3 April, Wednesday — Recognising the Presence of the Holy Trinity

Easter Wednesday

Acts 3:1-10
Lk 24:13-25

Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?

As human beings, we don’t usually recognize God’s hand in our lives, even if he is always walking beside us. We have forfeited our capacity to talk to God face to face when Adam and Eve committed Original Sin. Some of the Saints did see God while they were alive, but many of us won’t end up seeing God face-to-face until we see him in Paradise. Perhaps this is the reason why it’s difficult for us to pray; why it is sometimes difficult for us to live every moment of our lives conscientiously loving him.

Today’s Gospel reading narrates how the disciples walking towards Emmaus get to spend a long time with Jesus and they only got to recognise him at the end of their encounter. However, they mentioned that their hearts felt like they were burning, because their hearts recognised Jesus, even if their eyes could not recognize him. In the scriptures, one of the ways the Holy Spirit makes us know he is present is through fire.

Wherever Jesus is, there is the Holy Spirit. And wherever Jesus and the Holy Spirit are, there is God the Father. So actually, there are five persons in today’s Gospel story. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and the two disciples. That’s not a small company.

We are not just in the presence of one person all the time. We are in the presence of three ‘persons’ even if we think we are alone. And the Holy Spirit is the one that helps us recognise Jesus, and the Father. When we pause and feel the presence of God in our hearts, when we tell God we don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit will help us, and will move our hearts. Together with the Holy Spirit, surely Jesus and the Father are there.

For a few minutes, I’d like to invite you to a prayer. After praying ‘Come Holy Spirit’, imagine yourself waiting in a living room. And you hear a knock. It’s Jesus knocking at your door. You open it and you see Jesus, and together with him are the Father, and the Holy Spirit. And Jesus tells you that when he comes in, the Holy Spirit and the Father comes with him. And suddenly, you are in a joyful company.

 (Today’s OXYGEN by Stephanie Villa)

Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.

Thanksgiving: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of the Holy Spirit.