To Belong to Christ

“Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ, does not him.”

St Paul teaches us about the Spirit of God: the Holy Spirit of God.

In the Sacrament of Baptism we receive the Holy Spirit, with water (poured) in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are named, anointed with the Chrism of Christ, clothed in a new white garment of purity, and invested with the light of Christ to be burning brightly in our hearts until the Lord returns.

So, why does Paul say, “Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ, does not belong to him…” (Romans 8:9) since we have the Spirit by virtue of our Baptism? Can we lose the Spirit? Does it deactivate? If so, do I somehow no longer belong to Christ?

The Spirit, once given, remains – for ever! It cannot be discarded or erased, but His “being there” can be uncomfortable for both host and Guest, especially for a host who is not freely “belonging” to Christ.

The challenge is not for Jesus and His Spirit to own US, to dwell within US. He already does – and is! The challenge is for US to accept and embrace the mission of Jesus, to make it THE top priority in our lives, to surrender ourselves and everything to Christ.

To belong to Christ, to surrender to His Lordship, demands absolute loyalty. We cannot claim discipleship only when it is convenient. We cannot lay claim to the title Christian and Catholic on the Sundays that we happen to decide to attend Mass. We cannot be (and are not) truly Catholic and Christian if we choose anything above Christ and His Church.

In other words, Catholic and Christian means I am at Mass every Sunday (unless prevented by reasonable cause: illness, work, or travel).

Bottom line.! No excuses! This (The Mass) is where it all starts!

Praise be to Jesus!
frjohn

First Blog

Well, here is an old guy, learning how to blog, who has no idea what he's doing.