May 14, 2023: Sixth Sunday of Easter

Gospel: John 14:15-21

Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 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, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you. 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. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. 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.”

Reflection

John’s Gospel is the Gospel of love. In this reading Jesus invites his disciples and us into his life and calls for the protection of the advocate, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth, to be with us telling us we will know him because he will remain with us and we know the spirit because he comes from Jesus and we know Jesus.

Jesus tells us that if we love him we will keep his commandments. His commandment to love and his promise that the advocate will help us to do that will assure us of the reality of the continuing presence of Jesus within us. Our relationship with Jesus continues to grow stronger and become a more intimate relationship, grounded always in love — God’s love for us and our love for God.

Action

Continue to read, study and “sit with” Scripture to help grow and deapen your personal relationship with Jesus.