May 10, 2026: 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 commandment 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
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.”
When my nephews were toddlers, they cried any time my sister and her husband went out on dates or left town for a getaway weekend. Cindy and John reassured them saying, “mommy and daddy will always come home and take care of you.” At some point, they realized that while wanting this to be true, it would be better to have a plan they could rally promise to be true.
Cindy and John shifted their commitment to their sons by saying, “mommy and daddy will assign special people who will always be there to take care of you.” They began to build a community the boys could trust and rely on throughout their lives. The boys grew to know they have an ever-expanding family of people who are there for them. Aunts and uncles, cousins, neighbors and many family friends surround my now 20-something nephews.
This story strikes me as close to what Jesus promised us with the gift of the Advocate. Humans are surrounded by an ever-expanding love and support throughout our lives.
Action
There are many words used to describe the Advocate. Some of those include spirit, wind, breath, helper and Paraclete. You may have other ways of understanding this person of the Trinity. Find a blank sheet of paper and create a meaningful image illustrating your way of experiencing the Holy Spirit.
