“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts

through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts

through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

What is emphasized?

Hope. Christian hope has its model in the hope of Abraham, who against hope believed in hope (Rom 4:18). So Abraham believed that God is almighty, and facing Him in powerlessness he trusted that God was able to work a miracle.

Practical application:

In time of hopelessness, realize God’s presence and His almightiness, and repeat several times in faith, “Jesus, I trust in You.”

Martyrs and Other Saints

+ Elijah – Tuptalo

April

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The Lord Jesus is really present in the Divine Liturgy. When we receive His Body and Blood in Holy Communion, we need to realize: “Jesus, You are in me now.” Jesus asks every one of us: “What do you want Me to do for you?” If you have a concrete problem, tell Him: “Lord, this is my problem – I am ill. You are my Physician, You are almighty!” And Jesus says to you the same as He said to the women in the Gospel who came to Him with a fervent plea or to the parents who asked Him to heal their child: “Let it be done for you as you have believed!” Or He says to you as He said to the leper: “I am willing; be cleansed!” Jesus is the same, and He is present in the Eucharist. He comes in a special way. When you receive His Body and Blood, He comes to you and becomes your guest. Think of Zacchaeus who wished to see Jesus, and Jesus said to him: “I must stay at your house today!” and entered his house. Jesus comes into your soul in the same way today. Say to Him: “Jesus, You are the Lord of the universe!” Jesus asks you: “What do you want Me to do for you?” So tell Him concretely what you want.

“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors – not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.“

“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors – not to the flesh,

to live according to the flesh.

If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Question: According to Rom 8:12a, what are we not debtors to?

Answer: ………………

Question: What follows from this according to Rom 8:12b?

Answer: ………………

Question: According to Rom 8:13a, what will happen to those who live according to the flesh?

Answer: ………………

Question: According to Rom 8:13b, how are we to put to death the deeds of the body?

Answer: ………………

Question: According to Rom 8:13c, what will happen to those who put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit?

+ Elijah
Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate

Michelangelo was about to make a sculpture of Moses. One day a large stone or rather a huge boulder was brought to him. He and his apprentice went to see it. They walked around it with delight. Michelangelo thought for a while, looking at the stone, and then said: “I see Moses in there.” The apprentice wondered, saying: “Moses? It’s no Moses; it’s just a stone.” Michelangelo replied: “But I see him there.” “What needs to be done to really have him in there?” Michelangelo said: “All that is not Moses must be removed.” “And how will it happen?” “Chisel, hammer, and blows. It is blows that give shape.”

It is the same with us. All that is not Jesus in us must be removed. And how will it happen? It is blows that give shape. God often has to visit trials or suffering on us, sometimes even through other people who scold us or do us a wrong, or through a loss or the death of our dear ones… It is the blows that give shape.

“I am telling you these things,” Jesus says to the apostles the evening before His death, “now while I am still with you.” He won’t be with the apostles for much longer. These are the final moments before His departure. Imagine a father saying goodbye to his children, knowing that he will be executed the next day. He is innocent, but he will still be executed. He’ll give his beloved children his heart on a plate. He’ll give them everything he has. And Jesus, with far greater love, imparts the depths of truth to the apostles as far as He knows they are able to bear and receive. He knew that they were still unable to accept many things, but He pointed to the hope that is the Holy Spirit. And here’s what He says: “… while I am still with you. … But the Comforter (Advocate), whom the Father will send in My name…” When someone comforts someone who is depressed, a word can save a life. “Comforter” – He comforts. “Comforter” or “Advocate”. You actually enjoy patronage at the highest levels. Imagine that you cannot get to the truth or achieve justice – it’s just not possible. Then someone says to you: “Look, there’s a man whose patronage will help you.

We are unable to grasp the depth of God’s truths and mysteries on our own. As Jesus said: “He will teach you…” Who? The Holy Spirit. No one else is able to teach us. He will approach you personally and teach you. But you have to want it and cooperate, and then He will teach you. No mention is made whether it will take a year, five years, or a lifetime. But He will teach you. Remember the promise: “He will teach you…” He will teach you how to be with Jesus. He will teach you how to live so that the life of Jesus can grow within you and Christ can live in you. He will teach you so that you can die and Jesus can grow. Jesus goes on to say: “He will remind you of everything I have told you.” How often do we need that in certain situations! We often find ourselves saying: “If only I could remember…” When you lose, you think: “Such a simple thing! Such primitivism!

Martyrs and Other Saints

+ Elijah – Tuptalo

March

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We are now in the 40 days’ Easter period, commemorating the glorious victory of Christ over death and sin. The Word of God points out a deep relation to the mystery of the Resurrection of Christ through the Holy Spirit: “The Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead dwells in you…” (Rom 8:11f).

New life – the life of the risen Christ should be manifested in us through the Holy Spirit. The condition is to walk by faith and to give all our plans, worries and everything to Jesus. Let us not cling to anything, be it our thoughts, hurt feelings, doubts about God and His Word, or self-pity. Let us give our all to Him. He will then work through us in power, maybe in secret only, but our union with Him in faith will bear fruit for eternity.

At the end of May, we will celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit. May the Holy Spirit fill you again and endow you with the true divine joy and His gifts. It is not enough to receive gifts; we need to receive the Giver! Let us do our best to live in the presence of God, seeking His will, so that our decisions, words and acts would not be our own but of God. To abide in and walk with God, we need practical faith. Indeed, we need to walk by faith like Abraham. And we need to revive our faith ever anew in all trials. No manifestation of a living faith is in vain or without response!

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.“

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.”

The Spirit of God brings light. This enables you to realize a truth that you previously did not see at all, or saw only in a distorted way. For example, He reveals that what seemed like a coincidence in your life was not a coincidence at all; now, after several years, you recognize this. What you saw as a loss was actually a gain. The harm that troubled you turned out to be ultimately beneficial. What you saw as misfortune was merely a barrier that prevented an even greater misfortune. At the time, you couldn’t understand this.

The Spirit of God gives us understanding, particularly with regard to spiritual matters. He convicts us of sin. He opens up the Scriptures. Certain previously incomprehensible passages in Scripture suddenly touch your heart deeply, leading you to a personal awareness of sin and of God’s forgiving love.

The Spirit of God brings us into an intimate relationship with our Saviour, so that we may come to know Him better and love Him more. The greatest obstacle to loving God is original sin within us – our tendency to believe lies and commit evil. Without the Spirit of God, all truths, whether from Scripture or the catechism, are merely a letter that kills, as God’s Word says. But the Spirit gives life! (2Cor 3:6) Jesus said to the apostles, and He says to us as well: “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.” (Jn 16:12-13)

“If you love Me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.” (Jn 14:15-17)

Jesus says, “If you love Me…” – this is the condition. And He continues, “…I will ask the Father…” He says, “I” – Jesus. “…and He – the Father – will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever – the Spirit of truth.” The Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, the Counsellor – He intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express, as we read in chapter eight of the Letter to the Romans. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us. So, Jesus will ask the Father. The Father will give the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit. Here we are already talking about the third Person of God. Jesus goes on to tell us about the Holy Spirit: “The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.” (Jn 14:17) The world, or the spirit of the world, is the spirit of lies.

+ Elijah
Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate