💖 HOMILY - MAY 28 💖

First Reading - Acts 17:15, 22 - 18:1

Gospel - John 16:12-15

There is something deeply mysterious and powerful about the words of Jesus. They are not just teachings to be admired or repeated—they are words that reveal the very heart of God. Yet these words are often cloaked in mystery, filled with layers of meaning that we cannot uncover on our own. That is why we need the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the One who helps us not only understand the message of Jesus but also live it in a way that touches and transforms the lives of others.

Today’s first reading gives us a striking example of this need in the experience of Paul in Athens. Paul finds himself before the philosophers and intellectuals of his time. With great skill, he tailors his speech to their culture. He uses their language, their poetry, and their ways of thinking in an attempt to introduce them to the God they do not yet know. But as he moves toward the heart of the Gospel—the resurrection of Jesus—his audience pulls back. The moment calls for more than reason and rhetoric. It calls for the work of the Spirit. It becomes clear that despite Paul’s intelligence and strategy, the transformation of hearts is not the result of eloquence but of grace. This moment becomes a turning point for Paul. He realizes that real conversion happens not through self-reliance but through surrender to the Spirit of God. From this point on, his preaching takes a new tone—one that is deeply rooted in dependence on the Spirit rather than on human effort.

In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to his disciples about this very Spirit. He tells them that after his departure, he will send the Spirit of Truth. This Spirit is not just a helper but the One who makes known everything Jesus has said. The Spirit does not speak on His own authority but communicates the will and truth of the Father and the Son. He brings clarity, guidance, and wisdom. In these words, Jesus also opens for us a window into the mystery of the Holy Trinity: the perfect unity of Father, Son, and Spirit, distinct yet one in essence, acting always in harmony for our salvation.

It is this Spirit that enables us to understand who Jesus is and what his words mean. Without the Spirit, the Gospel remains a closed book, a set of sayings that we may admire but never fully grasp. But when we allow the Spirit to teach us, the words of Christ come alive. They take root in our hearts, shape our thoughts, guide our choices, and make us living witnesses of the Good News.

Dear friends, faith is not won by argument or clever reasoning. It is received as a gift, nurtured in prayer, and grown by grace. Our task is not to impress others with our knowledge but to allow the Holy Spirit to shine through our lives so that others may come to know Jesus through us. The greatest witness is not what we say but who we become when we live under the guidance of the Spirit.

So let us not read the Scriptures as we would any other book. Let us read them prayerfully, with hearts open and expectant, inviting the Holy Spirit to speak through every word and sentence. Let us seek His guidance in our daily decisions, His strength in our struggles, and His wisdom in our mission. 

May the Holy Spirit always be our light and our guide, teaching us to understand, to live, and to proclaim the words of Jesus with clarity, courage, and love.