12 “I have much more to tell you, but now it would be too much for you to bear. 13 When, however, the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, he will lead you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own authority, but he will speak of what he hears, and will tell you of things to come. 14 He will give me glory, because he will take what I say and tell it to you. 15 All that my Father has is mine; that is why I said that the Spirit will take what I give him and tell it to you.”
Other readings: Proverbs 8:22-31; Psalm 8:3-8; Romans 5:1-5
LECTIO
We are very much in the heart of Jesus’s teachings during the Last Supper. Jesus has so much to say to prepare his faithful band of disciples for the traumatic events that lay immediately ahead of them.
The Holy Spirit continues to be in the spotlight. Here Jesus teaches that the role of the Holy Spirit is to “reveal the truth about God”, to “lead you into all the truth” and “tell you of things to come” (verse 13).
Jesus could have explained more to his disciples at this point about what is going to happen but he knows that they would not be able to take any more in. So he chooses instead to give them glimpses of the work of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus’s Resurrection the Holy Spirit will help the disciples understand what they need to know in order to live in relationship with God and give them the power they need to do so (Acts 1:8).
Jesus explains more about the relationship between the Holy Spirit, the Father and himself. The Holy Spirit helps us understand and see the truth about God and guides us. In this way he brings glory to the Father and the Son. The three members of the Holy Trinity are one in complete unity.
MEDITATIO
Think about the phrase “the truth about God”. What does this mean to you? Do we still need the Holy Spirit to work in our lives today? What does this passage teach us about how the Holy Spirit can help us? How would you feel if you gave someone a gift which they largely ignored? Can we sometimes be guilty of ignoring or taking for granted this precious gift from God? What can we learn about the inner life of the Holy Trinity from today’s reading?
ORATIO
“… for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us” (Romans 5:5). Thank God for his love for you and for giving you the gift of the Holy Spirit. Ask God to help you appreciate this love more deeply and be willing to share his love with people around you. Have you experienced a special time in prayer or reading the Scriptures when the Holy Spirit revealed something new to you? Ask God to do that this week.
CONTEMPLATIO
Have you ever looked at the vastness of the sky, the sea or a landscape and felt very small in comparison? Spend some time now marvelling with the Psalmist at why the Creator of the whole universe should care for you and me (Psalm 8:3-6): “When I look at the sky, which you have made,/ at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places –/ what are human beings, that you care for them; mere mortals, that you care for them?/ Yet you made them inferior only to yourself; you crowned them with glory and honour./ You appointed them rulers over everything you made; you placed them over all creation.”
Lectio divina is an ancient tradition of reading and engaging with God’s Word. These outlines for the Sunday Gospel readings are published by the Bible Society
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