1st Sunday of Lent Year B - 22/2/2015 - Gospel: Mk 1:12-15
Different kinds of spirits
Through the life of Jesus we met three kinds of spirits: The Spirit of God and the evil spirit. There is another spirit that wasn't mentioned in the passage and that is the Spirit of Jesus. In The New Testament 'the Spirit of Jesus' and 'the Holy Spirit' is interchangeable. In his first public preaching Jesus unfolded the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and found the place where it is written
The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me Lk 4,18
The prophesy is taken from the prophet Isaiah 61,1-2 that the Spirit of Jesus is mainly concerned for the benefit for our physical needs that includes to bring the good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, to the blind new sight, set the down trodden free and proclaim the Lord's year favour.
Without having the Spirit of Jesus in us we are unable to experience the human heart of Jesus. Like our own hearts, while on earth, the human heart of Jesus has gone through all sufferings, fear and worry and anxiety and that includes the carrying of the cross, suffering death and the joy of the resurrection. In the heart of Jesus we find the heart of God and to know the heart of someone we know that person by heart. Jesus has experienced the pain and suffering in the same way as we experience it. When we experience the pain and suffering in the same way as Jesus did we can say that Jesus is in us.
For our salvation Jesus proclaimed the time has come and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe in the Good News Mk 1,15.
The process of repentance involves fighting against the evil spirit and that is the real struggle between good spirit and evil in our life. Jesus needs no repentance but he goes through the desert experience to show us the way to return to God. In the process of paving the way the evil spirit declares war against Jesus by tempting Him three times. To combat the evil spirit Jesus quotes teaching the word of God to silent them. Real repentance must go hand in hand with the Good News. Without the Good News accompanying us we alone can't resist against the temptation. There is a distinction between the Spirit of Jesus and the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Jesus is mainly concerning for the human needs; the Spirit of Christ is mainly concerned for our salvation and the glorification of God.
The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me Lk 4,18
The prophesy is taken from the prophet Isaiah 61,1-2 that the Spirit of Jesus is mainly concerned for the benefit for our physical needs that includes to bring the good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, to the blind new sight, set the down trodden free and proclaim the Lord's year favour.
Without having the Spirit of Jesus in us we are unable to experience the human heart of Jesus. Like our own hearts, while on earth, the human heart of Jesus has gone through all sufferings, fear and worry and anxiety and that includes the carrying of the cross, suffering death and the joy of the resurrection. In the heart of Jesus we find the heart of God and to know the heart of someone we know that person by heart. Jesus has experienced the pain and suffering in the same way as we experience it. When we experience the pain and suffering in the same way as Jesus did we can say that Jesus is in us.
For our salvation Jesus proclaimed the time has come and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe in the Good News Mk 1,15.
The process of repentance involves fighting against the evil spirit and that is the real struggle between good spirit and evil in our life. Jesus needs no repentance but he goes through the desert experience to show us the way to return to God. In the process of paving the way the evil spirit declares war against Jesus by tempting Him three times. To combat the evil spirit Jesus quotes teaching the word of God to silent them. Real repentance must go hand in hand with the Good News. Without the Good News accompanying us we alone can't resist against the temptation. There is a distinction between the Spirit of Jesus and the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Jesus is mainly concerning for the human needs; the Spirit of Christ is mainly concerned for our salvation and the glorification of God.
Written by Fr Vũđình Tường
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia