Sixth Sunday of Easter Year C [Jn 14:23-29]
22.05.2022
The
Promise of the Holy Spirit
- Theme in brief
The
promise and the role of the Holy Spirit
- Focus Statement
The Holy Spirit, promised by Jesus to his
disciples, is our Advocate who stands by our side and defends us, who reminds
us of Jesus’ teachings and dispenses the Risen Lord’s gift of peace.
- Explanation of the text
Jesus’ parting message to his disciples which is found in today’s gospel reading, needs to be understood in the context of his imminent departure from this world (14:28), that is, his crucifixion and death. He prepares his disciples to face this shocking event. He offers them consolation and hope that those who keep his word out of love for him will experience the joy of a close union with him and the Father expressed in terms of both making their home (dwelling) in the disciples’ hearts (14:23). He reassures them that they will not be left alone like orphans (Jn 14:18). He promises to remain with them “for ever” (Jn 14:16) through the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in his name (14:26). Hence, the Holy Spirit will be with them in his place. Though his physical separation from them is a matter of great sorrow for them, instead of letting their hearts be troubled and fearful, they should rejoice because he will return to the Father who is greater than him (14:28).
Jesus calls the Holy Spirit ‘the Paraclete' (‘Parakletos’ in
Greek) – a legal term from the court which is translated in various
ways: Advocate, Comforter, Counsellor or Helper. Just like the work of an advocate for his client in a court,
the Holy Spirit is going to defend the disciples, to stand by their side and
fight on their behalf (14:26). But other translations of this word also indicate
various roles of the Holy Spirit: As Counsellor he gives the disciples the required
counsel; as Helper he helps them in times of trouble,
distress or attack from their spiritual and temporal enemies; and as Comforter
he comforts them in their afflictions.
Before he leaves, Jesus gives the
disciples his parting gift of peace that will enable them to overcome their distress
and fear (14:27-28). Peace means all-round well-being,
fullness of life, harmony, fellowship and actively going out
of oneself to build up human relationships or communities. In many of our
languages, the word "peace" has a passive
meaning. It implies an absence of any war or fight, conflict, disturbance and
hostilities. It also connotes freedom from any strife or threat to oneself or
to one’s family/ society/ country. The biblical concept of peace is more active. It
means "to be complete or whole" or "to live well." Hence,
it implies wholeness of life or health, right relationship or
harmony between two parties, or an invocation of blessing on
somebody that the person may enjoy good health and prosperity.
In addition, today’s text mentions about another role
of the Holy Spirit: to instruct or teach and to remind the disciples of everything that
Jesus has taught them (14:26). Hence, the Holy Spirit stands beside them not
only to defend them but also to guide them in his ways as their Teacher. The
Holy Spirit does not add anything to what Christ has said. He makes them remember what Christ has said and understand its meaning, implication and significance for the
present times. This instruction or teaching role of the Holy Spirit consists
precisely of understanding the new meaning, implication and application of Jesus’ once-for-all revelation.
Jesus says that the world cannot give the type of
peace which he gives (14:27), because it does not mean simply absence of
trouble, war or conflict. Two nations of the world can only decide to end war
(cease fire), but cannot bring about repentance,
conversion, forgiveness, reconciliation of hearts and re-establishment of
broken relationships.
- Application to life
How wonderful is the assurance given to us by Jesus
that he would never abandon us like orphans. We are
fortunate enough to have another friend besides
Jesus. He is the Holy Spirit, our Advocate or companion who stands
by our side and defends us
against the onslaught of ungodly ways and the on-going secularization of our
hearts, minds, families and even religious communities. As the Divine
Helper, what kind of help does the Holy Spirit give
us? Just like a lawyer who defends his
client against an opponent and guides that
person during the trial, so also the Holy Spirit helps us to face the trials,
temptations and adversities we need to struggle against
in this life. There are so many currents in the
world, which run against the spirit of the Gospel. There are problems for which
we have no solution. There is a tremendous social pressure or peer
pressure on us to do or say something which we do not like heart of hearts. In the
midst of confusion, discouragement, frustration and dilemma, the Holy Spirit
stands by us and defends us against the onslaught of
these worldly currents and pressures. He comforts, counsels and guides us to
take the right direction and make the right choice.
The Holy Spirit’s role of teaching and reminding us of
Christ’s words works in this manner: When we are about to make a wrong
decision or choice, or about to do something wrong, the Holy
Spirit suddenly brings to our mind the words of the Gospel or its new interpretation given
by Christ’s ministers in their teaching or preaching. We are suddenly reminded
of a biblical verse, or a wise advice given
by our parents/ teachers/ preachers that prevents us from taking a wrong path. But
this does not happen automatically or because we have heard about it in this
talk. Since Jesus became a human being and was born as a baby, it becomes
easier for us to relate when we sing, “What a friend we have in Jesus.” Probably
we might have found it difficult to relate to the Holy Sprit personally if ever
there would have been a song: “What a friend we have in the Holy Spirit.”
The reason for this could be we know the Holy Spirit mostly
under an impersonal symbol such as a “dove” depicted in churches and religious
literature. We only sing hymns about him in worship and prayer, especially when
we begin a meeting/ conference/retreat/ new task. Otherwise he remains a
‘distant or impersonal God’ whose advocacy
(backing) we are deprived of. Therefore, apart from theoretical knowledge of
the Holy Spirit, we need to develop the habit of considering the Holy Spirit as
our closest friend and invoke him in
faith to come and stand by our side. We have to do this consciously when we
feel that we are going astray or drifting away
from the teachings of Christ. Just like clients involved in a court case call
an advocate to their side, we too must in faith call the Holy Spirit to our
side, and plead with him to fight our battle when we are faced with problems
and troubles of life.
