(Jn 15: 26-16:4a)
Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.
“I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.
I have told you this so that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told you.”
usccb.org
Reflect:
He will not leave them behind with nothing. Thus Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to those whom He considers friends. They will not feel orphaned. This Spirit will be His and the Father’s abiding presence in their hearts. This tell us a lot about the Holy Spirit, the one least known among the Personal in the Trinity. We get to know that the Spirit is a helper and a witness of the Godhead. The Spirit will not teach anything new but will deepen our understanding of the teaching of Jesus.
It is therefore funny how some sects used the Spirit as justification to their unusual teaching and appeals to the Holy Spirit to legitimize their presently made up beliefs. The Spirit is not a spirit of division. It does not seek to demolish what Jesus had already taught or even bring new teachings coming from its own. If we have the Spirit, following Jesus is easy. Because the Spirit is a witness of Jesus. It automatically recognizes Jesus’ own.
Fr. Paulson V.Veliyannoor, CMF
Pray:
So forgive me, Lord, for how many times have I offended and sinned, not only do not bear witness to the Lord, but have made others lost faith in God. Give me the power of the Holy Spirit, so that even though I am small, poor and weak, I still try to live more holy, to love generously, to give way unselfishly. Please keep me never proud to rely on my strength, but always trust in the working power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Joseph One Hundred K 