John 16:16-20

Acts 18:1-8

Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab. 3cd-4

John 16:16-20

Jesus said to his disciples:

“A little while and you will no longer see me,

and again a little while later and you will see me.”

So some of his disciples said to one another,

“What does this mean that he is saying to us,

‘A little while and you will not see me,

and again a little while and you will see me,’

and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”

So they said, “What is this ‘little while’ of which he speaks?

We do not know what he means.”

Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them,

“Are you discussing with one another what I said,

‘A little while and you will not see me,

and again a little while and you will see me’?

Amen, amen, I say to you,

you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices;

you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, your Son has pronounced a blessing on those who weep and mourn, and promises that they will be comforted. Comfort me as I lament the present state of this life. I weep for my sins, knowing that one day, every tear will be wiped away.

Encountering the Word of God

1. A Little While: At the Last Supper, Jesus speaks about what will soon happen to him. When he says, “A little while and you will no longer see me,” he is referring to his upcoming death on the Cross. When he says, “and again a little while later and you will see me,” this is a reference to his resurrection on the third day. Jesus’ words, however, do not have just one level of meaning. Jesus’ death and resurrection also point forward to the destruction of the old Temple and the city of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and the establishment of the New Temple and the descent of the New Jerusalem in the Church. And thus, the two sayings of Jesus and not seeing him and seeing him refer to the lives of the Apostles, who, for a time, will not “see” Jesus but will encounter him in heaven when they pass from this world. The two sayings of Jesus also refer to our lives and to the end of time. Jesus has gone away to prepare a place for us, but will one day return in glory. We do not see him now, but we will see him at the end of time. Thus, we are in the time of waiting for that visible return in glory (see Acts 1:9-11).

2. The Way to the Father: Our lives can be understood both as a time of patient waiting for the return of Jesus, but also as a journey along the Way that leads to the Father. Jesus says today: “I go to the Father.” Earlier, in the Last Supper Discourse, Jesus declared: “I am the Way” (John 14:6). Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, who foretold the coming of a voice that cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway (mesillah) for our God” (Isaiah 40:3). This was first a promise of salvation to Judah that they would return to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile. Isaiah also spoke about a highway for the remnant of Israel from Assyria (Isaiah 11:16), just as there was a highway for Israel when they were enslaved in Egypt. Jesus, then, is declaring that he is the Way, the way of salvation. He brings true liberation, a spiritual and supernatural liberation that surpasses any historical and political liberation. He is the way from death to life, the way from the world to the Father.

3. From Grief to Joy: The way of Jesus does not take away our pain and suffering in this world. One look at the Cross tells as much. Jesus was not spared from suffering, and so his disciples, his friends, are not spared. No one who follows in Jesus’ footsteps is promised an easy life. Just as the world persecuted the physical body of Jesus, the world will persecute the members of the mystical body of Jesus, the Church. One day, our funeral dirge of sorrow will be transformed into a beautiful wedding song of joy.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I believe that you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. My life only has meaning in the light of your Truth, following your Way, and sharing in your Life.

Living the Word of God: How has Jesus turned my sorrow into joy? When did I suffer, but later discerned God’s loving hand guiding all things to a good end? What am I suffering now that needs to be transformed through union with Christ and the power of the Spirit?