4th
Sunday after Easter
John
16:1-33
"All
these words I have spoken to you
so that you will not go astray [because you
discover what destiny falls to you through being connected with me]. For they
will exclude you from their communities, and the hour will come when those who
kill you will think they are offering service to God. They will do all this
because they have not known my Father or me. All these words I have spoken to
you so that when the time comes, you will remember that I told you about it. In the beginning, I did not need to say such
things, for I was with you. But now I am going away to him who sent me; yet, none of you asks me, 'Where are you
going?' Now that I have said these
things to you, sorrow enters your heart.
Stephen B. Whately
"Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is for your salvation and healing that I leave you, for if I did not go away, the Helper, [the giver of spirit courage, who will stand by you in all trials, or, the Spirit upon whom you can call for assistance at any moment,] would not come to you. When I now go away, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will call humankind to account for the decline into sin, for the working of human's higher being and for the great world separation; for the decline into sinfulness, because they did not fill themselves with my power; for the working of their higher being, because I go to the Father and you see me no more; for the great world-separation, because the decision has already been made about the ruler of this world.
"I have yet much more to say to you, but you cannot bear it now. But when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will be your guide on the way to the Truth that Embraces All. he will not speak out of himself, but what he hears he will speak, and he will proclaim to you what is to come. he will reveal me, for what he draws out of my being, he will proclaim to you. Everything that the Father has is also mine. That is why I can say, 'He will draw upon my being and proclaim to you.'
"In
a little while, you will see me 
laudario of sant'agnese
no more, and again a little while, and you will
see me."
"Then some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying 'In a little while you will see me no more, and again a short time and you will see me,' and 'I am going to the Father'? They kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a short time'? We do not understand his words."
Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, and he said, "You are wondering that I said, 'A short time and you will see me no more, and again a short time and you will see me.' Yes, the truth I tell you, you will weep and lament while other people will rejoice. You will be filled with sorrow, but this your grief will be turned into joy. A woman giving birth must bear pain, for her difficult hour has come. But when the child is born, she no longer considers the anguish because of her joy that a human being has been born into the world.
"So it is with you. Now is your time of grief. But this your grief will become the power of Spirit-Birth, for I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one can take that joy from you. On that day, you will no longer need to ask me anything.
"Yes, I say to you; from now on, what you ask of the Father in my name, He will give to you. Until now, you have not been able to pray in my name. Pray from the heart, and it will be given to your heart so that your joy may be full.
"All this I have given to your souls in imagery. But the hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in pictures but will tell you plainly about the Father, [so that you can grasp it in full, knowing consciousness]. On that day, you will ask out of my power and in my name. And no longer will I ask the Father on your behalf. For the Father himself loves you because you have loved me, and have known in your hearts that I have come forth from the Father. I have come forth from the Father, and I have come into this world. I am leaving the [sense] world again and going to the Father, [of which you say that it is the world of death]."
Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking in clear thought and without imagery. Now we know that all things are revealed to you and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. By this, we believe that you came from God."
Jesus
answered, "Do you now feel my power in your heart? Behold, the time is coming and has already come, when you will be
scattered, each to their own loneliness. You will then also leave me alone. Yet
I am not alone, for the Father is eternally united with me.
"All this I have spoken to you so that in me you may find peace. In this world, you will have great fear and hardship. But take courage. I have overcome the world."
4th Sunday after Easter
May 2, 2021
John 16:1-33
Hiking in nature, we need to find a path. The path may lead us to a high and windy peak, where we can see everything. We could imagine that spreading our arms to the wind, we could be airborne. But we know better than to try. On the path downward, we may try to take a shortcut down through a ravine; but losing our footing could also cause us to lose our life. We need to find a sure path.
In today’s reading, Christ promises that He will send us the spirit of Truth. The Truth that Embraces All is the firm ground in our walk of life. In the truth, we remain both grounded and mobile. We neither fly away nor fall into an abyss. For the Truth that Embraces All is large. It is so large that it also embraces all human beings. It is our comfort in whatever landscape we find ourselves. And truth is our guide toward what is yet to come.
One thing that is definitely
coming is the need to extend that comfort to our fellow travelers. Not by
trying to hammer them with the truth as we perceive it. But by offering our
compassion. As the 13th
century Persian poet Hafiz said:
Here
soar
He Qi
Not with wings,
But
with your moving hands and feet
And
sweating brows -
Standing
by your Beloved's side
Reaching
out to comfort this world
With
your cup of solace
Drawn
from your vast reservoir of Truth.*
*“Not With Wings”, by Hafiz in The Subject
Tonight is Love - versions of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky.
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