Truth always ends by victory; it is not unassailable, but invincible

He who speaks rightly should recognize that he receives the words from God. For the truth belongs not to him who speaks, but to God who is energizing him. - St. Mark the Ascetic: (was a Christian theologian, saint, and ascetic writer of the fifth century AD)

Gospel Text: (JN 16:12-15)

Jesus said to his disciples:

“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.

But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,

he will guide you to all truth.

He will not speak on his own,

but he will speak what he hears,

and will declare to you the things that are coming.

He will glorify me,

because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.

Everything that the Father has is mine;

for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine

and declare it to you.”

Jesus intimately knew his disciples and their human limitations, and thus said to them:  “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.”  A radical love, a life of service, the mission of sharing the story of Jesus, the good possibility of suffering for the faith…not an easy lesson to learn for the disciples of times past, or for ourselves as 21st Century disciples! 

Jesus’ first disciples and each of us are people “on the grow”, with lives to live and lessons to be learned as we live our faith in the realities of daily life.  Jesus encourages us to be patient, to be open to the actions of the Holy Spirit, who will guide us to all truth — and to then be Spirit-filled people as we live and proclaim God’s love and mercy in word and deed. 

Sadly, rather than letting the Holy Spirit (a great unknown in our lives!) guide us, what we do most of the time is either ignore him or “impose upon him” what we have already decided. But what are we told today in the gospel?

Instead, let us try something new - Let him guide us!