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A procession walked through the village, in which individual estates had their place, in the middle of which walked a priest with a monstrance in his hands. A car in which two men in their fifties were sitting stopped. Nothing and no one prevented them from continuing their journey. The driver remembers it: “The parade was organized. One could feel joy and at the same time great fear from each person. Most in the procession sang, and even the children. I remembered other parades from years ago. The very first sight of this parade touched my heart. I was raised as a non-believer. That was the first time I felt the desire to believe like these people. I turned to my friend. He had his eyes closed, from which tears flowed. My mouth said for the first time in my life: I want to believe like these people.”

Today, on the Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus, we remember that the Eucharist is the summary and summation of our faith. Sv. Irenaeus wrote: (Adversus haereses 4,16,5; SC 100,610) “Our conviction of faith is in harmony with the Eucharist, and the Eucharist, in turn, confirms our conviction” (CCC 1327).

Today’s excerpt from the Gospel begins with the words of Jesus: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven” (Jn 6:51) and the excerpt ends with the words of Jesus: “Whoever eats this bread will live forever” (Jn 6:58).

We celebrate two important Thursdays in the church liturgical calendar. In Holy Week we celebrate Maundy Thursday and today – the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. On both days we remember the Eucharist. On the evening of the first day, we remember the institution of the Eucharist. It was at the end of the public life of the Lord Jesus when he was about to fulfill his mission on earth to die for us. Today, that is in the week after the end of the Easter season, we reflect on the mystery of the love of the Lord Jesus, who instituted the Eucharist. Jesus, because he loved us so much, decided to stay with us until the end of time under the ways of bread and wine, which after the words of transfiguration spoken by the priest, become the true, real, and substantial body and blood of Christ.
Really: Jesus himself says: “My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink” (Jn 6:55).
Indeed: That Jesus is present under the ways of bread and wine does not depend on our faith. Our faith neither brings him nor withdraws him. Sv. John Chrysostom declares: “The fact that the offered gifts become Christ’s body and blood is not caused by man, but by Christ himself, who was crucified for us” (De perdition Iudae homily, 1.6: KKC 1375).
Substantial: It is under the manner of bread and wine in the manner of the substance of bread and wine. If in other sacraments it is present through power and grace, then in the Eucharist especially in its essence to such an extent that it would be a mistake to say about the essence of bread: here is the body of Christ, instead of: this is the body of Christ.
The constant presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is brought about by the extraordinary transformation of the entire essence of bread and wine into the essence of Body and Blood by the power of the consecration words of the priest. However, the magnificence of this sacrament does not end there. The manner of Christ’s presence under the Eucharistic ways is unique of its kind. Christ becomes present in this sacrament by the transformation of bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood. “Christ’s Eucharistic presence begins at the moment of consecration and lasts as long as the Eucharistic ways exist. Christ is present whole and completes under one way and the other, and whole and complete in each part of them so that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ” (CCC 1377).

The Feast of Corpus Christi originates from medieval piety. The Eucharistic celebration was seen not only as a Eucharistic dinner but also as a visual presentation of Christ’s suffering. The development led to an ever greater respect that people showed for the Eucharist, especially for the Eucharistic bread. Independently of St. at the Mass, various devotions were created to honor the Blessed Sacrament. The consequence of this was the creation of a separate holiday to honor the divine presence in the Eucharist. The impetus for this was a vision that Juliana of Liege had in 1209. In the vision, she saw the full moon as a symbol of the Church. However, one black spot on it pointed to the fact that the church year lacks a feast for the veneration of the Eucharist. In 1246, the bishop of Liege introduced such a holiday, which quickly spread and in 1264 became binding for the entire church. The connection of this holiday with Maundy Thursday was manifested in the fact that it is celebrated on Thursday. In 1277, for the first time, they added a procession to this holiday in Cologne. Since then, the procession has become an obvious part of the Feast of Corpus Christi until today. It is not a contrivance against the vagrants of later centuries.
We are also aware of the fact that this celebration has a different stamp than the Maundy Thursday celebration. On Maundy Thursday, the memory focuses on Jesus’ condemnation and crucifixion, and on Corpus Christi, we do not remember Jesus’ suffering, but experience the joy of his presence in the Eucharist among us. Jesus gives himself to us as “the living Bread that came down from heaven” (Jn 6:51) so that he is always present among us. Other meetings are also connected with today’s holiday, we call them Eucharistic congresses, whose history goes back to France. The first Eucharistic Congress was held in Lille in 1881 and is held every two years internationally.

Anyone who once participated with faith, even if only as big as a mustard seed, at a Eucharistic congress or a procession on the feast of Corpus Christi and put their heart into the veneration of the Eucharistic Christ, has an experience, knows the greatness of God’s love. True, it is not only about the external framework of the holiday.
The priest was calmly preparing for his night’s rest when someone rang the bell. At the door stood a man whom the priest knew. He was of a different faith. That evening, this man said, among other things: “Thank you for the great experience of faith. Your accompaniment today was a great encouragement in my faith. I was not brought up to respect Jesus Christ as you teach. There will surely come a time when other religions will also understand the greatness, importance, and need of God among us, as your religion teaches.”

