Words to Our Heart

This is a computer-generated transcription that has been included to make the homily searchable.  It has not been verified by the author.

“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 in 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.” As we reach the end, approach the end of this special Eastertide, where we have this reading from the last supper, and of all the millions of books that had been written, we know the Bible has a unique place among all those books. In the heart of the Bible, are the Gospels of Jesus. And among the four Gospels, the Gospel of John is the most exalted, the one who is the beloved Apostle of Jesus. And then, this greatest of the books of the Bible, there’s these words of Jesus at the Last Supper, which only St. John gives us. And which I know for myself have always had a very special place, because of the grace of those words. These are right now, every Mass or the Mass we’re celebrating is the Mass which always comes from the Last Supper. And these are the words that Jesus spoke at that last supper, that were, we celebrate in every Mass. And so what’s the situation of these words, Jesus is saying goodbye to His apostles, His words, His last opportunity to speak freely with them before His death. And He’s trying to prepare them for what is coming. No one is more realistic than Jesus. He knows all that is coming. He knows the suffering and darkness that He will experience and that His disciples will experience. He knows like no one else, satan, the power of satan, the prince of this world, and how that has corrupted the heart of one of His apostles. And Jesus also speaks very realistically about the world. The hatred the world has for Him, and for those who belong to Him. And yet His words are not words of anger, or fear, or rage, or hatred, or despair. His words are words of peace, of divine love, of confidence, and even of surety of triumph. And as He is preparing to leave, He says He will not leave them orphans. But and this is the passage right at the very end of Jesus ministry, where He gives the greatest revelations about the Holy Spirit. The paraclete, that word paraclete is often translated, counselor, advocate, comforter defender. So when I was preparing the homily, for today, I was working on one of my little homies. And then I began sensing that I should do something different. Rather than me preach a homily, I thought it’d be good to simply listen to the words of Jesus at the Last Supper. And I wanted to read three chapters. So that’s a lot, three chapters from the Last Supper. The words are very simple. They’re very intimate. But they’re also sublime until there’s a mystery, a divine mystery in His words, that we don’t understand everything in them. But more than with our minds, let us try to listen with our hearts, our souls, our spirits. So even if there’s a lot that our mind doesn’t capture, those words can still be acting In our hearts, I think like, like the Gospel says about Mary, she didn’t understand certain words that Jesus said, but she kept them in her heart. And so while I’m reading this, I would invite you to try to open your heart. So to let these words sink into your heart, and that there’s, I think these words are very appropriate for Mother’s Day. But there’s towards the end, there’s words which are very especially speaking about the suffering and joy of mothers. So I won’t read chapter 13, I’ll just read a few introductory verses that we read during holy week, I’ll be reading chapters 14,15, and 16. Then there comes to great prayer and chapter 17. But I won’t read that today just because it’s not too long. But so if you want to, you might want to close your eyes as I’m reading this and be listening to see if there’s one or two phrases that very, especially speak to you. So first, that introduction, chapter 13.  “Before the Feast of Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart, out of this world, to the Father, Having loved His own, who were in the world,” and that that’s you, “He loved them to the end. And during supper when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, to betray Him, Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into His hands, that He had come from God, and was going to God.” Now, I’m going to skip to chapter 14.  “Do not let your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in Me, In my Father’s house are many rooms, if it were not, so what I have told you, that I am going to prepare a place for you. And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you to Myself, that where I am, you also may be. And you know the way where I am going. Thomas said to Him, Lord, we did not know where You’re going, how can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. Henceforth you know Him and have seen Him. Phillip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied. Jesus said to him, Have I been with you for so long? And yet you do not know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father, how can you say show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, the words that I say to you, I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me, does His works.  Believe Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me, or else believe for the sake of the works themselves. Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in Me, will also do the work that I do, and greater works than these will he do? Because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another paraclete to be with you forever. The Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you desolate. I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see Me no more. But you will see Me because I live, you will live also. And that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you and Me and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. Judas Iscariot said to him, Lord, how is it that you will manifest Yourselves to us and not to the world? Jesus answered him. If a man loves Me, he will keep my Word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words. And the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. These things I’ve spoken to you, while I am still with you, but the paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance, all that I’ve said to you. Peace, I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor let them be afraid. You have heard Me say I go away, and I will come to you. If you love Me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you will believe. I will no longer talk much with you. For the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over Me. But I do as the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. I am the true vine. And my Father is the vinedresser every branch of Me that bears no fruit He takes away and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word which I’ve spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him. He it is the bears much fruit. For apart from Me, you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and withers. And the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you do abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you. Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love. Just as I have kept My Father’s commandments that abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends, if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants for the servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends for all that I have heard from My Father, I have made known to you. You did not choose Me. But I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide. So that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you. This I commend you, to love one another. If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world. Therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours. But all this they will do to you on My account because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin But now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me, hates My Father also, if I had not done among them the works, which no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father. This is to fulfill the word that is written in their law. They hated Me without a cause. But when the Paraclete comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth,” and this Holy Spirit, who’s with us right now, as we listen to these words, “even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness to Me. And you also are witnesses, because you have been with Me from the beginning. I have said all this to you, to keep you from falling away, they will put you out of the synagogues, indeed the hours coming, when whoever kills you will think that he is offering service to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father nor Me. But I have said these things to you that when they’re hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to Him who sent Me. Yet none of you asked Me, Where are you going. But because I’ve said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Paraclete will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convince the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment of sin, because they do not believe in Me.  Of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see Me no more. Of judgment, because the ruler of this world is already judged.  I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them. Now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on His own authority. But whatever He hears, He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come, He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine, and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine. Therefore I said that He will take what is Mine and declare it to you. In a little while and you will see Me no more. Again a little while, and you will see Me. Some of His disciples said to one another, what is this that He says to us a little while and you will not see Me. And again a little while and you will see Me? And because I go to the Father. They said What does He mean a little while. We don’t know what He means? Jesus knew what they wanted to ask Him. So He said to them, is this what you’re asking yourselves? What I meant by saying a little while and you will not see Me and again a little while and you will see Me. Truly, truly I say to you, you will weep and lament, and the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” And this is the passage which is especially appropriate for Mother’s Day. “When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her hour has come. But when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a child is born into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you. And that day you will ask nothing of Me. Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, He will give it to you in My Name. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full. I have said this to you in figures. The Hours coming, when I shall no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of the Father. And that day you will ask in My name. And I do not say to you that I shall ask the Father for you, for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and had believed that I came from the Father. I came from the Father, and I’ve come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father. His disciples said, Ah, now you are speaking plainly not in any figure. Now we know that you know all things and need no one to question You. By this, we believe that You came from God. Jesus answered them. Do you now believe the hours coming? Indeed it has come when you will be scattered, every man to his home, and you will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone. For the Father is with Me. I’ve said this to you, that in Me, you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.  Amen.

KEYWORDS / PHRASES:
John 13, 14, 15, 16