Besides the gift of the Holy Spirit, peace is another
greatest parting gift given by the Risen Lord to us. There
is a close connection between peace and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
dispenses the gift of Jesus’ peace by standing at our side as a constant companion
by calming
down our disturbed
minds. As Jesus has told us in Jn 16:14, the Holy Spirit takes what is from
Jesus (that is, peace) and gives it to his disciples. What
kind of peace does Jesus offer? We already saw that the peace of
Christ is more than the absence of trouble or war. Jesus offers the
peace which conquers our troubles, fears and over-anxieties
with
the strength of our faith.
Our hearts are often troubled by pestilences and pandemics, misfortunes, suffering, failure, betrayal of friends and loved ones, tensions, worries, sudden death of our dear ones, etc. The kind of peace given by Jesus gives comfort for troubled hearts or disturbed minds and courage in the midst of fear. It is the peace that enables us to remain calm in spite of troubles. Sorrow and suffering may hurt us but cannot take away the peace from us because it is unrelated to what happens to us externally. External circumstances cannot rob us of the peace he offers. Of course, it is important to understand that this type of peace cannot be attained by those who are not at peace with God.
According to the Bible, God alone is the source of
peace. Peace involves a right relationship with
God that results in right relationship with neighbours
cultivated by building bridges of reconciliation and
harmony. Since biblical understanding of peace is not passive but active, it is
not enough to merely wish peace or to pray for peace. If we are constantly
attuned to the promptings of the Spirit, we shall be motivated to actively go
out of ourselves to build up human
relationships or communities. Inspired by the Spirit, we should not seek to
solve conflicts by merely adhering to what the rules or laws say, but go beyond it by
trying to bring about conversion, forgiveness, reconciliation of hearts and
re-establishment of broken relationships.
Trust in God, faith in his promises and
obedience to his word lead us to peace and safety in
God's presence. Trust in God involves our firm conviction that
whatever happens to us is within God’s knowledge and he is in control of our
life and its future. There is nothing in heaven or on earth that he cannot
handle. Trust does not mean believing in God only when things go according our
plan and wish and when things go contrary to it losing our trust in him. Trust
involves entrusting all our fears, anxieties and
worries into his hands and choosing to live by faith rather than by
sight. It also means choosing God as our Master and not permitting worries and
anxieties to be our masters. It is our firm faith that God is always faithful to his promises and is
always with us even if we go through the worst valley of darkness. Lack of
trust in God and his promises increases our anxieties and fears. Peace does not
come when our sole focus is on our problems; it comes when we take our
attention away from our troubles and problems and focus it on God. In the midst
of our anxieties, if we do not take time to focus on God who says, "Be
still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10),
how can we experience his peace?
Secondly, the peace of the world has some strings
attached it; it is conditional and fragile. It
lasts as long as the conditions are kept by both the warring parties; otherwise
it breaks. For example, when two neighbours fight over the exact boundary of each
other’s land, they may come together and agree to cultivate their crop only up
to the boundary marked by them. If one of them goes back on his promise and
violates the agreement again fight will begin; peace is broken. This thing
happens not only in villages but even in international agreements. Jesus gives
peace that comes from reconciliation of broken hearts.
Thirdly, though peace is a gift from Jesus, it is also
a task laid on our shoulders. It is our responsibility to work
for peace and justice. Without justice there can be no peace. We cannot remain
passive spectators (since biblical peace is active) when there is so much
injustice in the world. Even the value of non-violence does
not mean passively tolerating all types of violence. Violence needs to be
resisted and not tolerated, but always in nonviolent ways. We need the
enlightenment of the Holy Spirit to know how and by which means we can do this.
Today, through this message, the Spirit of Jesus prompts us to be faithful to
our mission of peacemaking or peace-building. In his Beatitudes, Jesus calls peacemakers blessed because they will be called children of
God (Mt 5:9). The world is so much in need of peace; not only in terms of cessation
of war and hostilities among nations or civil wars within the nations, but also
in terms of but also in terms of undergoing a conversion to actively engage in
peace-building measures.
But the process of peacemaking is not limited to
nations or their governments alone. In fact, peace begins in
human hearts and must begin at home. Parents have a
tremendous responsibility to sow the seeds of the value of peace in their
children’s hearts by teaching them to give up violent and aggressive tendencies
and work towards cooperation and mutual respect of our
differences. Instead of keeping glued to TV and fiddling on mobile phones even
while eating family meals, family members need to interact with one another and
exchange views on building mutual cooperation and understanding. If the Church presents the image of very sharp divisions and
fragmentation, how can she claim to possess the Spirit of the Risen Christ?
- Response to God's Word
Do we seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit when we do
not understand the meaning of many shocking events in our lives? Do we believe
in His power and invoke Him in faith and request Him to stand by our side,
especially when our hearts are troubled due to tensions and problems of life? Do
we actively seek and work for peace in our society? Are we known as
peace-makers or peace-breakers?
- A Prayer
Risen Lord, you alone are our Peace. As you
promised, send on us the Holy Spirit from the Father, as our constant companion
to stand by our side and defend us against the onslaught of corrupt ways of the
world. Through the Holy Spirit remind us and bring to our memory the words of
the Gospel when we feel that we are going astray or drifting away from your
teachings. Through your Spirit continue to comfort, counsel and guide us especially
when we are troubled by confusion, discouragement, frustration and dilemma.
Amen.
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