It is right that, on our part, we do everything to beg for ourselves and others from the Eucharistic Christ an increase in graces, and love for God, and duly give thanks to Jesus Christ for the gift of the Eucharist, that he remained among us until the end of the world under the ways of bread and wine.

According to the testimony of the apostles, Jesus not only rose from the dead himself, as he had foretold, but he also promised the same to those who would believe in him: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even if he dies.” (Jn 11:25)
“For my Father’s will is that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him at the last day.” (Jn6:40)
Therefore, “we firmly believe and firmly hope that as Christ is risen from the dead and is alive eternally, the righteous also shall live forever with the risen Christ after their death and that he will rise again on the last day. Our resurrection, like his resurrection, will be the work of the Holy Trinity.” (CCC 989)
The resurrection of the dead and the subsequent full life of the people in eternity is dealt with in the theological discipline called Eschatology. Catholic eschatology gives the theological doctrine, which deals with the consummation of salvation history, that is, the last things concerning man and the world. Since this is a Catholic doctrine, it is obvious that the facts mentioned will be dealing with them in the light of divine revelation and to direct man to his final goal – supernatural eternal life in the communion of the Holy Trinity.

Eschatology is divided into two parts:
1. The eschatology of the individual deals with the last realities of each person (death, special judgment, the fate of the soul at the moment of death, paradise, hell, purgatory).
2. Eschatology of the whole of humanity
Deals with the last events and realities of all mankind and creation (the second Christ’s coming, the resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment, the end of the world and its restoration, the inauguration of a state that will last for all eternity). The article of faith, “I believe in the resurrection of the body and eternal life,” which is the content of our theme, is addressed in the Eschatology of the Whole Humanity, therefore this part of the Eschatology. We will deal with this part of Eschatology in more detail. First, however, we will at least briefly summarize what, according to Catholic teaching happens to every human being after his natural death. There is no resurrection without death. From a theological point of view, man is a being composed of body and soul, and from his creation he is focused on its supernatural goal – eternal life in paradise. In this spirit, therefore, he is to live. The soul of man has a spiritual essence and was created by God as immortal. God created each man’s soul unique and made it identical to the form of a particular body. That is why, for example, reincarnation (transmigration of the soul) is not possible. The soul of man is the animating principle of the human body and after the death of the body, it remains the sole bearer of the identity and consciousness of the concrete human being. So a man who has lived on earth and will one day be resurrected from the dead is, thanks to this immortal soul the same and if here on Earth, during his lifetime, he has done good or bad deeds, he will one day after the resurrection of the body be truly judged by God for those deeds and adequately positively or negatively rewarded.

The immortal soul of man at the moment of death, that is, immediately after separation from the body comes before a special judgment, where it recognizes its earthly life in its entirety. After the death of the body, man’s earthly life is already complete and can therefore be judged in its entirety by God, whether it has been good, bad, or mediocre. Already in this particular judgment man receives from God the decision about his eternal destiny. The Church’s teaching on special judgment is based on the dogma that the souls of the departed go immediately after death to heaven, to purgatory or hell, as the Holy Scriptures testify, in which, for example, Jesus says
“Today you will be with me in paradise…”(Lk 23:43), so that, regardless of wherever the dead body is, the soul is already heading for a special judgment. Then the soul can experience eternal bliss with God (heaven) or eternal separation from God (hell – damnation) – a life without meaning in life. To temporary purgatory, the soul goes if
it still needs to deal with too much attachment to worldly things, people, and ephemeral pleasures. Eternal bliss or eternal damnation can only be fully experienced after the resurrection of the body and the Last Judgment.

The resurrection of the body.
The Apostles’ Creed says of Christ that, “… he ascended into heaven, sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.” The purpose of this second coming of Jesus Christ will therefore be the resurrection of the dead and the just reward of all people. Therefore, believers are to be “blameless” at the Lord’s second coming. The Lord Jesus  the second coming (parousia) at the end of the world has been predicted several times: “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then shall he reward every according to his works” (Mt 16:27). “Men shall give an account in the day of judgment for every gift word that they have spoken.” (Mt 12:36)
“All the tribes of the earth will mourn and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He will send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four quarters of the world, from one to.

Hundreds of curious onlookers from near and far come to see the “miracle in Missouri”, and the phenomenon at the monastery has caught the attention of CNN.

Even after four years after its death, it appears intact, not everyone sees it for the miracle it is
People pray near the body of Sister Wilhelmina on Sunday, May 28, 2023, near the town of Gower, Missouri. 

It’s only been a few weeks since news broke in the Catholic media that the U.S. Archdiocese of Hartford is asking the Vatican for guidance on how to proceed with an investigation into a possible Eucharistic miracle.

At the end of March, the Eucharist, stored in a ciborium during the distribution of Holy Communion, was allegedly miraculously multiplied at St. Thomas Church in Thomaston, Connecticut.

These days, in turn, there is talk of a “Missouri miracle”. The supernatural phenomenon in this case is said to lie in the fact that the corpse of the nun, after four years in the grave, shows no signs of serious decomposition.

The US diocese is asking for guidance on how to proceed with the investigation into the miracle. The eucharistic miracle American diocese asks for guidance on how to proceed in the miracle investigation Catholic News Agency.
The Archdiocese of Hartford is asking the Vatican for guidance on how to proceed with an investigation into a possible Eucharistic miracle. In late March, the…

Thousands of curious
“It is truly remarkable. You don’t even smell the stench of decay. It looks like it’s only been dead a day.” Those are the words of a CNN reporter who visited the monastery near the town of Gower, Missouri. The subject has captured the attention of not only the Christians but also the secular world media.

