Kuraġġ fil-Maltemp

 

ONE mument li kienu kodardi, il-kuraġġuż li jmiss. Mument minnhom kienu qed jiddubitaw, l-ieħor kienu ċerti. Mument minnhom kienu eżitanti, il-ieħor, ġrew bir-ras lejn il-martirji tagħhom. X’għamel id-differenza f’dawk l-Appostli li bidluhom f’irġiel bla biża ’?

The Holy Spirit.

Not a bird or a force, not a cosmic energy or lovely symbol—but the Spirit of God, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. And when He comes, it changes everything. 

No, we cannot be cowards in these days of ours—especially you men who are fathers, whether you be priests or parents. If we are cowards, we will lose our faith. The Storm that is beginning to spread over the whole world is a storm of sifting. Those who are willing to compromise their faith will lose it, but those willing to lose their lives for their faith will find it. We must be realistic about what we are facing:

Dawk li jisfidaw dan il-paganiżmu ġdid jiffaċċjaw għażla diffiċli. Jew jikkonformaw ma 'din il-filosofija jew huma iffaċċjat bil-prospett tal-martirju. —Qaddej ta ’Alla Fr. John Hardon (1914-2000), Kif Tkun Kattoliku Leali Illum? Billi Tkun Leali lejn l-Isqof ta ’Ruma; www.therealpresence.org

Well, that probably makes you feel afraid. But this is why Our Lady has been sent like an Ark for this generation. Not to hide us, but to prepare us; not to stow us away, but to equip us to be on the front lines of the greatest confrontation the world has ever known. As Jesus said in the approved messages to Elizabeth Kindelmann:

Kollha huma mistiedna jingħaqdu mal-forza speċjali tal-ġlied tiegħi. Il-miġja tar-Renju tiegħi trid tkun l-uniku skop tiegħek fil-ħajja ... Tkunx kodard. Tistennax. Iffronta t-Tempesta biex issalva l-erwieħ. —Jesus lil Elizabeth Kindelmann, Il-Fjamma tal-Imħabba, pġ 34, ippubblikat mill-Fondazzjoni Tfal tal-Missier; Imprimatur mill-Arċisqof Charles Chaput

If you feel fear in your heart, then it means you are human; it’s what you do to overcome that fear that decides the kind of a man or woman you are. But dear Christian, I am not speaking about your ability to conquer fear through mental exercises or trying to whip yourself up into a frenzy. Rather, of your capacity to turn to the One who casts out all fear—He who is Perfect Love, the Holy Spirit. For…

... l-imħabba perfetta titfa 'l-biża'. (1 Ġwanni 4:18)

A terrible thing has happened to the Church in the past decade or so. We seem to have forgotten that God still wishes to pour out the Holy Spirit upon us! The Father did not cease to give us this Divine Gift after Pentecost; He did not cease to give It to us at our Baptism and Confirmation; in fact, God desires to fill us with the Spirit whenever we ask!

If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him? (Luke 11:13)

If you think I am making this up, then consider this passage from the Acts of the Apostles:

“And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:29-31)

Here’s the point. That ma kienx Pentecost—Pentecost happened two chapters earlier. So we see that God can and does grant us His Spirit when we ask. 

Kun miftuħ għal Kristu, merħba l-Ispirtu, sabiex Pentekoste ġdid jista 'jseħħ f'kull komunità! Umanità ġdida, waħda ferrieħa, tinħoloq minn nofsek; terġa 'tesperjenza l-qawwa salvataġġ tal-Mulej. —POP JOHN PAUL II, fl-Amerika Latina, 1992

I probably should have quit this ministry long ago. The insults, the persecution, cold-shoulders, rejection, mockery, and isolation, let alone my own fears of failure or leading others astray… Yes, I have often experienced It-Tentazzjoni li tkun NormaliBut it is the Holy Spirit who has been my source of strength and power to continue, particularly through these vessels:

TalbIn prayer, I am connected to Christ, the Vine, who then brings the sap of the Holy Spirit to flow through the tendrils of my heart. Oh, how often God has renewed my soul in prayer! How often I have entered into prayer, crawling on the ground, and then found myself soaring like an eagle! 

