Today’s Sunday Refresh readings are gotten from: 1 Corinthians 2:10-16; Psalm 145; Luke 4:31-37
In today’s First Reading, St. Paul explains to us why spiritual realities, truth, matters and practices do not make sense to some people and why some people find our faith funny, the Bible meaningless, the Mass boring, and praying pointless. St. Paul explains that spiritual realities can only be understood by people who are led by the Spirit, by people who are alive in the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit helps us not just understand spiritual realities but He also creates a yearning in us for the things of God. We are therefore called to pray for growth in our spiritual lives and a more extraordinary spiritual revival in the Church.
In the Gospel of today, Luke calls our attention to the reality of a bigger problem in the Church. He reveals to us that the problem in the Church is bigger than the fact that some people are not alive in the Spirit. Some who are in the Church are under the influence of an “unholy spirit.” Their works betray them – they are people who cause and promote division, discord, and acrimony. They spread false news and stir doubt in people’s minds. They are always trying to oppose what the Holy Spirit is doing in the Church – they resist spiritual changes and are comfortable with a cold and unspiritual Church. These people are present in every Church.
Let us pray today that the Lord will fill the hearts of each of us with His Spirit and drive every unclean spirit opposed to the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church far from the hearts of His children.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on August 30, 2022.