The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are a community of vowed Catholic women religious. Inspired by our foundress Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, we are passionate about our lives of prayer, education, service and advocacy.
Reconnect or find new opportunities with the Providence Community. Volunteer in one of our many ministries, be an intern on the farm, explore job opportunities or reminisce about your alma mater.
Live joyfully! Single, Catholic women ages 18-42 are invited to explore a fulfilling life as a Sister of Providence. All women and men of faith are invited to join the family of Providence as Providence Associates.
Jesus said to his disciples: “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, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.”
Reflection
Today’s gospel is a portion of what Scripture scholars call the Farewell or Last Discourse. “The Farewell Discourse is a series of teachings given by Jesus to his disciples in the Gospel of John … immediately after the Last Supper. This discourse covers several key themes: Jesus’ departure and the promise of the Holy Spirit, the importance of love and unity among believers and Jesus’ enduring presence with his followers.” (AI Overview via Google)
All these teachings appear in today’s Gospel; but to me they feel less like teachings and more like precious promises from the risen Jesus to his beloved followers – those from past generations to our own day.
Jesus assures us that we who keep his word will be held in the loving embrace, the reassuring presence of the Creator and Jesus and the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. What a promise! We live and move and have our being in Limitless Love.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit will continue to teach us the ways of Jesus and so encourage us to keep on keeping Jesus’ favorite word – love.
Jesus promises us a different kind of peace “than the world gives.” Perhaps what Jesus promises is a peace he freely gives. No negotiating, brokering, bargaining with God are needed from us. It’s a gift given with open hands. All we need do is open our hands and trust in the loving presence of Creator, Word and Sanctifier. (Not always as easy as it sounds, I know)
Peace and unity go hand-in-hand. We can’t have one without the other and we can’t have either unless we let ourselves abide in God, the same God who abides in us.
Finally, the promise of Jesus’ enduring presence with us. In saying goodbye to his friends, Jesus promises he will come back to us in a new way, a way not perfectly clear to us, a way that must be experienced to be believed. Maybe it must be believed to be experienced. Or maybe it’s some of both.
Perhaps as you read this (if you’ve persevered this far) you find me going around in circles without making much sense. That sums up how I feel about myself right now. Reading the Gospel of John makes me crazy. To my mind, John goes around in circles. Maybe John and I go around in circles because we somehow sense that we’re moving in the realm of mystery, the God mystery, the Triune mystery, Holy Mystery, the mystery of Limitless Love.
We know we need to put aside talking about God, trying to figure out God and allow ourselves to take off our sandals and admit we’re standing on holy ground. Let God be God, Denise. Lean on the promises but don’t overthink them.
Action
Many times, while writing this reflection, I would listen to some version or another of the hymn Ubi Caritas. Thanks to YouTube, I listened to the hymn in several languages, musical styles. All the promises found in today’s gospel find a home in this lovely hymn. You may want to listen and pray with the hymn Ubi Caritas.
Sister Denise was the general superior of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods from 2006-2016. She previously served as a high school teacher, college administrator, postulant/novice director and director of advancement and communications for the Congregation. Currently, Sister Denise serves the Congregation in various volunteer positions.
This site uses cookies to track visits anonymously so we can make your experience better and know how to provide you relevant content. If you click "Ok," you consent to this.
Thanks, Denise! I especially appreciated the advice to lean on the wonderful, sustaining promises of Jesus and not to overthink them!
Absolutely! ‘Let God be God.’ That brings it all to the most important point in many ways. Thank you, Denise.