Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him,
“Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“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.
Like the disciples, those who hear the Gospel of Saint John have many questions. The more the Lord teaches us, the more questions we have. And he answers them, fully and completely. But never exactly by the terms they were asked. Those who cannot or will not enter the Gospel with the Spirit of Jesus remain in darkness.
I think of God's Holy Spirit as analogous to team spirit. I was a very tall teenager and often played center on the basketball court. Unfortunately, although fit, I was no athlete. I never understood the game or the way a team works. When the ball came to me, I knew I should pass it, shoot it, or move it up the floor, but I never knew which one I should do in this moment. By the time I figured it out, the moment had passed. My teammates, who were mostly better players, soon learned not to pass the ball to me. They let me rebound when it came my way.
We should pray that the Lord will bless us with his Holy Spirit. And we prepare for the Spirit with fasting, prayer, study, almsgiving, and penance. We want to walk the "Way of the Lord."
Jesus answers Judas with the obvious answer, "Whoever loves me..." The Lord reveals himself to those who love him.
Those who do not love the Lord might see God's weakness as a human being subject to death. They will take advantage of that apparent weakness, crucifying him and exploiting the young, old, poor, weak, ignorant, and defenseless. They will do so shamelessly, like the cyber thieves who buy names and Social Security numbers. So long as there are people like that we know there is a Hell reserved for them.
“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.We have that assurance as the Spirit searches the shadows of our hearts, exposing our foolish pride, resentments, greed, lust, and fear. Naked before his eyes, we embrace his love.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.