It all started on April 28, when local nuns exhumed the remains of the founder of this monastery. Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster died on May 29, 2019, she was buried in a classical grave at the monastery, but they planned to move her remains to the new St. Joseph’s Chapel in the church.

As the Catholic News Agency reports, the nuns expected to find only bones when they opened the grave, only to be surprised to find that her body and monastic habit were still remarkably intact.

Pilgrims who visited the site also spoke of not smelling any odor of decomposition near the body of the deceased. The nuns had left the remains on display in the church for several days.

The surprisingly well-preserved remains have attracted hundreds of people to the site from near and far. Some have travelled as much as five hours by car to see her body.

On Palm Sunday, two hundred cars an hour were arriving at the abbey grounds, the local sheriff’s office reported. He estimated that 15 thousand visitors in all would come, and expected the onslaught to continue for months to come. The high interest in visiting was also related to the anniversary of Sister Wilhelmina’s death on May 29.

An EWTN News photojournalist witnessed pilgrims touching parts of Sister Wilhelmina’s body with their hands or rosaries and even kissing her hands.Some are taking home dust from the grave where Sister Wilhelmina was buried until recently. There was a line waiting for a chance to get a closer look at the dead nun’s body on Sunday, May 28, 2023.

However, such direct contact is no longer possible. On the afternoon of Monday, May 29, the nuns placed the remains of nun Wilhelmina in a glass coffin, so that her body will still be accessible to the public in the convent church. This was preceded by a procession with the praying of the Rosary.

The bishop wants an inquiry, experts’ opinions differ so far, none of the church leaders have officially decided whether Sister Wilhelmina’s remains are “intact”, which could also be a sign of sanctity. There is not even a beatification process currently underway.

The local bishop of the Diocese of St. Joseph in Kansas City visited the convent to see her remains and expressed that a “thorough investigation” was needed to answer “important questions.”

However, it is not yet known if or when such an analysis will take place. A spokeswoman for the diocese said she was mistaken when she initially told CNA that the local bishop “had been in contact with someone in Rome” about what happened at the abbey.

People pray near the body of Sister Wilhelmina at the Abbey of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles near the town of Gower. Meanwhile, contradictory statements from people in the funeral industry have appeared in the media.

“If you’re saying that this woman was buried without embalming in a wooden casket with no outer covering and the ground was not the temperature it was in Alaska, I’m telling you I’m going to start worshipping this sister because there’s something strange going on there,” Barry Lease, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Burial Institute, told CNA.

On the other hand, Newsweek magazine carried skeptical comments from an associate professor and director of forensic anthropology at Western Carolina University.

Nicholas Passalacqua pointed out that the rate of decomposition depends largely on the environment of the grave as well as the method of burial. “The main factor that affects the rate of decomposition is temperature,” Passalacqua said. “The warmer it is, the more active the bacteria and enzymes will be, and the more active the insect scavengers will be because their metabolism is related to the ambient temperature.”

Whether Nurse Lancaster’s body remained in this intact state due to natural causes is unclear.

“When we bury a body in our facility, we generally expect it to take about five years for the body to become skeletal,” Passalacqua opined. “That means without a casket or other container or wrapping to surround the remains. So in the case of this body, which was buried in a coffin, I’m personally not too surprised that the remains are well preserved even after four years,” he added.

Regardless of the controversy over the condition of Sister Wilhelmina’s remains, her life profile also remains remarkable.

She fought to wear the habit, it remained almost intact after her death
The St. Louis native founded the Convent of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles in 1995 at the age of 70. A life journey preceded it, with its various pitfalls.

As CNA introduces her, Sister Wilhelmina, by her name Mary Elizabeth Lancaster, was born the second of five children to devout Catholics in St. Louis on April 13, 1924.

According to the current superior of the convent, Sister Cecilia Snell, and according to a biography published by her community, the late Sister Wilhelmina had a mystical experience as a nine-year-old at her first Holy Communion in which Jesus invited her to belong to him.

“At her first Holy Communion, she saw something in him. Maybe not very clearly, but she saw that he was handsome,” says the abbess. Jesus allegedly asked her: “Will you be mine?” and she supposedly said: “He is so handsome, how can I say no?”

When she was 13, a parish priest asked her if she had ever considered a religious vocation. She quickly became enthralled with the idea and wrote to the Sisters of the Oblates of Providence in Baltimore (the first community of black nuns in the U.S.) seeking permission to join their ranks, only she had to wait because of her young age.

Mary Elizabeth grew up during racial segregation, was ridiculed by her peers, and had to endure the nickname, Chocolate Drop.

When the local Catholic high school also went the way of segregation and it seemed that public school was the only option, her parents helped found St. Joseph’s Catholic High School for Blacks, which operated until the local archbishop ended segregation in the diocese.

After graduation, Mary Elizabeth entered the aforementioned Religious Sisters of the Sisters of Providence. She lived with them for 50 years.

