October 17, 2015
Saturday
28th Week in Ordinary Time St. Ignatius
1st reading: Romans 4.13, 16-18
Gospel: Luke 12:8-12
Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before people, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But the one who denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.
“There will be pardon for the one who criticizes the Son of Man, but there will be no pardon for the one who slanders the Holy Spirit.“When you are brought before the synagogues, governors and rulers, don’t worry about how you will defend yourself or what to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you have to say.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Today’s Gospel reading, however, points out a parti-cular sin that cannot be forgiven: the sin against the Holy Spirit. This Gospel reading reminds me of an experience with a co-teacher at a private school in Makati City whom I reported to the school principal for selling pornographic materials to junior high school students. Unfortunately the principal did not conduct an entrapment. He merely scheduled a hearing to give the teacher a chance to air his side.
As expected the teacher denied the charge. Worse, our only student-witness (the buyer of the obscene material) recanted. His parents even accused us of using their child to oust a teacher. I implored the help of the Holy Spirit, and it came like manna from heaven. Armed by some ant’s share of wisdom from above I asked the parents on behalf of the principal this question: “Is there any sense sending your son to be educated by a school whose principal you do not trust?” This brought back the child and the parents to the side of truth.
Behind this question lurks an important Church doctrine that takes us to the core of today’s Gospel message. Just as a school cannot educate unless it enjoys the trust of the parents of its students, so the Holy Spirit cannot work on a person who declines His inspiration. If one closes himself to any inspiration from the Holy Spirit, there is no way he could be forgiven of any sin because it is only through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that one comes to true repentance.
I was then asking the Holy Spirit to inspire the pa-rents to side with the truth. “If you don’t trust the school administration anymore,” I told them, “then you have no business sending your son to this school run by a principal you cannot trust”. These words were heaven sent. They finally confessed that the teacher came to their house asking for help the night after his immoral activity was discovered. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: www.frdan.org.
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