Daily Thought For February 13, 2015

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The Anointing of the Holy Spirit

As Christians we also receive an anointing (1 John 2:20-27), where there is question, not of a sacramental rite (Baptism or Confirmation) but of a participation in the prophetic anointing of Jesus, a Spiritual anointing through faith. In other words, our anointing by the Spirit is our own 'consecration' for a prophetic mission of preaching and suffering like Jesus, in favor of the world's poor. None of us may dare sing lightly, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me', for in singing of our Spirit-anointing or 'consecration', we are renewing our consent to be set apart and made holy, to be dedicated and qualified for a sacred role as God's chosen instruments to the poor and as witnesses of a new civilization!

 The early Christians understood this, and in cases where they did not, as with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) or some Corinthians (1Cor. 11:26-33), there were sad consequences. Such unworthy disciples became guilty, in practice, of 'desecration'. What the Spirit had anointed and consecrated, the spirit of this world had corrupted and desecrated. What had been qualified for society's revolution of love (by the baptism of the Spirit, a 'baptism of love') had got lured back to the kingdom of the Enemy of love.
In our case too, our consecration by the Spirit for a prophetic mission to the poor can have got 'choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life' (Luke 8:14). Hence we can find ourselves unfruitful, and our prophetic character desecrated. We then need to pray for a new outpouring of the Spirit, a re-consecration, a rekindling of the gift we received when hands were laid upon us, so that it is more clearly seen that "the love of Christ controls us... He died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him, who for their sakes died and was raised... If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!" (2Cor. 5:14-17).

 Fr. Fio Mascarenhas (to read full article go to my website (www.thegraceofpentecost.com and click on "featured article link")

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