In this short gospel reading from Jesus’ Farewell Discourse, two phrases draw my attention to Jesus’ love and concern for all his disciples – back then and today.   First, he validates the discomfort of walking into an unknown future.  Then, he proceeds to offer assurance that although he will no longer be physically present, his followers will never be without an advocate and teacher.

Jesus lovingly begins by acknowledging life can sometimes be difficult (I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now).  He knows the uncertainty of about what is to come can create anxiety and fear, which can pull us away from trusting God.  He also knows the disciples (then and now) grow into their future selves by living through and reflecting on their experiences, not by trying to avoid life.  We cannot skip over the hard work of becoming more of our True Self.  As Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin writes:

We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the
end without delay.  We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
 We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown,
something new.  And yet it is the law of all progress that it is
 made by passing through some stages of instability
and that it may take a very long time.*

Jesus knew the disciples would experience a crisis of faith following his death.  How could they not be in crisis, given that their hopes for the future appeared to end on the cross?  He knows that given the world’s state today, we are standing witness to events and attitudes that can lead us to a crisis of faith, wondering where God is in all this.  In response to the difficulties of life, Jesus next offers us hope. 

Jesus tells us his ministry does not end with his death as he will send the Spirit of Truth.  He assures us we can trust the advocate’s voice by saying everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason, I told you that he (Spirit of Truth) will take from what is mine and declare it to you.  Said a little differently, God’s life-giving and self-revelation happen daily within the concrete circumstances of our lives.  The invitation is to sit quietly so we can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, and, as Ignatius teaches, seek to Find God in All Things.  

As with the disciples, Jesus knows life in this century includes challenges.  He hopes I will rely on my faith to navigate through each day, not expecting certainty of what is to come.   Amid the world’s chaos, Jesus assures me that I am not an orphan, as the Holy Spirit constantly invites and supports me (and all of creation) to live in a relationship with God.         

Question:  What message of hope and comfort do you hear in this reading? 

*The Slow Work of God, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) Prayer of Teilhard de Chardin - Ignatian Spirituality