John 7:37-39 - On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. As Scripture says: Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me.” He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
It's the 113th Independence Day of the Philippines commemorating the June 12, 1898 public reading of the Acts of the Declaration of Independence held in Kawit, Cavite. With General Emilio Aguinaldo leading the Filipino revolutionary forces, proclaimed our sovereignty and independence from the colonial rule of Spain. And I believe, these was made possible through the strength, wisdom and courage that the Holy Spirit had given these people... Yahweh being at our side and never leaving His people fighting for what was righteous at that time.
Coincidentally, it is also the feast of the Pentecost (also called "Fiftieth day" or Whit Sunday) for us Christians. Celebrated 50 days after Yeshua/Jesus' resurrection (Easter Sunday) and the tenth day after Ascension Thursday. Pentecost commemorates Yahweh giving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Yeshua's apostles and followers which then gave birth to our churches today.
In the priest's homily, what caught my attention was, while we symbolize the Holy Spirit as a dove, for other countries its a wild goose. For them, doves are tamed and fragile, but the wild goose is free, vibrant and spontaneous. Instead of a soft sound, the wild goose was noisy and strident... and it seemed always to be on the move in spreading the word of Yahweh, which i believe should represent our faith.
For me, we should not limit ourselves to the qualities of these representations of the Holy Spirit. It should represent all the good qualities since the Holy Spirit is one with Yahweh and Yeshua. It is the way of our Lord in reaching us... being with us... touching our mind, our heart, our spirit... our very essence. Providing us what we need most to carry out our mission in life and guiding us in fulfilling the very reason of our existence.
Our Independence falling on a Pentecost Sunday provides a very significant message, that Yahweh is showing us that everything is possible and achievable if only we do things according to his will. His Holy Spirit is just waiting for us to open our minds and our hearts... and change our ways to the way of our Lord and Savior, Yeshua.
Most proud to be a Christian Filipino... May Yahweh bless us all.
It's the 113th Independence Day of the Philippines commemorating the June 12, 1898 public reading of the Acts of the Declaration of Independence held in Kawit, Cavite. With General Emilio Aguinaldo leading the Filipino revolutionary forces, proclaimed our sovereignty and independence from the colonial rule of Spain. And I believe, these was made possible through the strength, wisdom and courage that the Holy Spirit had given these people... Yahweh being at our side and never leaving His people fighting for what was righteous at that time.
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| Descent of the Holy Spirit (picture taken from |
In the priest's homily, what caught my attention was, while we symbolize the Holy Spirit as a dove, for other countries its a wild goose. For them, doves are tamed and fragile, but the wild goose is free, vibrant and spontaneous. Instead of a soft sound, the wild goose was noisy and strident... and it seemed always to be on the move in spreading the word of Yahweh, which i believe should represent our faith.
For me, we should not limit ourselves to the qualities of these representations of the Holy Spirit. It should represent all the good qualities since the Holy Spirit is one with Yahweh and Yeshua. It is the way of our Lord in reaching us... being with us... touching our mind, our heart, our spirit... our very essence. Providing us what we need most to carry out our mission in life and guiding us in fulfilling the very reason of our existence.
Our Independence falling on a Pentecost Sunday provides a very significant message, that Yahweh is showing us that everything is possible and achievable if only we do things according to his will. His Holy Spirit is just waiting for us to open our minds and our hearts... and change our ways to the way of our Lord and Savior, Yeshua.
Most proud to be a Christian Filipino... May Yahweh bless us all.
happy independence day too
ReplyDeleteHappy Independence Day to you. Let's remember that we who enjoy freedom as a birthright must be vigilant and protect it from being taken away by force or stealth by the elitist. Our freedom comes from the gift of those who fought, died and were maimed.
ReplyDeleteJennie
@Typist... thank you.
ReplyDelete@Jennie... thanks for a well said reminder... I'll keep that in mind and hope the other readers too... Yahweh bless