(Read Acts 16:22-34, Psalm 138 and John 16:5-11)
“I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you.” (John 16:7)
If you have ever sincerely felt bad about something you did or didn’t do when you ought, then you have heard from the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us today: “And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.” Be attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit who speaks through your conscience daily.
The less you follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, the more hostile you become to the presence of the Holy Spirit. This was the case of the demoniac who could not stand Jesus in the synagogue. (Cf. Mark 1:23-27, Luke 4:33-36)
Learn to call on the Holy Spirit at all times. Remember that as a Christian, “you are a fellow citizen with the saints and members of the household of God … in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22)
Even in moments of trouble, call on the Holy Spirit for help. (Cf. Psalm 46:1). In our first reading, Paul and Silas found themselves in prison for doing the work of God. Rather than fall into despair, they burst into singing and praying.
At midnight, there was a great manifestation of the Holy Spirit. All the prison doors were opened and the chains of all the prisoners there were unfastened.
What is it that you are going through? Do you still believe in the power of the Holy Spirit?
I pray through Christ Jesus that may the Holy Spirit descend upon us filling our hearts with faith in God and lead us in the paths of righteousness. Amen.