The Holy Spirit empowers us to love others as God the Son loves them
The reading during the Sixth Sunday of Easter, is taken from the Gospel of John, where Jesus assures His disciples that if they love Him, they will obey His commandments.
This statement highlights the inseparable connection between love for Jesus and obedience to His commandments.
Jesus is expressing that genuine love for Him is intimately linked to obedience to His teachings. It implies that love for Jesus should manifest itself through the disciples’ actions and adherence to His instructions.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus promises to ask the Father to send them the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will be with them always.
Jesus also promises to reveal Himself to those who love Him and keep His word, assuring them of the Father’s love and their eternal dwelling with Him.
During the 40 days between His Resurrection and Ascension, Jesus gradually prepares His disciples for His departure.
He helps them understand that His presence will not be the same as before. Although He will always be with them, even until the end of time, He will not physically be by their side to guide them or converse with them face-to-face.
However, God, through the Holy Spirit, will make Jesus Christ present in a new way.
This is the essence of the Easter Season, leading up to Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost is not merely the 50th day of celebrating Jesus’ Resurrection; it signifies the culmination of the Easter Season.
Pentecost represents the joyous celebration of the Holy Spirit’s manifestation, making Jesus present in the world in a new way—through the Church.
The Gospel reading reminds us that God is always with us, caring for us, regardless of our circumstances or location.
In the Gospel, Jesus reassures us that He has not abandoned us but has sent the Holy Spirit to be our eternal companion.
The promise of the Holy Spirit is significant, as Jesus assures His disciples that the Spirit will remain with them forever.
This gospel emphasizes the importance of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life. The Spirit serves as a guide and empowers us to live out our faith, keeping us connected to Christ.
The promise of the Holy Spirit and the revelation of Jesus to those who love Him are interconnected.
The Holy Spirit serves as the bridge between Jesus and His disciples, making their connection and relationship with Him possible.
The Spirit’s presence empowers believers to love and obey Jesus, facilitating a genuine experience of His presence and the Father’s love.
This promise of the Holy Spirit and the revelation of Jesus holds great significance for Christians.
It assures them that they are not alone in their journey of faith.
The Holy Spirit, as the Advocate, provides guidance, wisdom, and strength to navigate life’s challenges and remain faithful to Christ’s teachings.
The revelation of Jesus brings comfort and assurance of His love, assuring believers that they are known and cherished by the divine.
Similar to how ligaments hold our physical bodies together, the Holy Spirit binds us together, making us one body in Christ.
Even when physically separated from our loved ones, or when faced with death, the Holy Spirit sustains our relationships.
The Body of Christ cannot be diminished or destroyed by distance or death. In fact, the Church extends beyond those currently living on earth (the Church Militant) and encompasses those in Purgatory (the Church Suffering) and Heaven (the Church Triumphant).
Even more challenging than physical barriers are the divisions among us. The Holy Spirit helps us love others, even when it seems difficult.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can love others as God the Father loves them, inviting them into His embrace in Heaven.
If we were to encounter our worst enemy at the gates of Heaven, would we refuse to enter due to our lack of love for them? Is our animosity stronger than our desire to be with God?
Likewise, the Holy Spirit empowers us to love others as God the Son loves them.
Specifically, the Spirit helps us love others as Jesus did on Good Friday when He willingly endured crucifixion out of love for all humanity.
At the moment of His death, Jesus, in His divine intellect, could see every human sinner throughout history, including the future. Yet, instead of condemning them, He loved them by offering His life for theirs.
Every person we encounter is an essential part of our spiritual journey in the Way of Christ Jesus, whether we acknowledge it or not.
Each individual plays a role in our path. Sometimes, this path is narrow, requiring reconciliation.
The Holy Spirit is not interested in superficial or “cheap love.”
Instead, the Spirit leads us to love as Jesus did on Calvary—self-sacrificial love, embracing the Cross as a gift from the Father.
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