Jn 14:23-29
23Jesus answered [Judas, not the Iscariot] 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. 24Whoever 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.
25“I have told you this while I am with you. 26The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you. 27Peace 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. 28You 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. 29And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.”
Gifts of Abiding Presence: Jesus had one consuming passion: that his apostles would continue loving him as he would continue loving them. Jesus made sure that his relationship with them was not going to end with his death. Quite perplexing is the fact that Jesus desired the love of persons who would soon betray him. Why would Jesus love these would-be traitors? Jesus, whose heart is different from our own, is faithful and forgiving. At the Last Supper, he moved beyond the pain of betrayal and anticipated the healing of his relationship with his disciples. He wanted his relationship with them to flourish and to endure.
How would this relationship prosper beyond Jesus’ death? His answer: “Whoever loves me will keep my word” (v 23a). Jesus opens the opportunity to every believer who listens and obeys his Word. We need not be one of the chosen apostles, but so long as we walk in life guided by the Gospel, Jesus promises the Father’s love and the indwelling of God in our very being—“my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (v 23b).
Jesus’ Word is known to us today in the form of the canonical gospels. The evangelists put into writing the words and deeds heard and seen by Jesus’ contemporaries. The gospel contains the revelation that God wishes to communicate with humankind. It is not some dead pages from history, but words that are active and alive. Though written many years ago, the gospel can shed light and understanding on the most relevant and burning issues of our time.
We carry treasures in earthen vessels, writes St. Paul (cf 2 Cor 4:7ff), referring to the gospel of Jesus entrusted in the hands of fallen and weak messengers. Our human memory is fallible and the human power of expression is feeble. In response to this human deficiency, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to teach us and remind us of Jesus’ words and deeds. The Holy Spirit truly becomes the Paraclete or defense attorney who stands beside us and defends us in court, in the same way that the early Christians were emboldened to face their accusers in court.
Today, the Holy Spirit continues to defend us from errors and evil. However, the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life does not guarantee that we no longer commit mistakes or fall into disagreement. The abiding presence of the Holy Spirit assures us that, despite mistakes and disagreements, correction and reconciliation are always possible.
Peace is in fact Jesus’ third farewell gift to us. About to face his death, Jesus offered peace to his apostles, but “not as the world gives.” In the eyes of the world, one obtains peace when there is absence of conflict or war. On the very night when Jesus gave his farewell gift of peace, the Cross already hung above his head like a Damocles sword, and Jesus had every reason to be troubled. Yet Jesus was at peace because he knew he was about to fulfill the Father’s will. Saint Augustine describes this peaceful state of Jesus as “the tranquility of order” when everything falls in God’s place.
With Jesus’ Word to nourish us, we continue to work for peace with the help of the Paraclete, knowing fully well that this is Jesus’ way of reminding us of his abiding presence and unfailing love for us.