Sister Wilhelmina lived through a period when the trend of abandoning habits was spreading after the Second Vatican Council, which also affected her home community. But her opinion on the issue was clear, and she tried to continue wearing the habit, even making her own when the sisters stopped making them.

“She spent many years fighting for the habit,” said Abbess Cecilia, who said Sister Wilhelmina took seriously the idea that the wearer of the habit was the bride of Christ.

One day, a fellow Sister asked Wilhelmina if she would wear that self-made habit all the time.

“Yes!” She replied, later joking: “I’m Sister WIL-HEL-MINA – I have a HELL OF A WILL and I MEAN IT!” (I am sister WIL-HEL-MINA – I have a HELL of a WILL and I MEAN it).

EWTN News report in which two nuns also tell of a surprising moment after the exhumation of Sister Wilhelmina’s body.

Later, also in the context of the struggle to wear the habit, Sister Wilhelmina was enthralled by the traditionalist environment, specifically the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter and the pre-conciliar liturgy.

With the help of a member of the fraternity, she founded a community of sisters in 1995. Priorities included “wearing a uniform habit, handing over all money to a common economist, obedience to legal authority, guarding the cloistered space and time and place of silence, and living an authentic sisterly life together.”

The new community first began in Scranton, Pennsylvania, following the Rule of St. Benedict from the beginning and chanting the Liturgy of the Hours in Latin. In 2006, the sisters accepted an invitation from the Bishop of the Diocese of St. Joseph in Kansas City and moved to this diocese.

The consecration of the new abbey took place in 2018, and a year later seven sisters had already left to establish a branch house, also in Missouri. The sisters at Gower celebrate an extraordinary form of Mass and use the 1962 monastic office with a traditional Gregorian chant in Latin, CN adds.

No good father, no good mother, spares an admonition when he sees his child rushing into misfortune. There is always the hope that perhaps he will recover and turn around. Jesus does likewise. He reminds the leaders of the nation of Israel of the actions of the unrighteous vinedressers so that they will realize the consequences of their hostility and turn around (Mk. 12:1-11).

The parable was very clear and understandable. For to every Jew, the vineyard was a sign of the nation of Israel with whom God had made His covenant. In the history of salvation, God sent His servants, the prophets, to restore the chosen nation by their faithfulness and fearless proclamation of God’s will from the errant path into which it had so often stepped. The common fate of these prophets was persecution, even death. Finally, God sent his beloved Son. In the parable, Jesus foretold his coming suffering and death. But it was through this that God’s plans of salvation would be realized. The despised, condemned, martyred, but ultimately resurrected Christ becomes the cornerstone of a new nation, the church of God. The chief priests and scribes resist the call to repentance, the call to conversion. Their hearts become even more hardened and ripe for judgment.

The parable of the unrighteous husbandmen is a warning for today. The Church is the new steward of God’s vineyard. God’s messengers are the holy confessors and martyrs. But the most important voice is that of the Son of God, who demands conversion from us as the fruit of the vineyard, as the payment for God’s gifts. The words of the Son of God are a binding call to both decision and action. Indifference is as much a rejection as any conscious opposition to God’s service.

We must admit that indifference or even conscious resistance to the service of God in our ranks causes a lack of understanding of the teachings of Jesus. Partial knowledge retained from childhood or religion classes does not have the power to propel us directly to conversion. For children rarely grasp the depth of any truth of the faith in the way that an adult can when he puts that truth into his world, which he already knows perfectly and has had experience with. It is, therefore, no disgrace to take up a catechism or other religious literature in middle age, or at an age which presupposes a slow consummation of life.

It is very important that we give ourselves the opportunity for a deeper knowledge of God. This is confirmed by the life experience of the one-time Marxist and materialist, Ignatius Leppo. In a state of spiritual crisis, he returned to his apartment one morning after a night of wine and idle debates about the fashionable figures of French culture. He could not fall asleep, so he set himself to read a novel that his landlady’s daughter had left in the drawing room. The novel so intrigued him that he did not close the book until he had read it. It was only after reading the novel that he noticed its title and author. It was Sienkiewicz’s novel Quo Vadis.

Ignatius Lepp confessed in his confession that this novel would not have made such a powerful impression on him if his ignorance of Christianity had not been so complete. In the weeks that followed he immersed himself in the study of the early centuries of Christianity, familiarizing himself with the biographies of great personalities and saints. He eagerly devoured everything that could bring him closer to the teachings of Jesus and the Church. All this impressed him so powerfully that he longed to become not first a Christian, but a religious. The scribes and chief priests hardened their hearts against God’s exhortation. Let us not follow their example, but let us follow those who sought to know and understand the truth and so opened themselves to God.

. The Creation of the Spirit (The Spirit Was Created)

Zech 12:1 – “Says the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth, who formed the spirit in man.”

Am 4:13 – “For, behold, he formeth the hills, and formeth the spirit (ruah – wind).”

• The spirit must obey God (it is subject to God)

Jn 16:13 – “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on his own, but what he hears he will speak, and he will tell you what is to come.”

• The Spirit is sent from the Father and the Son (the one who sends is greater than the one who is sent)

Jn 14:26 – “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things.”

Jn 15:26 – “When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.”

• The Spirit is excluded from the equality of the Father and the Son

Mt 11:27 – “And no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and whoever the Son chooses to reveal.”

