Son to lay down His life for us. For some of us God loves us only when He gives us something, such as wealth, Children, power, authority, fame, honour etc. For some God only loves them when they are rescued from life threatening situation, such as accident, illness, character assassination, etc. Without all these things we should know that God still love us. The love of God for us is already established in Jesus Christ; no greater love can man has for his friend than to lay down his life for him (John 15:13). St. John, in the first reading, says, "And his commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcome the world; and this is the victory that overcome the world, our faith. By our faith in Jesus Christ we overcome the world. Then we can say, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Rom. 8:35.37). By our faith in Jesus Christ, we are conquerors.

God our Father, we thank You for the gift of Your Spirit, grant that we may yield to the promptings of Your Spirit in us. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke