The Holy Gospel according to St. John 14:21-26
Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, “Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words, yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.
“I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name — he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Encountering Christ
In this beautiful passage, Jesus promises us the great gift of the Holy Spirit, the “Advocate” who will dwell within us and guide us in living according to God’s commandments.
“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)
This verse cuts to the heart of what it means to be a faithful Christian. It is not enough to simply pay lip service to the teachings of Christ. We must strive each day to live out His commandments through concrete actions of love, charity, and obedience to the will of the Father. When we do this, we open ourselves to a deeper intimacy with the Lord, who promises to “reveal” Himself to those who truly love Him.
And how does the Lord reveal Himself to us? Through the great gift of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us through the graces received in the sacraments, first at our Baptism, then in Confirmation – illuminating the Truth written on our hearts and empowering us to live as Christ’s disciples.
We must constantly fan the flame of this gift of the Holy Spirit. When we struggle against temptation or feel like we are giving into despair, we should call upon the Spirit for strength. In moments of doubt or confusion about the faith, we should seek the Spirit as our teacher to “remind us” of Christ’s teachings. The Spirit is our divine helper, our “Advocate” who never abandons us in our spiritual journey.
The image of the Holy Spirit as our “Advocate” also calls to mind examples like a personal trainer who pushes us spiritually or a compassionate friend who offers wise Christ-like counsel. We all need the Spirit as our divine coach, challenger, and comforter. Let us rely more fully on the Spirit’s promptings each day.
The Lord promises us profound intimacy and the indwelling presence of the Spirit itself. Let us love Christ whole-heartedly by observing His commandments, so that we may experience the “Advocate” setting our hearts aflame with the fire of God’s love.
Action of the Day
Here are three practical ways we could live out this John’s Gospel message:
- Commit to regular study of Scripture and the teachings of Christ. Do this by setting aside time each day for prayerful reading of the Gospels, studying the Catechism, attending Bible studies, or listening to faithful Catholic teaching online or podcasts.
- Examine your conscience each evening and ask the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Develop an evening practice of prayerful examination, asking the Holy Spirit to bring to mind any areas where you failed to live according to Christ’s commandments that day. This opens your heart to the Holy Spirit’s promptings to do better the next day in thought, word, and deed.
- Choose a particular virtue or fruit of the Holy Spirit to live out each month. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you work on virtues like patience, humility, generosity, etc. each month. The key is asking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, being attuned to His inspirations, and taking concrete actions to put the Word of God into practice each day with His help.
To hear the audio reflection, click the link below.