Jn 17:3 – “eternal life consists in knowing you, the only true God, and the one you sent, Jesus Christ.”

Rom 1:7 – “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Cor 8:6 – “We have but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we are for him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we are through him.”

• The spirit is in motion

Gen 1:2 – “The Spirit of God hovered over the waters.”

Joel 3:1 – “Then I will pour out my spirit.”

• Spirit is changeable

Nm 11:16-17 – “There I will talk with you and take some of the spirits that are on you and put it on them.”

2 Kings 2:9-10 – “Elijah said to Elisha: “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you!” Elisha answered: “May your spirit be on me twice as much!”

• The spirit can be grieved

Eph 4:30 – “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you are sealed for the day of redemption.”

Isa 63:10 – “But they rebelled and grieved his holy spirit; therefore he became their enemy, and fought against them himself.”

• The spirit prays

Rom 8:26 – “So also the Spirit comes to help our weakness, for we do not even know what to pray for as we ought; and the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible sighs.”

• The Spirit is a gift from God

Lk 11:13 – “If you, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Acts 5:32 – “And we are witnesses of this, and the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

• If the Spirit is from the Father, it is begotten (and thus is his Son)

This argument is based on the psychological analogy of St. Augustina.

• If nature is not imparted by begetting, the Spirit must be created

God cannot impart the same nature in two different ways. If nature is not imparted by procreation, it is imparted by creation. The delusion that proclaimed the creation of the Holy Spirit is called Macedonianism.

Arguments for the Deity of the Holy Spirit [ edit ]

• Temple

Christ is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The temple is dedicated exclusively to God.

Ps 11:4 – “The Lord dwells in his holy temple.”

• The ability to revive – belongs to God

Jn 5:21 – “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wills.”

Rom 8:11 – “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

Jn 1:4 – “In him was life, and the life was the light of men”

Jn 6:63 – “The Spirit gives life, the flesh makes nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.”

• Creation of the world

Psalm 104:30 – “When you send forth your spirit, they are created and you renew the shape of the earth.”

Job 33:4 – “The breath of God formed me in the same way, the spirit of the Almighty also quickened me.”

Sir 1:9 – “He created it (by the Holy Spirit) – he saw it, counted it, and measured it.”

• He speaks through the mouth of the prophets

Isa 6:8-10 – “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, who will go with us?” And I said, “Here I am, send me!” He said, “Go and tell the people: Hear, hear, but do not understand, see, see, but do not know! Make the heart of this people callous, burden their ears and cover their eyes, so that they may not see with their eyes and hear with their ears, so that their heart may not understand and turn and be healed.”

Acts 28:25-27 – “When they could not agree among themselves, they separated, and Paul said only this word: “Well said the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah to your fathers: “Go to that people and say: You will listen, and you will not understand, you will look and you will not see. For the heart of this people has become dull: they hardly hear with their ears and they have closed their eyes so that perhaps they do not see with their eyes and do not hear with their ears so that they do not understand with their heart and do not turn – so that I do not heal them.«

Psalm 85:9 – “I will listen to what the Lord God will say; he will announce peace to his people and his saints and to those who turn to him sincerely.”

Acts 1:16 – “Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, where the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David about Judas, who was the leader of those who captured Jesus;”

2 Pt 1:21 – “For prophecy never came from the will of man; but men sent from God spoke under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

• God reveals secrets

Dan 2:28 – “But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets and will make King Nebuchadnezzar know what will be in the last days. Your dream and the vision that went through your head on your bed is this:”

1 Cor 2:10 – “But God revealed it to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”

1 Cor 14:2 – “For he who speaks in tongues does not speak to men, but to God; no one understands him, he speaks mysteries under the influence of the Spirit.”

• God teaches a man wisdom

Ps 94:10 – “Would he not punish the one who educates the nations, who teaches the people wisdom?”

Dan 2:21 – “He changes times and ages, deposes and establishes kings, gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who understand.”

Jn 14:26 – “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of all that I have said to you.”

• God speaks in the saints

2 Cor 13:3 – “For you ask for proof that Christ speaks in me, who is not weak towards you, but has power among you”

Mt 10:20 – “For you will no longer speak; but the Spirit of your Father will speak in you.”

• Christians are the temple

2 Cor 6:16 “And how is the temple of God related to idols?! And you are the temple of the living God, as God says: “I will dwell in them and walk among them, I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

1 Cor 3:16-17 – “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 So whoever destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. Because God’s temple is holy – and you are it.”

• God’s Spirit is omnipresent

Wisdom 1:7 – “For the spirit of the Lord fills the earth, he who surrounds everything knows (every) voice.”

Ps 139:7-8 – “Where can I flee from your spirit and where can I flee from your face? If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I go down to the underworld, you are there.”

• Lying to the Holy Spirit = lying to God

Acts 5:3 – “Peter said: “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withdraw money for land?”

• Spirit acts autonomously

1 Cor 12:4-6 – “The gifts of grace are different, but the Spirit is the same. 5 And the services are different, but the Lord is the same. And the effects are also different, but God who works all in all is the same .”

1 Cor 12:11 – “But all these work the same Spirit, who distributes to everyone as he wants.”

The Holy Spirit is a separate person [ edit ]

The Holy Spirit acts independently: “He [the Holy Spirit] will glorify me, for he will take of mine and proclaim it to you.” (John 16:14)

The Holy Spirit in St. The letter appears as a person.

