Main news for 4 November 2021

Reading the description of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles on the day of Pentecost in the second chapter of Acts, one can notice that almost the first consequence of this event is the fearlessness of those same disciples of Christ who just before had gathered only in secret "for fear of the Jews" (John 20:19). The apostle Paul writes about this same gift of the Holy Spirit.

What fears usually live in us and keep us from living? Fear of death, fear of pain or suffering, fear of making a mistake, fear of losing something or someone, fear of the unknown... These and other fears intertwine, forming a kind of net that paralyzes all our movements. What does the Spirit set against these fears? First, He gives power: not our human power, which only feeds our pride and will always meet another power greater than itself, but the power of God, made perfect in our weakness. And if God is for us, who is against us? (Rom. 8:31). Second, the Spirit brings love with Him. Love for God, which allowed Christians of every age to accept suffering and death without fear, because in suffering and death there is union with Christ, who conquered death. And love for one's neighbor, in which there is no fear of loss, for those we love do not belong to us and go their own way, and loss cannot be eternal because only love is eternal. And finally, the gift of chastity, which stands against our fear of ourselves and our mistakes. Chastity is not celibacy, as we are used to understanding it. Chastity is wholeness, undividedness, the inner unity of the person, sanctified by the wisdom God gives. It appears in every sphere of our life, not only in sexuality. In marriage it is faithfulness; in celibacy it is abstinence; in relations with God it is humility; in relations with people it is service. Perhaps chastity is precisely what every person who brings his problems to a psychotherapist is unconsciously seeking.

So here is the secret of genuine Christian freedom: the freedom to live in openness and fearlessness: the Holy Spirit, who brings with Him power, love, and chastity.