>>> THERESA OF JESUS – Pray for Us!
SIN AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT
Introduction
St Teresa of Jesus (of Avila – 1515-1582) had to grow from a lukewarm Carmelite nun into a fervent one. In The Interior Castle, she describes her mystic experience of deep union with the Lord. God is felt with a quiet, mystic feeling as living in one’s deepest castle. Notwithstanding much opposition, Teresa reformed her Carmel and much of the Carmelite order on the basis of a life of deep prayer and a profound sense of community. Because of her writings about mysticism, she became the first woman to be a doctor of the Church.
Opening Prayer
Our living and loving God,
St. Teresa of Jesus was deeply aware
how much you live in the deepest of ourselves.
May Teresa help us to live Jesus’ life
as living branches attached to the vine,
who bear plenty of fruit
of justice, goodness and love.
Let our union with Jesus become visible
in our openness to one another
and in a deep sense of prayer.
We ask this though Christ, our Lord. Amen!
1 Reading EPHESIANS 1:15-23
Brothers and sisters: Hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and of your love for all the holy ones, I do not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the Church, which is his Body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
Responsorial PSALM 8:2-3AB, 4-5, 6-7
R. (7) You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
O LORD, our LORD,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!
You have exalted your majesty above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings
you have fashioned praise because of your foes. R.
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place—
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him? R.
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet. R.
Alleluia JOHN 15:26B, 27A
Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LUKE 12:8-12
Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. “Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”
Commentary
The Unforgivable Sin
Any sin conceivable can be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Spirit, which is declared “unforgivable.” This statement of Jesus is so significant that all three synoptic gospels mention it. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that one can call out “Abba, Father.” If one rejects that Spirit, we have rejected God for ever. The official Catechism explains it thus: “There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit” (CCC, #1864). This again informs us that we are the ones who make the possibility of hell a reality, and not God. As Pope John Paul II said, “‘Eternal damnation’, therefore, is not attributed to God’s initiative because in his merciful love he can only desire the salvation of the beings he created. In reality, it is the creature who closes himself to his love” (General audience, July 28, 1999).
Intercessions
– That the Spirit of strength and trust may be given to those who are persecuted for following their consciences and standing up from their integrity, we pray:
– That the Spirit of love may be given to those who want to grow in love of God and people, we pray:
– That the Spirit of unity make us one heart and one soul in our communities, that we may do for one another what Jesus has done for us, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, center of our lives,
you planted your Son among us
as the true, life-giving vine.
Let him give himself to us
as our bread of strength
and pour himself for us
as the vigorous, unifying vine,
that he may live in us and we in him
and that we can do all things in him,
for he is our Lord for ever. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
God, core of our life,
we thank you for filling us
with the sap of life of Jesus, our true vine.
May we go on living in deep union
with him and with one another,
that in the uncertainties of life
we may go on believing, hoping
and building together a kingdom of love.
And when we go again our selfish ways,
use your pruning knife
to purify our faith and love.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen!
Blessing
Like Paul we give thanks to God for the people’s faith in Jesus Christ, a faith that makes them also love one another. And we pray that this faith may endure and nourish our hope, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!