There are many spiritual paths available to us today. Everyone has a certain idea of ​​the “ideal” god. Maybe we think he should be powerful, able to relate to us, or caring. Finding the right God with a capital “B” can be tricky. So what should we decide?

I would like to present to you the criteria that I took into account when looking, and I will also state the reasons why I finally chose the God of the Bible.

Principle no. 1: Seek a god who is greater than we humans

There is no doubt that humanity has made great strides in recent years. Thanks to advanced technology, we can live longer than our ancestors, fly at supersonic speeds, and be anywhere in the world with a single tap of a computer key. But while we are making progress in some ways, we seem to be falling behind in many others. The number of violent crimes, divorces, and teenage suicides are still increasing. Thousands of people become infected with HIV every day. Hundreds of millions of people are experiencing chronic hunger.

Unfortunately, this list could go on. If we humans are god, then we don’t seem to be doing too well. So wouldn’t it be better to have a god who is bigger than humanity and who can take us further than we can go on our own?

The God described in the Bible is just that. He claims to be the Creator of the universe – a transcendent, omniscient, omnipotent being who has always existed and who also sustains everything. “I created the earth and created man on it. I stretched out the heavens with my own hands and gave orders to all their armies.” ¹ “I am God, and there is no other God, and there is no one like me.” ²

Principle no. 2: Look for a god you can get to know personally

Nowadays it is popular to think of god as some kind of energy or all-pervading force that is present in all things. But what is so appealing about something that is impersonal, distant, and virtually unknowable? For example, wouldn’t it be better to have a god who is more like father or mother, sibling or friend? As someone you can talk to, who shares your difficulties, who will guide you and with whom you will live your life?

The God of the Bible is unimaginably great and “different”, yet it is possible to know him. Even though he is not visible, we can talk to him, ask him, and listen to him, and he will give us answers and guidance for our lives.

A person can have the same relationship with God as with a close family member. God calls those who know him his children, his bride, his friends. He is not impersonal. We can know more than facts about him, for we can know him intimately as our best friend. “And eternal life consists in knowing you, the only true God, and the one you sent, Jesus Christ.” ²

Principle no. 3: Seek a god who understands human life

Some imagine a god as distant—as someone who created the universe but then left it to function on its own. But wouldn’t it be better if he were involved in everything that happens on Earth? Wouldn’t it be better if he could understand our problems and worries and know what life is like in this unkind world?

The God of the Bible knows what it means to be one of us. Jesus Christ was not only the Son of God, but also God who took on human form and human nature. “In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh [man] and dwelt among us.” ⁴

The Bible says about God’s Son: “The Son is the brightness of God’s glory and the image of his substance.” ⁵ He is “the image of the invisible God.” ⁶ He is “the Mighty God, the Eternal Father,” ⁷ who “took upon himself the form of a servant and became one of men.” ⁸ “In him the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily.” ⁹ And “in him everything was created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.” ¹⁰ Jesus directly declared about himself: “I and the Father are one.” ¹¹

Jesus was fully God, but at the same time he was also fully human. He was born into a poor family, was not physically attractive, met with prejudice and hatred, was not understood even by his family and friends, and was ultimately unjustly executed. He was hungry and in pain, he slept, he ate, he cried. He survived all possible physical difficulties that we also struggle with. That is why the Bible says that Jesus is able to “sympathize with our weaknesses…(He) was tempted in all things, but did not commit sin.” ¹²

Principle no. 4: Look for a god who really cares about you and likes you

Most of the things we do are motivated by our desire to be loved and accepted. We want people to be genuinely interested in us and not just give us superficial attention. And we want concrete deeds to stand behind their interest. Doesn’t the same apply to God? In other words: Wouldn’t it be best if he really cared about us and also showed it to us in some tangible way?

The biblical God is really interested in us. The Bible directly says that “God is love.” ¹³ But these could only be empty words if they were not supported by deeds. But he proved how much he cares for us…

“God’s love for us was manifested in the fact that God sent his only begotten Son into the world so that we might have life through him. Love is that we did not love God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” ¹⁴

Since a perfect God cannot have a relationship with imperfect, sinful people, Jesus essentially died for us, in our place, so that we could be cleansed before God: “We all went astray like sheep, each one went his own way, but the Lord laid iniquities on [Jesus] all of us.” ¹⁵

God cared so much about us that He sent His Son to die in our place. Now we can experience complete forgiveness and establish an unlimited relationship with Him.

Principle no. 5: Look for a God who is in control

Don’t all the bad things that happen in the world prove that there is simply no such thing as an all-powerful god? It doesn’t have to be that way. Even a perfect god can sometimes allow bad things to happen as part of some higher purpose.

The God of the Bible is just like that. He claims that nothing on earth happens without his permission. However, this does not mean that he likes everything that is happening . He has clearly stated that some things are bad, some things make him sad. For some reason he allows these things to happen – perhaps because these bad things are part of the free will we have as human beings. And if we are not to be mere puppets in God’s hands, God fully respects our free will (and allows us to hurt others, even if it does).

