>Jn 14:15-21
[Jesus said to his disciples:] 15“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, 17the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. 18I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. 21Whoever 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.”
THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH. Imagine for a while that you are dying and leaving this world. I have three questions for you: What will you leave behind? To whom will you leave it all? And what will be your last instructions?
The last will and wishes of Jesus are very clear in the Gospel.
1. Jesus leaves his apostles the Advocate, the Spirit of truth. We may leave many things behind, but we definitely will not carry anything out of this world. As the first line in Pope John Paul II’s last will declares: “I leave nothing behind.”
2. Jesus leaves his will to all who love him and do his commands. We usually bequeath the work of our lifetime to descendants who have never worked for them. Many rich people are now leaving their millions not to their children but to foundations or good causes.
3. Jesus’ last will is on love. A friend left instructions that his remains be speedily transported to the cemetery so as not to inconvenience people with the traffic that a slow walk may cause. (I plan to leave the same last instruction!)
We need not wait for our last moments to live meaningfully in this world.