Acts
18:1-8 / John 16:16-20
Jesus speaks about
his leaving: “In a little while and you will no longer see me” (Jn 16/16)
Someone said hindsight is always 20/20. But hindsight is what you don’t
have at the time. In simple matters of fact hindsight is a simple thing: you
can see within the hour that you backed the wrong horse – or within seconds
that you said the wrong thing. But in deeper matters, hindsight is a slow
process of realization. The Holy Spirit gives hindsight on Jesus. This is the
Spirit working in us, the patient inner teacher, opening our minds slowly to
the light that has long since come into the world. The Spirit guides us (hodegeo) along
the way; it is Jesus who is the way (hodos) itself – indeed
the truth itself (Jn 14:6).
“The Spirit will guide you into all truth,” that is, all the truth about
God. The Son has revealed the Father, and now the Spirit will reveal the Father
by revealing the Son. We are being attracted by the Spirit into the inner life
of God.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”
The disciples to whom these words were addressed had the best of excuses for
not having hindsight: the event had not taken place yet. The event was the
death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. They could not possibly have
understood him at that time, except as a remarkable man.
When disciples of any age consider Jesus without the guidance of the
Spirit, that is what they find: a remarkable man. There were so many boring
things written in the 19th century about the ‘moral excellence’ of Jesus…. This
would only get him a place among the Pharisees. It is the Spirit alone that can
draw us into the mind of Jesus.
****
The
context: In the Last Supper discourse, Jesus tells the
Apostles about leaving them in order to return to his Father and
about coming again at the end of time to usher in the new age of
God’s kingdom. When they start asking each other the meaning of these
statements, Jesus explains to them the hardships they will have to face after
his departure and the glorious reward waiting for them in his Second Coming.
But as he had consoled them earlier, promising to send a Paraclete, now Jesus
assures them that his absence is only temporary.
A little while: Jesus is
speaking about a three-level disappearance and reappearance. The first
level is Jesus’ death and Resurrection. The apostles will no longer
see Jesus when he dies. But they will see Jesus again in three days
as their risen Lord. The second level is the mystical level: They will
lose sight of Jesus physically when he ascends to the glory of the
Father. But they will see Jesus again in many ways by Faith, when
the Holy Spirit comes. There is also a third level. Jesus is
not now visible physically to the world but will manifest his glory to the
whole world when he comes again in glory. In the light of eternity, a few
thousand years are but an instant, a very short while.
Life messages: 1) Let us try to recognize the presence
of the living Lord in our midst here and now. 2) Let us ask Him to help us
adjust our daily lives accordingly, so that we, too, may inherit the eternal
joy prepared for us.
****
Liturgical Prayers:
Introduction:
Many people are lamenting because they do not feel the presence of God, particularly in moments of deep sorrow. At the occasion of the death of a beloved person one hears often: "Where is God now? He has deserted us!" It was a thought many Jews expressed during the "Shoah" (holocaust, literally "destruction,"). Yet some tenaciously held on to God, saying that it was God who suffered there at the hands of people.
Many people are lamenting because they do not feel the presence of God, particularly in moments of deep sorrow. At the occasion of the death of a beloved person one hears often: "Where is God now? He has deserted us!" It was a thought many Jews expressed during the "Shoah" (holocaust, literally "destruction,"). Yet some tenaciously held on to God, saying that it was God who suffered there at the hands of people.
Penitential Rite:
-The Lord has done wondrous
deeds in our lives, for our ingratitude, Lord, have mercy
-He has remembered his
kindness and his faithfulness in spite of our turning away from him, Christ,
have mercy
-In the sight of the nations
he has revealed his justice despite our many acts of injustice, Lord, have
mercy
Opening Prayer
Lord
our God, when we suffer deeply we tend to cry out: "My God, where are
you?" Give to us, people who believe that your Son died for us and by your
power rose from the dead, a faith deep and strong enough to know that you are
with us also in the difficulties and woes of life, even in the throes of death.
Give us this faith through Jesus Christ our Lord.
General Intercessions
-
For those responsible for our earth, that the Spirit may guide them to respect
God's work of creation, its beauty and integrity, we pray:
-
For people facing death, that their hope in the resurrection may assure them
that God will give them everlasting life, we pray:
-
For those who suffer, that they may know that God knows and that the Spirit may
turn their pain into joy, we pray:
Prayer over the gifts
Our
living and loving God, when the people you had made your own marched through
the inhospitable desert, you were there with them and you gave them the manna
to eat. Keep us from complaining and murmuring when the difficulties of life
come our way. Nourish us in our deserts with today's manna, with the body and
blood of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord
our God, do not take it amiss when we cry out to you in the deserts of our
pains and loneliness. Keep strengthening us with the food and the drink of joy
of Jesus. And make us see your presence also in the good people around us, in
their words of consolation and hope. Reassure us that you lead us to a joy and
a happiness to which there is no end. Grant us this through Christ our Lord.