However, the God of the Bible has a plan and he will not stop until that plan is fulfilled. What is this plan? God’s ultimate goal is to dwell with people in a completely different environment than the one we live in today. Of this future world he says: “God shall dwell with them, and they shall be his people; he himself, their God, will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, no more sorrow, no crying, and no more pain, because what was before has passed away. Behold, I make all things new.” ¹⁶

Principle no. 6: Look for a god who will give meaning to your life

Think of an important task or project you had to do. When you finished it, you probably felt the satisfaction of a job well done. Would you like the same to be said about your whole life? To make any sense? I don’t know about you, but I want my life to be worth living. When I die, I want to know that I am leaving something behind, that I have done something for this world and people.

The God of the Bible can do it. It promises that it can also give your life meaning and fulfillment. In a relationship with him, you can do “good deeds that God has already prepared for us in advance.” ¹⁷

The God of the Bible also says that in your daily relationship He can lead your life in such a way that you do what pleases Him and what is always best for you. “In all your ways acknowledge him and he himself will make your paths straight.” ¹⁸ This does not mean that life will suddenly be perfect and great. There will still be illnesses, problems and personal failures. Life will not be perfect, but it will be richer. God says that from knowing him alone flows: “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” ¹⁹

Principle no. 7: Seek a god who offers true fulfillment

We all want to feel that our lives are fulfilled. Deep in our soul, we feel a thirst that wants to be quenched at any cost. However, it seems that no matter how hard we try, earthly things such as money, possessions, romantic relationships or entertainment cannot quench this thirst. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a God who could satisfy this thirst?

The God of the Bible offers a life that is supremely satisfying. Jesus said: “I have come that they may have life more abundantly.” ²⁰ And he also said: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger; and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” ²¹

So the God of the Bible promises to fulfill this inner longing, which apparently nothing else can satisfy. That’s how he created us.

The good news: SUCH A GOD EXISTS

In my search for the perfect God, I only came across one who met all my criteria. He is the God described in the Bible. He is the ideal God.

This article has only briefly outlined what the God of the Bible is really like. If you want to know more about him, you can read one book of the Bible – the Gospel of John. If you mean it honestly, wouldn’t it be logical that he himself can be known to you? God says: “I love those who love me.” Those who earnestly seek me find me.” ²² “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.” ²³

You ask how it is possible to know this ideal God? Establishing contact with him is similar to a wedding in a certain sense. It is preceded by a decision to voluntarily enter into a certain relationship. In the same way, in your relationship with God, it depends on you whether you decide to say your “yes” to him.

God does not discriminate between people. We were all made in his image. And no sin in your life can prevent you from entering into a relationship with him. God dealt with the problem of sin on the cross where Jesus was crucified. Now it is your turn to accept by faith that Jesus died for you , regardless of what you have done in the past.

Do you feel God knocking on your heart? Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him…” ²⁴ If you now want to invite this God into your life, the following prayer will help you (of course, the specific words do not matter, the sincerity of your heart is important):

Truth for the soul is as important as bread for the body. Even according to the Holy Scriptures, the truth liberates, uplifts, and can calm. We ourselves require and expect it in our ordinary interactions with others. Opinions about truth vary. Thomas Aquinas, the Italian philosopher, and theologian, put it most succinctly in the idea, “Truth is the correspondence of matter and reason.” Our testimony must agree with reality. The opposite is a lie. A conscious or deliberate untruth masquerading as truth. We all have experience with lying. Those who think they are not lying and have not lied are deceiving themselves. Lying is binding. It is a bondage we feel on our souls and our hearts alert us to it.

A lady said to me in a meeting: “Everywhere I go there is insincerity, falsity, and acting out. Everyone is just lying and playing at something they are not.” Lying has permeated all spheres of our lives. Lying is at the origin of getting rich, accompanying us to a career, drawing too much attention to ourselves, or if we want to conceal something so that it doesn’t come out and we suffer shame.

Lying also hurts, it leads us down a path of insecurity, it leads us down a path we don’t want to go down. Both are within us. We often feel our lies suffocating us, and if we are hurt by a lie, pain is added. What would happen if we accepted the words of the Bible? “If you speak, say yes, yes, no, no!” Aren’t these words that warn us how to treat each other so that communication is clear between us and leaves no one in uncertainty or in deception? Maybe we wouldn’t say so much, but we would know where we stand. No one’s conscience would be troubled and no one would feel the pain of lying.

In the book Robinson, there is this scene: Robinson teaches Friday that salt is needed. He takes a piece of unsalted meat and spits it out. Friday puts salt on his tongue and spits it out. Both are trying to prove their truth. Robinson, the need for salt, Friday the unpleasantness of salt.

Today we heard: You are the salt of the earth. How? There is only one person in the Bible who could say about himself: “I am salt!” It was Lot’s wife who turned into a pillar of salt as she fled from the burning Sodom and Gomorrah. Lord Jesus certainly did not mean it that way. How is that salt? Who can eat salt alone? Even in times of hunger, no one eats it. Even in times of thirst, no one drinks it. People on a ship without drinking water would die of thirst, salty sea water is undrinkable. Salt by itself is not good. Salt changes the composition of the soil; kills life, raises blood pressure…

Salt becomes useful when it is used for seasoning or preservation. That is: when it is mixed with other things. So we are not salt, but we should be the salt of the earth. As we heard in the Gospel when Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth”. That is: we should be mixed with the earth; – that is, with what is around us, with what and with whom we live. Why? To make the environment “tasty”, that is, to make life better and protect it from spoiling.

