Reflection on Jn 4:23

Jn 4:23: “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”

Jesus points out those who worship God in Spirit and truth. What does it mean to worship God in Spirit? It means that a Christian must first receive the Holy Spirit. “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” (Rom 8:9) “No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” (1Cor 12:3) So if we have received Jesus Christ and become children of God, we must also receive the Holy Spirit by faith like the Apostles. Jesus says: “When the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you shall be My witnesses.” (Acts 1:8) If we witness to Jesus, through the power of the Spirit people can receive the saving faith and be saved. We should witness to Christ – that means, to carry out a true mission

a)      by prayer: The Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words (Rom 8:26).

b)      by the witness of word: The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and heirs of God (Rom 8:16). It is a face-to-face mission with the purpose of saving the immortal souls. This is not the task of a priest only but of every Christian. Sheep breed sheep. The shepherd just tends them.

c)      by the witness of suffering: Mental and often even physical suffering for the sake of Christ and His Gospel. Martyrs bore witness by their blood.

This is prayer in Spirit coupled with mission. Prayer in truth means that we must be united to Christ. We are united to Him through baptism but we need to actualize this unity by constant repentance, which means that we abandon lies and enter into the truth. Jesus is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. Our task is to receive Christ and to actualize His life in our life through the Holy Spirit, so that we might say with the Apostle: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal 2:20)

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