Welcome to GoodNewsBulletin

Was there ever a time in your life when you thought you could do something but in the end you failed? Or was there ever a time when you felt everything seemed hopeless but in the end everything was resolved? With your human mind, you tried to comprehend everything that happens to you, but you seemed unable to grasp it all.

The Lord God Almighty said in Zechariah 4:6, “…Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit’. Here, we entrust everything to the Holy Spirit and not on our own merits and capabilities. Yes, it is by the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit that we gain wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear.

Many times in our lives, we experience these gifts but because we are unaware what these really are, we don’t really appreciate what is happening in our midst, sometimes even failing to associate these as graces from the Lord.

It is through the Holy Spirit that we become strong yet humble, where we see our weaknesses as strengths and trials as opportunities. 2 Corinthians 12:10 is very clear on this: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Have you ever noticed how after waging a battle against a friend or a foe, whether we come out the winner or loser, we always come out stronger? That is, if we recognize that the Holy Spirit is in us. Otherwise, if we do not believe that it is the grace of the Holy Spirit, every time we win, we attribute it to ourselves. And every time we lose, we blame God or our neighbor, but not ourselves. Pretty one-sided, isn’t it?

One concrete example: I have this old habit of blaming others in the house when something goes wrong. I’m still struggling, but I recognize in my prayer to the Lord that for the spirit of understanding to dwell in my heart and mind, I should stretch my patience and my self-control.

That was when I learned that when a glass gets broken, I should be happy that nobody got hurt. When my child spills something on the dining table, it is time to teach him how to wipe it clean, instead of giving in to fits of anger. When somebody comments something negative about how things are going, I could always choose to add fire or ignore it altogether, and normally, I follow the latter. In every circumstance, there is always a better way of looking at things. And if we allow the Holy Spirit to make things work in our lives, then that is the way it would be.

I always remember the story about the tree. We could view it from the top, from the left or right side, in front or from the back. Depending on where we are, we see different perspectives. But it would always be a tree. In the same way, the Holy Spirit in us would only be nurtured if we allow it to grow, and like the tree, no matter what the perspective.

TELL US LIKE IT IS!
Has something wonderful and unique happened in your life lately? Did God answer your prayer in a very unexpected way? Did you, like Isaiah, meet God’s whisper?
Have you felt His powerful hand working in your life recently?
Everyday, people are experiencing God’s mighty Word in their lives and it is a pity that very few know about it. Do you have a story to tell? Some Good News to share?
E-mail us (genesis@catholic.org) or fax us (021-6627384), and tell us about it. That’s right! You don’t have to be a great writer to do this. We can help you write it – just tell us like it is!
Don’t forget to write the subject: “Let Me Tell You A Story”