7-May-18

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 gives us hope for our future on earth when he tells us that he is sending the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth.
We should remember that our Father also loves His children who do not know Him or Jesus. It is God's desire that we have patience with them, forgive them and share His Holy Spirit with them.
He reminds those of us who believe in Him that we are called to "testify," to the Father's love by our words and our acts of loving service to all His children. As people who believe in Christ's message of the Father's love, we are called to spread this Good News.
"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."
Following Jesus' ascension to the Father, his followers suffered ridicule, persecution and death. They were able to bear their trials because Jesus kept His promise to send the "Advocate," the Holy Spirit, to strengthen and inspire them.
Jesus knew that once He returned to His Father his followers would need an anchor and a guide as they dedicated their lives to spreading the Good News.
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. I will not leave you orphaned." (John 14: 16/18)
Today that same Holy Spirit lives within you and me.
Like the early apostles, we are infused with the power of the Holy Spirit.
This Spirit whispers to us, constantly encouraging us to to speak out, to act, and to bear witness to the love of God on earth through our words and actions.
When we find the courage to tell a hurting soul, "I will pray for you," to lend a hand to the downtrodden when others are passing them by, or to to speak the word of God to those who do not believe, it is then that we are responding to the Spirit's urgings to spread the love of God.
"A word or smile is often enough to put fresh life in a despondent soul.”
- St. Thérèse of Lisieux