Word to the Wise
Monday, May 19, 2014 - 5th Week of Easter - Mon
[Acts 14:5-18 and John 14:21-26]"I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name - he will teach your everything and remind you of all that I told you."
The gospel passages for this week continue Jesus' "Farewell Discourse" at the Last Supper in the Gospel of John. I want to continue to use the metaphor of an art exhibit as we work our way through the discourse. Some of the "paintings" are presentations of the same subject but from a different angle, or with different "colors," or rearrange the position of the subjects. All of the paintings are intended to reveal to us something about the overall subject: Jesus as the one whom God has sent and how his disciples [and we] will be able to proclaim this truth after his death and resurrection.
Two paintings appear in today's passage. The first is about a personal relationship to Jesus. We may recall from the other gospels the statements that Jesus makes about those who would claim to be his kin. [Mt. 12:50; Mk. 3:34; Lk. 8:21] Those who hear the word of God and put it into action are the ones who can claim kin to him. That theme seems to echo in the opening words today: "Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him......Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him." Since the second of those statements seems more "intimate" than the first, perhaps we are looking at a "diptych," two paintings side by side and connected in some fashion. The second however adds the dimension of "indwelling" that echoes the words of the "Prologue" of this gospel: And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Jn 1:14.
The next painting is very similar to one that appeared earlier [but not in the daily gospel scripture last week or this week] in chapter 14 and is very important. In fact, the earlier "painting" seems more detailed. "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you." Today's painting simply says what I quoted at the beginning of this reflection. The Holy Spirit will be the means of Jesus' continuing presence with the disciples [and us] after his death and resurrection [his "glorification"].
All of this can seem rather challenging and dense. We may have to come back and look at different paintings to get the full dimension of it all. The exhibit will continue for some time, so take your time! AMEN