Monday of the Holy Spirit; The Holy Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him (Second century)
A day when the faithful are highly encouraged to participate in the Divine Liturgy. No fasting or abstention from foods.
Read
Ephesians 5:9-19; Matthew 18:10-20
The Lord rose from the dead. He met with the Apostles and many others for 40 days. During that time, He gave further instruction to His Apostles of the Church He was establishing and how they would continue His mission in the world. His mission? To go out to all nations, to teach them what He has taught, to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to remember that He will always be with us. He ascended to the right hand of the Father thereby taking human nature and enthroning it with the divinity of our loving and merciful God. Ten days later, He sent the Holy Spirit upon His followers in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. They were given gifts of the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish His mission to the world. They started that very day in Jerusalem.
We have celebrated all of this over the last fifty days. Today, the Monday of the Holy Spirit, is a time for us to realise that as followers of Jesus we also are to participate in His mission. We are all baptized in Him, we have received His teaching, and we go out to the world. We hear from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians today in order to encourage us and also to give us some practical advice. Baptism, also called Illumination (See Hebrews 6:4), has awoken us like a sleeper who has been awakened. Alive in Christ, we become like Him – not only enlightened ourselves but also light to the world. The unfruitful works of darkness are no longer part of our life. Paul also exhorts us to walk carefully as Christians in the world, as wise people. Always seek the will of the Lord. Do not be influenced by those who have forsaken the Lord.
A simple way to keep things in check is to practice the examination of conscience before sleep each night. It is a moment of quiet presence before the Lord asking simply where I have strayed through the day, and then to repentance and return to the Lord’s way. Here is a link to a detailed examination of conscience for adults.