Come, Holy Spirit, fill the heart of the faithful

In today's gospel, Jesus talks about the coming of the advocate who is the spirit of truth. Jesus knew the disciples did not have the courage or confidence to continue what Jesus began. In order to console them, he promises to send them the advocate who proceeds from the father. Jesus says, the Spirit will testify on my behalf, and you shall also testify.

That is, bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. Jesus says, I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. Jesus told them, The Son of Man must suffer. But the disciples were not able to see this. Why? The disciples expected a warrior king to defeat the enemies of Israel, especially the Romans.

They sought glory. They had seen the miracles that Jesus had worked, and yet they could not imagine a suffering servant. The advocate in this gospel is a teacher, a witness to Jesus. He will assume the responsibility for the disciple’s enlightenment. Jesus tells us he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but what he hears. And he will declare to you the things that are coming. Every generation of Christians faces new challenges to its faith and to its practice. The spirit of truth keeps God's word. He keeps it alive through every changing circumstance. The faithfulness of Jesus and the spirit in what they heard guarantees the truth of what they proclaim. Jesus continues by saying, he will glorify me.

He will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything the father has is mine. Earlier, Jesus had declared that his teaching was not his own but was from the one who sent him. This is how Jesus can say, when the spirit of truth comes, he will speak what he hears and not speak on his own.

Jesus has been faithful in glorifying the father, and the spirit will be faithful and glorifying the son. Therefore, we can conclude that God the Father is the master architect of what was preached and taught by Jesus Christ. And then continued by the Spirit of truth. Jesus divinely founded his church, and the Spirit of truth will guide it until the end of time. Our holy Church is run by fallible human beings. If it strays from its course, the power of the Holy Spirit will bring it back on course. We ourselves first receive the Holy Spirit in baptism and confirmation. He endows us with seven magnificent gifts. Spiritually, we are set for the rest of our adult lives. Obedience to God's commandments and the use of confession and Holy Communion keep us in God's love and grace.

They assist us in achieving our goal. That goal is our salvation.

 

Homily begins at 24:30