85 / 88
the Son of God.”We share
that victory over the
world’s tendency to alien-
ate and exclude because
Jesus has given us the Spir-
it of truth who comes
from the Father. It is in the
power of the Spirit that
we can bear witness simp-
ly by the way we stretch
out our hand in welcome
to others.
Today’s readings present us with a challenge, but also offer
us a promise.The challenge is to be life giving.Am I ena-
bling the Spirit to work through me? Or am I the liar for
not believing that Jesus has poured out his Spirit into me?
That gift of the Spirit demands that I reach out to the poor,
the lonely, to all who are alienated and give them the gift of
life.
The promise is that our life has meaning and that it will nev-
er end – that we possess eternal life! If you get a better deal,
take it, but that sounds like a really good deal to me.
Prayer
Good and gracious God, through the water of his baptism,
through his blood shed in his dying on the cross, and his gift
to us of the Spirit, your Son testified to your great love for
each and every one of us. Grant me the strength to stretch
out my hand to all those in need so that I, too, can be your
life giving presence to others. I make this prayer in the name
of your Son and the power of the Holy Spirit.Amen.
_____
Bill Metzdorf
Parishioner