Baptism and the reception of the Holy Spirit are seen in two different occasions in the story. Baptism is seen when they are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ by Phillip before the arrival of the Apostles. The reception of the Holy Spirit is seen when the Apostles John and Peter blessed the people with the Holy Spirit by laying down their hands because the people had accepted the Word of God. When John and Peter go down to Samaria to give the people the grace of the Holy Spirit. By receiving this I learned that once one is baptized and is ready to proclaim the Word of God the Holy Spirit can come down and guide them in their mission. The response of Peter to Simon's request to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit teaches and shows us that to fully receive grace and be in communion with God one does not need power, wealth, or any earthly material to enter into the Kingdom of God. One must humble himself or herself to be in Heaven. It was call "laying on of hands" back then and it's still called "laying on of hands". It is a symbolic act of when God is called upon or one is receiving the Grace of the Holy Spirit. We must take away from this story that we have to humble ourselves and give every single part of us to God and His mission in order to achieve Heaven.
No comments:
Post a Comment