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May 10, 2026
In this Sixth week of Easter, we approach the final weeks of the Easter Season. We continue to hear from Chapter 14 of the Gospel of John which describes Jesus’ words to His Apostles at the Last Supper. Jesus, before He underwent His Passion and Death, sought to console and strengthen His Apostles.
He promised to send them the Holy Spirit, telling them, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,..." (John 14:16-17) Jesus goes on to mention, "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live." (John 14:18-19) Jesus promises His Apostles that even though He will undergo His Passion and Death, leaving them for a short time, He will not leave them forever. He promises His Apostles that they will see Him again and that they will share in His Resurrection. He tells them that the Spirit of Truth will come to dwell within them. These are encouraging words for each of us. Like the Apostles, the Holy Spirit has come to dwell within each of our hearts through Holy Baptism. We have been made partakers and sharers in the very divine life of God. These words from Jesus help us to remember we are never alone. God through the Holy Spirit has come to dwell with us and abides within us.
We are called to cooperate with the presence of Christ and the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. In the second part of this week’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that it is through listening to His commandments that we truly learn to love Him. He tells His Apostles, "Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him." (John 14:21) It is Jesus who, through His teachings and commandments, leads us into a relationship with the other two Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Holy Spirit. A covenantal relationship, the kind that God desires with each of us, is not just contractual agreement or an exchange of goods and services. It is a union, a complete gift of oneself for the sake of the other. Such a love represents the kind of love found within the Holy Trinity, where the Father gives Himself totally to the Son and the Son to the Father. The fruit of their love is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Such a covenantal love is also reflective of the bond formed within Holy Matrimony, where spouses surrender themselves completely for the sake of the other. The fruit of the spouses' love for each other is the gift of children.
Through the observance of Christ’s commandments, we enter into an intimate union with Jesus, who leads us into union with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We make of ourselves a self gift and offering to God, which goes beyond a mere contractual obligation. To be in love with God is not only a feeling or emotion, but it is a union with the Persons of the Holy Trinity. It is expressed through a free choice and desire to listen to and follow God’s commands. In choosing to follow Christ’s commands, we are choosing to follow Jesus Himself. As a result, we cannot claim to truly love God but still willingly act in a way contrary to His Will and desire for us. The more we learn to listen to Christ and follow His commandments, the more we will enter into a relationship not only with Jesus, but with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. This week, through following Christ’s commands and listening ever more to Him in our prayer and in our hearts, may we be drawn into that unity of love which is the Holy Trinity.
Father John