Reflections

Father Arthur’s Homily May 17 – Knowing God’s Will

Sixth Sunday of Easter Year A Gospel – John 14:15-21

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

Father Arthur Marat’s Homily, May 16-17, 2020.

In today’s Gospel, we are called to love God and to follow him. To love Christ means not only to rely on Him, but also to follow His will and His commandments. We all know the commandments. Knowing God’s will, however, is more difficult. And following the Commandments and God’s will is even more difficult especially now in the days of the pandemic.

In order to help us know God’s will and follow the Commandments, God sends us the Holy Spirit. Today we have heard Jesus’ words: “I will give you a spirit of truth, who will always be with you.” There are three persons in the Holy Trinity. We think about Jesus often. At other times, we think about God, the Father. But, I would say that we rarely think of the Holy Spirit. Why? Probably because it is difficult to imagine a spirit.

Yet, my brothers and sisters, Jesus Himself knew that it would not be easy for us to understand or conceptualize the Holy Spirit. So, what did Jesus do? In Today’s Gospel, Jesus calls the Holy Spirit by another name. He calls the Holy Spirit “another Advocate” and “the Spirit of Truth.” The “advocate” means someone who pleads or intercedes on behalf of another person. In the sense, the Holy Spirit is the one who helps us, who intercedes for us. My brothers and sisters, it is precisely the Holy Spirit who helps us discern God’s will, to understand the meaning of the Commandments and Scriptures, and to find the truth in our daily lives, especially when we experience that Jesus is hidden or that we cannot feel God the Father’s presence.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus desires to give us the fullness of life and the fullness of truth. Yet, Jesus gives us only as much as we are ready and able to receive. During the Eucharist, Jesus will give us Everything: He gives us His Very Self through the Scriptures and in the Eucharist.

And in the Church, God gives us everything that is necessary for our salvation. On this Sunday, let us be grateful to God for the gift of being Catholic, for the gift of the Commandments, for the gift of Jesus, for the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the gift of the Church and for the gift of Our Parish Family. My brothers and sisters, I would invite you, who have everything that you need for your salvation, to share the gift of Christ and the Spirit with others, Amen.

Rev. Artur Marat
Administrator