Frederick, Maryland, United States - Daily Mass Reading & Catholic Meditation “The Word Among Us” for Tuesday, 27 May 2014

Frederick, Maryland, United States - Daily Mass Reading & Catholic Meditation “The Word Among Us” for Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Meditations: John 16:5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I don’t go away, the Counselor won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment; 9 about sin, because they don’t believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more; 11 about judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged.
Saint Augustine of Canterbury
Because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. (John 16:6)
You probably have shed many a tear at some time in your life over the departure of a dear friend or beloved family member. Saying good-bye is hard.
Imagine how hard it must have been for the disciples. They had put their lives on the line, associating so closely with Jesus. What they had done was counter to their culture in many respects. Jesus had become as a brother to them, and God had become “Abba,” their heavenly Father.
It’s no wonder, then, that when Jesus announced his imminent departure, they panicked a little. Grief filled their hearts, and anxious thoughts, their minds. They were so upset that they seem to have missed his final words: love one another; abide in me; keep my commands; don’t be afraid. They missed his final assurances: I will not leave you as orphans; I will give you my peace; the Father will send the Helper, the Holy Spirit; I will come to you.
Sadness and fear can so easily cause us to miss what’s most important. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Exactly because Jesus left, the Father gave us the Holy Spirit. He sent us an Advocate, One who pleads on our behalf, One who argues for us, One who counsels and advises us and empowers us as we try to live out our faith. Jesus was trying to shift the disciples’ focus away from the loss they dreaded and onto the great gain they were about to experience. He will do no less for you, because that same gain is yours!
Think of all the gifts the Holy Spirit brings: the love Jesus commanded us to have for each other. Peace and joy. Patience. Kindness and goodness, the kind that God shows us every day, every hour, every minute. Gentleness and faithfulness in the face of a world that values neither particularly highly. Self-control in a world that advocates against it. Wisdom, strength, endurance, and so much more.
When the reality of family life or work or relationships that you are involved in stirs up anxiety, confusion, or fear, shift your focus onto the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. And thank Jesus for having sent him to you!
“Holy Spirit, come! I welcome you into my heart today.” Amen.
Acts 16:22 The multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates tore their clothes off of them, and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely, 24 who, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks.
25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were loosened. 27 The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, “Don’t harm yourself, for we are all here!”
29 He called for lights, sprang in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas, 30 brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house.
33 He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. 34 He brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God.
Psalm 138: By David.
1 I will give you thanks with my whole heart.
    Before the gods,[a] I will sing praises to you.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple,
    and give thanks to your Name for your loving kindness and for your truth;
    for you have exalted your Name and your Word above all.
3 In the day that I called, you answered me.
    You encouraged me with strength in my soul.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 138:1 The word elohim, used here, usually means “God” but can also mean “gods”, “princes”, or “angels”.
7 Though I walk in the middle of trouble, you will revive me.
    You will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies.
    Your right hand will save me.
8 Yahweh will fulfill that which concerns me;
    your loving kindness, Yahweh, endures forever.
    Don’t forsake the works of your own hands.
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