John 15:26-16:4a

Acts 16:11-15

Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b

John 15:26-16:4a

Jesus said to his disciples:

“When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,

the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,

he will testify to me.

And you also testify,

because you have been with me from the beginning.

“I have told you this so that you may not fall away.

They will expel you from the synagogues;

in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you

will think he is offering worship to God.

They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.

I have told you this so that when their hour comes

you may remember that I told you.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, send your Spirit of truth, the Advocate, into my heart. Unmask the lies I have welcomed and lead me to be authentic in all that I say, think, and do. Open my ears to hear the testimony of the Spirit.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Battle between Two Families: In the Gospel, Jesus consoles his disciples during the Last Supper by promising to send the Spirit of Truth to them to console them, guide them, and defend them. The Holy Spirit comes to bear witness to Jesus but also to empower Jesus’ disciples to bear witness to all nations. In testifying to Jesus, the Spirit seeks to convince the world of sin, to judge the false works of the devil, the ruler of this world, and to show that the path to righteousness is Jesus Christ, who is the Way to the Father. At the Last Supper, Jesus speaks at length about the distinction between those who belong to the world and those who belong to him. Those who belong to this world choose to do the works of the devil, the father of lies (John 8:41, 44). Those who belong to Jesus, on the other hand, believe in him and are empowered to do the works of the Heavenly Father. Those who belong to the world hate Jesus and the Father. Jesus’ disciples, on the contrary, love the Father and the Son. Those born of God and the Spirit, those who abide in God, will be persecuted by those born out of the world and the devil. It is like a battle between two families, a battle which ultimately ends in the victory of the divine family over the diabolical family. We have this hope of victory because Jesus is the victorious Lamb, who has already conquered the world through his death and resurrection (John 16:33), who continues to conquer sin through his bride, the Church, and who will conquer evil definitively at the end of time when he returns in glory (Revelation 19:11; 21:5, 10).

2. The Work of the Spirit: The work of the Holy Spirit in and through the Church counteracts the work of the devil. The devil tries to spread deception and falsehood throughout the world (John 8:44). The Spirit counteracts this work of the devil and discloses the truth and full meaning of the Gospel to the Church (John 14:26) (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 192). The Spirit empowers those who come to believe in Christ to bear witness to him to others. Authentic testimony requires authenticity of life, a correspondence between what we profess in word and believe and how we actually live. We cannot deny that we are sinners, that we fail, and that we err when we choose evil over good. And so, for our testimony to be authentic, we need to have a humble heart that trusts in God’s mercy and power. When we fail, we need to have the courage to recognize these failings without excuses, ask for forgiveness, make the necessary amends, and begin anew, strengthened by God’s grace. In one of his homilies, Pope Francis said that even the saints are sinners, but they are sinners who follow Jesus along the path of humility and the Cross and allow themselves to be sanctified by him through his bride, the Church (Pope Francis, Homily, May 9, 2014).

3. Testimony in Philippi: The importance of giving testimony, of bearing witness to Christ through the Spirit, is clear in today’s First Reading. Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke sail together across the Aegean Sea to proclaim the Gospel in Europe and eventually make their way to Philippi, a leading city in Macedonia. There they encounter Lydia from Thyatira, a Gentile believer in the God of Israel. As she listens to Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, she is moved by God’s grace and opens her heart to God’s Word. On becoming a member of Christ’s mystical body through Baptism, she welcomes the other members of Christ into her home. Today’s psalm is taken from the fifth book of the Psalter and is a psalm that looks forward to the restoration of the kingdom of David. In this New Kingdom of God, inaugurated by Jesus and extended through Jesus’ disciples, the restored tribes of Israel are united with the Gentile nations on Mount Zion and praise the Lord (Barber, Singing in the Reign, 86). Through their acceptance of the Gospel and through the Sacrament of Baptism, Lydia and her household sing this psalm and join in the new song of praise to God. They become children of Zion and rejoice in Christ their king, who has conquered the world and cast out its ruler.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I contemplate today how the Spirit guided you in your life and guided the Apostles as they preached the Gospel. I pray that I be docile to the action of the Holy Spirit and patient when I do not understand where or how the Spirit is leading me.

Living the Word of God: How am I giving witness to Jesus in my daily life? Do I see how the Spirit empowers me? Am I striving for authenticity of life?