The right amount of salt adds flavor to things. Italians have a saying about seasoning salads. They say they use three ingredients for this: oil, vinegar, and salt. And they also have this comment: “Let the spendthrift pour oil – that means the more the better.” Give the vinegar to the miser, that means the less the better. Well, give salt to the philosopher! This means to a person who knows how to judge the right measure.” It follows that estimating the amount of salt is the most difficult. They are composed of how much we should be in the world and how much we adapt to the world. If we are too “of the world” then our salt of life is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out to be trampled upon by men. If we are “off the world” we can be disgusting fanatics.

In each of the four Gospels, Jesus is mentioned as the one who came to baptize Holy Spirit. He poured out the Spirit of God on God’s people as the fulfillment of prophecy. At the end of his life, Jesus began to speak more about the gift of the Spirit, whom he came to send. At that time, for the first time, he spoke openly about the Father, about the love and unity that would characterize his disciples. The connection between these three things is obvious. Jesus even went so far as to tell his disciples that it was better if he departed from them bodily so that they might have the Spirit.

After crucifixion and resurrection were his last words: …but in a few days, ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost …the Holy Ghost shall come upon you Spirit, you will receive power and be witnesses to me… (Acts 1:8) They waited and prayed. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon them in power. They spoke in tongues, praising God and proclaiming the message of repentance and forgiveness of sins as
Jesus had commanded them. What Jesus spoke to them about, they experienced themselves. They experienced a new relationship with Jesus and a new knowledge of the Father. It was the result of the Father and the Son indwelling through the Spirit.

Holy Spirit in their hearts. They were working in and through them in the proclamation of the gospel and confirming it by the signs that the Son had promised. The disciples experienced the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit in great abundance. They possessed great peace, joy, and confidence. They knew until they were and who was working through them. The apostle Peter, in his sermon that day, recorded in Acts 2, makes it clear that what the disciples have gained, anyone can gain. It’s supposed to be the normal part of Christianity, part of the normal experience of conversion. Consequently, this outpouring of the Spirit becomes the standard expectation and experience of Christianity.

Twenty-five years later, the Apostle Paul meets a group of disciples from Ephesus. He asks them just one question, to ascertain if they are Christians: Have you also received Holy Spirit when you believed? (Acts 19:2). When he finds out that they did not, he tells them about Jesus, has them baptized, lays his hands on them, and “the Holy Spirit came upon them, and spoke with tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:6). The teaching of Jesus and the experience of the early Church point to an obvious and effective reception of the Holy Spirit as the key to understanding and experiencing Jesus and the Father. They point to the clear and concrete experience of a particular Person who acts concrete work, bringing concrete results. Christians who have this experience have not had this experience, have been instructed. Those who have had this experience have been prayed with to receive them.

The Word and Spirit of God have been actively manifested throughout all stages of salvation history. Their relationship with the Father, however, was revealed gradually. At Pentecost, God completed the revelation of Himself as Father, as Son, and as Spirit. The mystery concealed for ages was revealed and the power of this mystery has spread to the ends of the earth. How is this revelation related to God in our times today? Among the approximately one billion people who belong to the various Christian churches, many millions do not experience what should be normal for the Christian life. They are baptized as babies and often grow up in an environment that is not Christian. Few of them come to adulthood to affirm the baptismal fact
-a personal decision for Christ and effective reception of the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

The rite of Confirmation, which in many churches is such a confirmation decision in adulthood, is often celebrated after inadequate preparation and with little expectations. The consequence is that many Christians are unaware of the work of the  Holy Spirit, and so have only a vague knowledge of Jesus and the Father. If their apostle Paul had asked: “Did you also receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They would have answered like the disciples of Ephesus: “We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” I would now like to share with you a conversation I had with Mary Trapp the well-known character from the film With a Song Around the World. The outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit in her life. This will enlighten us about many things that we consider.

How few of Jesus’ words penetrated the minds of his disciples is evidenced by the incident described a while ago. No sooner had he foretold to them of his mockery, disgrace, and mortal suffering—and immediately after that two disciples, those closest to him, begged him for an honorable place in his kingdom. There are far more people asking for places of honor than there are places. Sometimes they are simply proud people, confident in their dispositions and capabilities, and satisfied with themselves, but rarely satisfied with others. Unfortunately, those who are satisfied with themselves generally have bad taste (H. de Balzac). Sometimes, however, even a person who is truly capable and critical of himself applies for a higher position with the noble intention of accomplishing more and more successfully. Of course, it is possible to apply – but not at any price, because even later you have to pay too high a price for the acquired position. it’s not true that we are to perform every task we see before us. Some tasks are only a temptation (L. Rinser).

Often moral reflection disappears when we are strong, or when we have our own idea of ​​strength. If God calls us to some place or some task – he will make it clear to us, he also gives us all the possibilities for it. But even then, as Lord Jesus explains, the position should be taken as a service. We see him on the altar burdened with the cross, as the servant of us all, because this cross according to justice belonged to us. But if he, God’s Son, the greatest of the greatest, became our servant – who among us dares to be a master.