Reflection for Sunday May 22, Sixth Sunday of Easter: John 14:23-29

Gospel: John 14:23-29

Jesus said to his disciples: “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. Whoever 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.

“I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. Peace 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. You 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. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.”

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Reflection:

How deep is our love for Jesus?

Do we express our deep love for Jesus by sacrificing our own needs and ambitions for the sake of the propagation of the teachings of Jesus? Do we love Jesus by way of allowing Him to take the center stage and we are simply content to be in the backstage? Do we love Jesus by doing things for His glory and not for our own earthly glorification?

If we truly love Jesus we would be willing to forgo whatever this world demands from us for the sake of Jesus. For example the demand of this world to be materially successful or to be powerful and influential. Because the truest form of love for Jesus is when we have already accepted to follow His demands and desires for us. Instead of us following our own desires and our own demand for ourselves.    

There’s always a struggle for supremacy within us, should it be our own supremacy or the supremacy of Jesus. The wisdom filled choice is to allow Jesus to reign supreme in our life by doing so we show Jesus the depth of our love for Him.

However,  there would be times that our love for the Lord will bring us hardship and challenges. Let us not worry about that because God will send us an advocate or helper who will always be there to guide and help us. For the reason that we are never alone in this world as we do our part for the mission of Jesus. 

There is always that ethereal being who will suddenly come into our lives to make things easy for us when it seems hard. To bring sunshine into our lives when cloud of darkness are before us and who will bring us to the right way when we seem to have lost our way. And that somebody is the advocate which God generously gives to those who are faithful to Him.    – Marino J. Dasmarinas