Is-Sagrament tal-KomunitàWe are not islands. We belong to a body, the Body of Christ. Hence, each of us is a sagrament to the other when we allow the love of Jesus to flow through us: when we are His face, His hands, His smile, His listening ears, His touch; when we remind each other of God’s Word and continually exhort one another to “think of what is above, not of what is on earth” (Colossians 3:2). What a gift inti have been to me through your letters and prayers through which I have felt real grace and strength return.

The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. When we receive Jesus in Holy Communion, what are we gaining? Ħajja, eternal life, and that Life is the Spirit of God. The miracle of peace that I have often felt after receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is more than enough proof that God exists… and enough strength for the week ahead.

The Blessed Mother. So many people misunderstand Our Lady. It is a great sorrow for me because no one loves and worships Jesus as she does! Her only interest is that the world would come to love and worship Jesus in the same way. And thus—to those who let her mother them—she gives all the graces that God has given to her, to dispose them for the good of souls. She does this through her Divine Spouse, the Holy Spirit. 

konfessjoni. When I have failed my Lord, myself, and those around me, I begin again because the Lord promises I can (1 John 1:9). What unspeakable graces are given in this Sacrament where Divine Mercy restores the soul through the cleansing fire of the Holy Spirit. 

All that remains is for us not to be lazy, not to take our spiritual lives for granted. We cannot afford to, much less be cowards. 

Il-providenza divina issa ħejjitna. Id-disinn ħanin ta ’Alla wissiena li l-jum tat-taqbida tagħna stess, il-konkors tagħna stess, wasal. Permezz ta ’dik l-imħabba kondiviża li torbotna mill-qrib, qed nagħmlu dak kollu li nistgħu biex inħeġġu lill-kongregazzjoni tagħna, biex nagħtu lilna nfusna bla waqfien għas-sawm, il-velji u t-talb komuni. Dawn huma l-armi tas-sema li jagħtuna s-saħħa biex nibqgħu sodi u nissaportu; huma d-difiżi spiritwali, l-armamenti mogħtija minn Alla li jipproteġuna.  —St. Cyprian, Ittra lill-Papa Cornelius; Il-Liturġija tas-Sigħat, Vol IV, p. 1407

In conclusion, I want to form an “upper room” with all of you on this Pentecost Sunday. And like the Apostles of old, let us gather with Our Lady and implore the Holy Spirit upon us, our families, and the world. Jemmnu what you are asking for. Say one Hail Mary with me right now (and I’ll include the invocation that she asked for in the revelations to Elizabeth Kindelmann, which is a special prayer for the Holy Spirit through the Flame of Love of Our Lady’s heart):

 

Hail Mary full of grace
the Lord is with thee
Imbierek int fost in-nisa
u mbierek il-frott tal-ġuf tiegħek, Ġesù.
Santa Marija, Omm Alla
pray for us sinners
and spread the effect of grace of thy Flame of Love
over all humanity
issa u fis-siegħa tal-mewt tagħna. 
Amen. 

 

If the day of persecution find us
thinking on these things 
and meditating upon them,
the soldier of Christ, 
trained by Christ’s commands and instructions,
does not begin to panic at the thought of battle,
but is ready for the crown of victory. 
—St. Ċiprijanu, isqof u martri
Liturġija tas-Sigħat, Vol II, p. 1769

 

Il-Kelma Issa hija ministeru full-time li
tkompli bl-appoġġ tiegħek.
Bierek, u grazzi. 

 

Biex tivvjaġġa ma 'Mark ġewwa il Issa Kelma,
ikklikkja fuq il-banner hawn taħt biex jissottoskrivu.
L-email tiegħek ma tinqasam ma 'ħadd.

 

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