27-May-19

Gospel 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."
Reflection:
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."
Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit (the Advocate) comes from the Father and
is the "Spirit of truth" who will give testimony that He is the Son of God.
He goes on to say to His disciples and to us who believe, "And you also testify."
How do we "testify" to our belief in Jesus? Hopefully, through our words and deeds.
We testify when we hand someone begging on the street a little something to help him or her get through the day: a few dollars for a coffee and a sandwich and a chance to get in out of the cold or the heat of the day.
We testify when we resist our human nature to worry about what they're going to do with the money.
We testify when we simply do the right thing and leave the rest to God. And, along with our gift we say, "Jesus loves you brother....Jesus loves you sister."
Our words and deeds are our testimony that we believe in Jesus' message that we should "Love One Another."
"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."
The reality is there are people who do not know "either the Father" or Jesus. In many parts of the world people are killing Christians and they believe that by doing so they are in God's favor.
Less drastically, in our own lives there are people who look upon us as naive and foolish because of our beliefs and actions.
"I have told you this so that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told you."
Jesus forewarned us so that we should not be surprised by the attitudes some people have toward us because of our faith. We are not called to convince or convert them.
But, through our words and good deeds, Jesus does call us to be like a "light shining on a lamp stand," drawing others to Him.
"Let your light shine bright so others can find their way out of the dark."
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