Jn. 16:16-22
Let me begin my sharing in light of the message of today’s Gospel: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you to all the truth.”
Have you ever experienced how hard it can be at times to determine the truth in a given situation? We are always confronted with conflicting choices in everything. Perhaps some of these questions have crossed your mind: Will I join the intensification program or not? Shall I continue pursuing my dream to become a Capuchin, or should I look for another possibility in life? Every alternative set before us claims to be the best choice, and we find ourselves pulled in so many directions that we lose sight of what we really want and what God truly wants for us. Have you asked yourself, “Is this what God really wants for me?”
Thanks be to God, because the good Lord has made provisions to lead us from confusion to clarity, or from darkness to light. He has sent us the Third Person of the Trinity to enable us to respond to His calling and enlighten us in our doubts and uncertainties. He is to be our source of comfort and inspiration, our source of unity and creativity, the guarantee of Jesus’ presence in our human history.
Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we become open to the plan of God for each one of us; we become generous in responding to God’s call according to the charisms imparted to us. Through the action of the Holy Spirit, we are able to separate good from evil, truth from lies, a troll from a friend, and fake news from authentic news.
My dear brothers, we have all the reasons to be happy and celebrate our life as one community as we open the academic year 2024-2025 because we know that the Holy Spirit will guide us in our search for truth, in our quest for knowledge, and in our longing to be of one heart and one mind. Our coming together highlights the spirit of our Gospel brotherhood, where we have shared not only our work but truly ourselves in each one’s hard work. Let us then celebrate with joy and gladness, as this has allowed us to be refreshed, invigorated, and energized by the presence of each one as we begin this academic year.
Let us implore the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Minister General of the Order, as St. Francis often says, so that He may enlighten and inspire us and give us direction regarding where God wants us to be and what God wants us to do. It is the Spirit who invites us to fraternity with the Trinity and to the fraternity of the Order.
Let us then be challenged by our calling as followers of Jesus in the footsteps of our Seraphic Father, St. Francis. Let us also remind ourselves of what St. Francis told St. Anthony in his letter 800 years ago: “It pleases me that you teach sacred theology to the brothers, as long as, in the words of the rule, you do not extinguish the Spirit of prayer and devotion.”
As we begin this school year, I feel privileged to have this wonderful opportunity to be with you. Let us thank the Lord for giving us a chance to be together and celebrate our life as one fraternity. May we always feel the presence of God in every brother and in everything we do.
May God bless us all.
