Hey CMCS Men and Friends,
A new Man Moment spirituality Gospel reflection for Sunday was just released.
In this installment: Who is Your Advocate?
The Gospel is from John 14:23-29. In the readings this days Mass, we get a story about the first big meeting ever held by the Church leaders. They made a huge decision with the help of the Holy Spirit, and it went like this: "It's a decision of the Holy Spirit and us" (Acts 15:28).
In the Gospel we just read, Jesus promised his friends that when he left, the Holy Spirit would come and teach them everything. He'd remind them of all the things Jesus had said. In other words, the Church was promised the Holy Spirit's help in keeping and understanding the "deposit of faith" - the whole truth that God shared with us to help us become holy.
This promise was kept in a big way about 20 years after Jesus died, at the Council of Jerusalem. It's happened many times since then, not just on big occasions like General Councils, but in everyday life too. The Holy Spirit "breathes where he wills." He helps local leaders in the Church, and even individual Christians if they ask for his help. He inspires people to serve the Church and their neighbors, and he's helped people start new groups and orders to spread the faith.
We all have moments when we need to make tough decisions. If we get it wrong, it can mess up our lives and even put our souls at risk. We should ask the Holy Spirit for help every day, but especially when we're facing a big decision.
The Holy Spirit's job is to keep and protect the truth that God gave us. When we're unsure about what to believe or what to do, that's when we need his help the most. If we ask sincerely, he won't let us down.
