John 14:23-29
Taking a trip always has mixed blessings. We know that we will have fun but we will miss the people we leave behind. Similar emotions were evident in the words which Jesus spoke to the disciples. “I am going away and I will come back to you.”
Our Lord knew that He was going to have to return to the Father. He also knew that the disciples were going to miss Him and that He was going to miss them. A bond of intimacy had been formed. Sensing their insecurity, Jesus promised to send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit to teach them, to comfort them, to remind them of all that He had said. We can picture the blank look on their faces because the disciples had no idea of who the Holy Spirit was. To this day so many still do not know who the Holy Spirit is. Third Person of the Blessed Trinity—every time we make the sign of the cross we mention the mystery of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Something we’ve been saying all our life but perhaps not certain of what we believe. Yet we know some truths. The Holy Spirit is the breath of God that created all things. Therefore the Holy Spirit is present in every soul. Our soul is part of God and when we die we return to God. Animals have a soul too, not the same as ours, but a soul nonetheless, otherwise they would not be alive. Plants have life too. The promise is the God will redeem all of creation. That’s one of the reasons that we take care of creation—because it’s forever. We are the stewards—we are in charge—and have dominion over all that God has created. The past few days of smog remind us of how fragile our planet is. If burning takes place, even thousands of miles away—other parts suffer the consequences. We were given one life—one body—one planet. We can’t claim ignorance because the Holy Spirit has guided and continues to tell us which way to live.
The Advocate is the little voice from our Guardian Angel that tells us to behave ourselves. And there’s always the opposite voice—the voice of the other guy that tells us not to listen—that we deserve to enjoy whatever pleasure we are seeking. From the beginning of time the Holy Spirit has always had competition. If we bother to look around, the competition is getting popular. The voices of false prophets are in the spot light. We tend to get nervous. Is God not with us? Does God not care about what happens to America? God is right here. He never abandons us. Our job is to discern His voice.
Usually the voice of God is the one that calls us to share; to take care of the poor; not to ignore the orphans and the widows. The message has withstood the test of time—can never go out of fashion. Any other message is non-Christian. Now more than ever we have to remember who we are. The Holy Spirit is here to remind us. We try not to judge. Make an effort not to discriminate. We try to forgive. Left to ourselves we can do nothing—we will fail. However, God’s power is greater than evil. We are His instruments, when we allow His mercy to rule our hearts. That means that there can be no room for pride. Starts at home, at school, where we work. We cannot expect the world situations to change when we refuse to change our heart. At times we might feel overwhelmed; but God has not cheated us. Everything that we need to be true disciples has been provided. No reason for us to panic—for our hearts to be troubled. Major challenges face us as individuals, as a State, as a Country, but we are not alone. The Lord is aware of each of our problems, but He is also aware of our potential. Much has been entrusted to us. Just like the first disciples, the Church, the world is in our hands.
The Lord is with us; there is nothing to fear.
Taking a trip always has mixed blessings. We know that we will have fun but we will miss the people we leave behind. Similar emotions were evident in the words which Jesus spoke to the disciples. “I am going away and I will come back to you.”
Our Lord knew that He was going to have to return to the Father. He also knew that the disciples were going to miss Him and that He was going to miss them. A bond of intimacy had been formed. Sensing their insecurity, Jesus promised to send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit to teach them, to comfort them, to remind them of all that He had said. We can picture the blank look on their faces because the disciples had no idea of who the Holy Spirit was. To this day so many still do not know who the Holy Spirit is. Third Person of the Blessed Trinity—every time we make the sign of the cross we mention the mystery of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Something we’ve been saying all our life but perhaps not certain of what we believe. Yet we know some truths. The Holy Spirit is the breath of God that created all things. Therefore the Holy Spirit is present in every soul. Our soul is part of God and when we die we return to God. Animals have a soul too, not the same as ours, but a soul nonetheless, otherwise they would not be alive. Plants have life too. The promise is the God will redeem all of creation. That’s one of the reasons that we take care of creation—because it’s forever. We are the stewards—we are in charge—and have dominion over all that God has created. The past few days of smog remind us of how fragile our planet is. If burning takes place, even thousands of miles away—other parts suffer the consequences. We were given one life—one body—one planet. We can’t claim ignorance because the Holy Spirit has guided and continues to tell us which way to live.
The Advocate is the little voice from our Guardian Angel that tells us to behave ourselves. And there’s always the opposite voice—the voice of the other guy that tells us not to listen—that we deserve to enjoy whatever pleasure we are seeking. From the beginning of time the Holy Spirit has always had competition. If we bother to look around, the competition is getting popular. The voices of false prophets are in the spot light. We tend to get nervous. Is God not with us? Does God not care about what happens to America? God is right here. He never abandons us. Our job is to discern His voice.
Usually the voice of God is the one that calls us to share; to take care of the poor; not to ignore the orphans and the widows. The message has withstood the test of time—can never go out of fashion. Any other message is non-Christian. Now more than ever we have to remember who we are. The Holy Spirit is here to remind us. We try not to judge. Make an effort not to discriminate. We try to forgive. Left to ourselves we can do nothing—we will fail. However, God’s power is greater than evil. We are His instruments, when we allow His mercy to rule our hearts. That means that there can be no room for pride. Starts at home, at school, where we work. We cannot expect the world situations to change when we refuse to change our heart. At times we might feel overwhelmed; but God has not cheated us. Everything that we need to be true disciples has been provided. No reason for us to panic—for our hearts to be troubled. Major challenges face us as individuals, as a State, as a Country, but we are not alone. The Lord is aware of each of our problems, but He is also aware of our potential. Much has been entrusted to us. Just like the first disciples, the Church, the world is in our hands.
The Lord is with us; there is nothing to fear.
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