At yesterday's Sunday liturgy we were introduced to the beginning of the "Farewell Discourse" that appears in chapters fourteen through seventeen of St. John's Gospel. It is obvious from the very beginning that one of the purposes of this discourse is to calm any fears that the community might be having as the time between the Ascension and the Second Coming begins to lengthen beyond their expectations. In today's selection from the Gospel of St. John, Jesus introduces the character of the Advocate or Holy Spirit which will function as the presence of Jesus in the community after he has returned to the Father.
The Advocate will teach and will remind. In other words, not only will the Holy Spirit review the words of Jesus for the community. The Spirit will also build upon what Jesus has said and will continue the teaching ministry of Jesus.
The voice of the Holy Spirit is always present in the Church for those who attune their ears to that voice. It is heard in the voice of the Magisterium, the body of bishops who continue to teach. It is heard in the voices of various prophets in our own time. It is heard in the Scriptures. It is heard in the writings of the Fathers and the Doctors of the Church.
Last Wednesday I once again celebrated with the Religious of the Cenacle as they marked the Feast of Our Lady of the Cenacle with their infirm sisters at the Resurrection Life Center. I commented to one of the sisters after Mass that after so many years of preaching on the same texts for this liturgy that I sometimes felt like I might be repeating myself. She answered: "But we always hear it a little differently because our situations continue to change." That comment reminded me of the fact that no matter how many times we have heard God's Word, it comes to us always new and fresh as it addresses our present reality. This is the reason that the Church asks us to constantly renew our appreciation for and our awareness of the various ways in which the Holy Spirit speaks to us and teaches us about the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator