Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A: John 14.15-21

We have a Comforter… 

You all know that saying goodbye to a loved one is often difficult. They see him off at the train station; he gets into the express car, opens the window, and greets his loved ones with both hands. The train moves, and the last wave and tears appear in the eyes of the abandoned. This is because a loved one is leaving them.

 In today’s Gospel, the Lord Jesus also gives a farewell speech to his apostles. He was loved by the apostles and did not want to make them sad with his departure. He does not want to leave them abandoned, lonely, orphaned, or sad, and therefore he says to them, “I will not leave you as Father, and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter to be with you forever, the Holy Spirit.” 

 And indeed, on the tenth day after Jesus’ ascension, the apostles received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit filled them with light and power and love so much that they scattered to all parts of the world of that time to proclaim to people the joy and happiness of a warm personal connection with God through the Lord Jesus in the Holy Spirit. Since they were firmly convinced that this connection with God was not broken by death but became eternal, they willingly died a martyr’s death to live in eternal connection with God. The Apostle Peter was crucified upside down, and the Apostle Paul was beheaded with a sword. Bartholomew was flayed alive, Simon was sawn in half while still alive, James was beheaded with an axe, Thomas was pierced with a spear, Matthew was stoned, and Philip and Andrew were crucified. The Holy Spirit filled them with such great love for the Lord Jesus. And what the Lord Jesus said to them in his farewell speech was fulfilled: that it would be better for them when he went away, because when he went away, he would send them the Holy Spirit. 

And the same applies to us. If the Lord Jesus had remained in a visible human body here on earth forever and had lived in Nazareth or Jerusalem, we would have had to travel there to meet him, and that would have been associated with significant problems. And who knows how many times in our lives we could afford to meet him. But the Lord Jesus left his visible physical presence in the world and replaced it for us with his invisible presence everywhere in the Holy Spirit. So we do not have to travel to Nazareth or Jerusalem; wherever we are, we can warmly connect with the Lord Jesus in his Holy Spirit. We achieve this warm connection with the Lord Jesus in the Holy Spirit by opening our hearts to the Holy Spirit: firstly, by desire; secondly, by prayer; thirdly, by contemplation; and fourthly, by Holy Communion. And that the Lord Jesus desires such a connection in the Holy Spirit with us, we know from the Bible, where the Lord says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). And in another place the Lord Jesus says: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (Jn 6:56). Jesus expresses a longing: “He who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will make our abode with him” (Jn 14:23).

Oh, brothers and sisters, who among us would not like personal closeness with the Lord Jesus and, through him,do any of us think with the heavenly Father? Or does any of us think that he is incapable of it? St. Paul the Apostle immediately comes to our aid, writing to the Romans as follows: “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). So in the Holy Spirit, each of us is capable of warm personal closeness with the Lord Jesus.

Look, we recently had the feast of St. Catherine of Siena. From early childhood, she prayed devoutly, attended Holy Mass every day, and at the age of fifteen, she entered the Third Order of St. Dominic in Siena. But her mother was still looking for a groom for her and urged her to get married. Therefore, Catherine cut off her beautiful hair so that she would be bald and unattractive to the groom, thereby thwarting her mother’s plans. Catherine desired to dedicate her life to the Lord Jesus. In the Holy Spirit, she desired to live for him. As a result, the 19-year-old developed a warm relationship with the Lord Jesus through deep prayer in the Holy Spirit, leading her to write: “I have concluded a spiritual engagement with the Lord Jesus.” And the 27-year-old, in deep prayer in the Holy Spirit, felt with amazement that she had stigmata, or wounds of the crucified Jesus, on her hands and feet and on her heart. The Holy Spirit poured such a great love for the Lord Jesus into her heart. And therefore Catherine constantly met the Lord Jesus in prayer, spoke to him in contemplation, drew close to him in meditation, and united with him in Holy Communion. Therefore, the Holy Spirit endowed her with great gifts.

 First, it caused in her an extraordinary wisdom in divine and worldly matters so that the strongest personalities of the world of that time invited her to their consultations.

Secondly, the Holy Spirit gave her extraordinary power, with which she miraculously healed the sick; therefore, crowds of people flocked to her and kissed her hands. 

Thirdlyaxhalf, while, the Holy Spirit caused in her an extraordinary zeal, so that wherever she went, she brought people to their knees before the Lord Jesus and led many to faith in God and to the improvement of their lives.

 Fourthly, the Holy Spirit caused in her an extraordinary love for the poor and needy and sick people, so that she served them and provided services of the most difficult kind with the conviction that she was doing this to the Lord Jesus himself. And finally, 

Fifthly , the Holy Spirit caused in her an extraordinary joy, so that she was immensely happy and full of joy in her life. She deeply experienced Jesus’ words. “Abide in my love, … that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). Do you feel at this moment that the more warmly we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit, the more pleasant and joyful our faith will be? And the further from us will superficial, lukewarm, boring, and dull faith be?

 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I beg you, let us strive, with the help of the Holy Spirit, for a warm personal relationship with the invisible Lord Jesus and his heavenly Father so that, filled with joy and happiness, we may repeat with the Virgin Mary her joyful words: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”