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| A wintry afternoon at MSF |
and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three that testify,
the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,
and the three are of one accord.
If we accept human testimony,
the testimony of God is surely greater.
Americans are steeped in courtroom dramas from The Devil and Daniel Webster to Perry Mason and CSI; we should feel right at home when we hear Jesus in the Gospel of John speaking of the Paraclete and his testimony. The First Letter of Saint John also uses courtroom language as the author invites us to consider the "three that testify, the Spirit, the water and the Blood."
In the early part of the twentieth century the religious people in the United States rediscovered the authority of the Holy Spirit in the Pentecostal movement. People were swept up in ecstasy by the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues. A movement first among poor African-Americans, it often traveled by tie rods and box cars from city to city and village to village. By the end of the century even Catholics were getting the "Holy Ghost" in this new Pentecost.
Although my education renders me deaf to such popular disturbances, I have to admire the people who make heroic sacrifices as they announce the Good News about the Holy Spirit. I readily welcome their testimony; the Holy Spirit has changed lives and saved souls. Clearly this is the work of God.
We've also seen the testimony of blood in our time, as Christians are still murdered and martyred for their faith in Jesus. On Christmas Day last week a Catholic Church in Nigeria was bombed by a sectarian religious group demanding sharia law. More than fifty people were killed and many others maimed and injured. This is very painful to watch from the safety of the United States, and yet we know reprisals can only make matters worse.
Finally, the water testifies to the truth of Jesus Christ. The water is our continual practice of the faith by prayer and good deeds. As difficult as it is we must meet violence with gentleness and opposition with kindness. It they despise us and cannot honor us as brothers and sisters, we nonetheless love and honor them as children of Our One Father.
This threefold testimony is more powerful than a billion dollar public relations campaign, more healing than national insurance, and more peaceful a million man army.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.