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I Will Not Leave You Orphans





I Will Not Leave You Orphans
Jn 14: 15 – 21
Sixth Sunday of Easter

Introduction

In today’s Gospel, Jesus promises another Advocate who will remain with his disciples. This Advocate is also called the Spirit of Truth who will accompany the disciples and will never leave them orphans.


The Gospel
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

Reflection

Today’s reading continues a theme similar to last Sunday’s Gospel which is the theme of Jesus’ departure. Unlike however, last Sunday’s gospel, today’s reading speaks of Jesus’ departure on a different level. His departure prompts the arrival or coming of “another Advocate” who will permanently stay and remain with his disciples. This Advocate is the Holy Spirit.

Our reading contains several elements that give us a better understanding of who this advocate is. On the literary side, this pericope or reading has clear literary markers. The beginning (verse 15) and the end of this reading (verse 21) speak about the theme of love. In verse 15, we read: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” In verse 21, we read: “ They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”
Framed by these two literary markers that speak about love is the discourse about the Holy Spirit. This literary signal somehow tells us that the one who is about to come as the Advocate comes as one who bears and brings this love. This Advocate is a Spirit of love. This Spirit emanates from the love of the Father and the Son. This Spirit imbues those who follow the Lord with the same love that exists between the Father and the Son. It is a Spirit that draws us to the life of God, a life that is one of love. In giving and sending us the Holy Spirit, God pours out his love on us so that we may live our lives loving -  just like God.

There is another characteristic of this Spirit. The Spirit is not one who is extraneous from us. The Spirit is not something outside of us. The Spirit is in us and dwells in us. This is what Jesus meant in verse 17 when he says: “ But you know it, because it remains in you and will be in you.” The Spirit makes its home in us. This is why St. Paul also tells us that we are the temples of the Holy Spirit because the Spirit has made us its home.

And what does the Spirit do as it dwells in us? It leads us to the truth. Jesus calls the Spirit the Spirit of Truth in verse 17. The Spirit dwelling in us, leads us to the Truth by directing and helping us in our journey through life, by enlightening us in the decisions we make and by prompting us gently in choosing the right path. The Spirit too helps us in discerning God’s will and plan, providing us clarity in seeing and understanding what God wants from us especially in important and critical moments in our life.  

Another characteristic of this Spirit is its permanence. Jesus tells us in verse 16: “ …the Father will give you another Advocate to be with you always…” God pours out his Spirit to live permanently in us as a sign of his enduring love for each one of us. This is also why Jesus confidently tells us that he will never leave us orphans. In giving us his Spirit, Jesus assures us that we will never be alone in life.

The Holy Spirit then, is God’s own love poured unto us. He is God’s love now dwelling in us as a pledge of his enduring love for each of us. The Spirit is an ever present companion who travels with us through life. Through the Spirit’s presence, we can be sure that we will never be alone in life, as the Spirit’s purpose is to remain with us and never to leave us orphans in our journey in life.  Through the Spirit, we come to know and understand the Father and the Son. Through him, we are drawn to God’s own life and gain fellowship with God.


Prayer

Come Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.



“ God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” – Rom 5: 5




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