When God sends out His Spirit, the world is created anew and the face of the earth renewed (Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34). To those united with Him in love, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit from the Father to teach them everything and to be with them always (John 14:15-16, 23b-26).
Renew the face of the earth
Psalm 104 begins with a normal summon to acclaim the greatness of God, but this time in a self-address call: “Bless the Lord, O my soul!” What is here translated as “soul” (nepesh, “breath”) refers to every aspect of a person’s being from that center within the person from which all life forces flow. Wholeheartedly and in entirety, a person can only praise the greatness of God as seen in creation and in the order that exists in the universe; all things give evidence to His glory. The diversity and complexity of the natural world are marvelous as they manifest the power and the wisdom of the Creator (Proverbs 8:22-31; Wisdom 9:9). The invisible God is perceived in the grandeur of creation and is described as if robed in majesty and glory.
And creation is not just an event completed in the distant past, but an ongoing event and a personal experience. God’s act of creation and unceasing divine providence sustaining all creatures are discernible in the renewal of life taking place before our eyes. When the breath of life is taken back, a creature returns to the dust whence it was taken (Genesis 2:7; Job 12:10). God not only creates but recreates in sustaining and perpetuating life. The “spirit” (ruah) is the same word found in the story of the first creation where a mighty wind swept over the waters (Genesis 1:2). The same spirit and power of the Lord can bring about a new creation and a renewal of the old. May this “glory of God” endure forever, the psalmist prays, as he promises to devote himself to the praise of the Lord.
In the power of the Holy Spirit
Jesus’ fundamental message of love means a love that is self-sacrificing, the way Jesus Himself has loved. Those who follow His example and keep His commandments truly love Him. In such union of love, Jesus will ask His Father to send another Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will remain forever with His followers. As Jesus Himself has been the Advocate in relating to the Father in this world, so now, that He is about to leave them to return to God’s glory, another Advocate will be coming who will never leave them.
Loving Jesus means keeping His word, which is actually the word of the Father who sent Him. That is why the Father will love those who love Jesus and keep His word and follow His commandments. And Jesus and the Father will come to them and make their dwelling with them, in an abiding presence and intimacy. Those who do not keep the word of Jesus do not really love Him, and the Father and Jesus will not make their dwelling with them, and the Holy Spirit will also not be with them. It is only in union with Jesus and His Father that the Advocate will be available who will teach the believers everything and keep the word of Jesus alive in them.
Alálaong bagá, the Holy Spirit, the greatest gift of the Father and of the Son to us, is the determinant person in the life of every Christian on the way to eternal life. Because of the Spirit who is in us, we live the life of the risen Christ and share already in His intimacy with the Father. The gift of the Holy Spirit that comes to us in baptism has initiated us into a new life in the communion of the Triune God. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, the world is charged with divine energy; tutored by the Holy Spirit, the “katipunan” (assembly) of Christians are activated as evangelizers in the renewal of the world.
Join me in meditating on the Word of God every Sunday, 5 to 6 a.m. on DWIZ 882, or by audio-streaming on www.dwiz882.com.