It Ain’t Heavy with the Holy Spirit

Dear friends on the journey,


The May 11, 2002, issue of the Taipei Times reported a remarkable story of a mother’s love. In 1972 two-year-old Chinese boy, Hu Jen-chuan, fell from a table and went into a coma. When he woke up after six days, he could not talk or move. Like any parent, his mother was distressed. This stress was compounded by the fact that she could not afford to place him in a nursing home.


Instead, for thirty years, she cared for Hu Jen-chuan herself, a loving care that has shown the unfathomable depth of her mother’s love. So her son would not be totally bedridden, she has done the unbelievable – this mother has carried her son on
her back for thirty years. As of the story’s publication, Liu Kuei-lan was 65 years old and weighed 80 pounds. Her grown son weighed 180 pounds. On many occasions carrying her son, Liu has fallen and fractured bones. Yet she continues to carry him. When asked how she can do it, her reply is simple, “He ain’t heavy, he’s my son.”


It is this love that God has for each of us and the love with which we are to love God, our neighbors and ourselves. Our faith is not just a set of beliefs or rules, but a living, growing relationship with the God who made us and loves us.


Today’s gospel is certainly a declaration of God’s love for us, but it challenges us to move from that knowing to action. Love is more evident in action. To love God is to follow his will and keep his commandments.


So how do we know this? How do we know what God is asking of us? The good news is that we do not need to rely on our own resources to do this. With abundant generosity, God has given us Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. In their generosity, God and Jesus have promised not to leave us orphaned and have given us help: the Holy Spirit, the promised Advocate. The word advocate means one who speaks or acts in support of another. The Holy Spirit is our divine guide and intercessor. She helps us to discern God’s will and desire for our lives, guides us in wisdom and truth, and a constant source of support, most especially in moments when we feel far from God.


St. Augustine said, “The Lord loves each of us as if there were only one of
us to love.” This is the heart of our faith: God’s love for you is personal and profound, like the love of a mother for her child. God created you in love and for love: to know God in a deeply personal way and then respond with your own love in return 

How will you love God this week? Who might God be calling you to “carry” right now? No matter how heavy it is, the Holy Spirit is right there with the confidence, support and fortitude needed.


Siempre Adelante,

​
Teresa Runyon
Pastoral Associate 

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