“Since I was a child, I had always been happy whenever I received gifts; there’s always a joy in my heart which brings a genuine and vibrant smile of thanksgiving for those who gave me the gifts. However, when I grew up, I began to think that maybe it’s time that I be the one to give gifts rather than receive or ask for them. But, I deeply realized that even when I was still in my mother’s womb I already received a very precious gift from my Father, a gift that was waiting to be accepted and unwrapped - the gift of life and love.”
Last July 17-18, 2010, a Life in the Spirit Session was conducted for the students, interns and staff of Institute of Formation, Fondacio Asia (IFFAsia). It was animated by members of Fondacio Philippines. The session was an empowering and assuring weekend; it was an encounter with the forgotten God of the Trinity – the Holy Spirit. It helped me to reveal this beautiful gift of life and love from Christ Jesus and allowed me to experience the unconditional love of God through the Holy Spirit. During the session when we had our solitude, we reflected on three parables in the Gospel of Luke, which talks about how much God loves us. Pondering most especially on the parable of the prodigal son, I received this message, “I will always carry you in my heart. I love you as you are and I will never stop showing and letting you feel how much I love you.” It really assures me in my personal journey today.
I believe it is true when Manny San Luis, of Fondacio Philippines, said, “Real transformation can only happen in our lives when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us.” That is, when we don’t fill our emptiness with worldly things that surround us, and instead allow ourselves to be open to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit that is in us and let Him be the one to fill our emptiness and brokenness. He added that in every person there are two wolves, the black and the white, that always fight within us, and then he asked, “Which of those two wolves do you think will win?”, which he also answered, “the one you are feeding is the one who’s going to win.”
He describes the Holy Spirit, the God in us, by using imagery of Milo, a chocolate drink. When we prepare a cup of Milo and just put hot water without properly stirring it, the tendency is that it just settles at the bottom of the cup. Similarly, when we receive the Holy Spirit, but don’t allow Him to lead us or become part of our lives, He gets stuck in the very core of our lives, waiting to be stirred and consulted.
Through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the process of allowing the Spirit to pray in my behalf, using my body in praising God, it touches the very core of my being which makes me say that I am truly a child of God.
Rod Babiera(Rod, 21 year-old Filipino, belonged to Batch 2009-2010 of Basic Formation at IFFAsia. He is currently undergoing a 2-year internship program at the Institute.)
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