Jesus has sent us the Spirit of truth

June 4, 2006 -- Feast of Pentecost

By Fr. Michael Stubbs

	Fr. Mike Stubbs

Recently, a large number of fervent prayers flew up to heaven, to the Holy Spirit. Students were busily taking their final exams, and they wanted all the help that they could get. Even though they had crammed their minds with facts and figures, they also thought it prudent to address themselves to the traditional source of wisdom, the Holy Spirit.

It makes sense. We frequently turn to the Holy Spirit for wisdom, for guidance. At the beginning of the school year, the Holy Spirit is often invoked by a special Mass. Similarly, a Mass in honor of the Holy Spirit traditionally opens the year for the law courts. When we receive the sacrament of Confirmation, we are reminded that the Holy Spirit is being given to us for our personal guidance.

That approach certainly follows the lead of this Sunday's gospel reading, John 15:26-27, 16:12-15. Jesus is promising his disciples to send them the Holy Spirit, whom he describes as the Spirit of truth. "But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth."

At the moment in the gospel where Jesus is speaking to the disciples, it is the evening before his crucifixion and death. They have just eaten supper. Jesus delivers the long speech usually called the Farewell Discourse.

That setting flavors the way in which those disciples might have understood Jesus' words. For example, where Jesus says that the Spirit "will declare to you the things that are coming," the disciples could have interpreted "the things that are coming," as referring to the events that would be happening over the next few days, which they discover to be his passion and death. Similarly, Jesus' statement that "he will glorify me," could then refer to the glory Jesus would receive through his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

On the other hand, the meaning of Jesus' words holds importance not only for the moment, but also for the long term. Jesus intends his words, not only to those disciples gathered around him in the Upper Room on that first Holy Thursday, but also to us now who seek to follow him until he comes again in glory at the end of time. The meaning of Jesus' words extends throughout eternity. That is why they are preserved in the gospel.

This broader interpretation of Jesus' words enables us to understand Jesus' promise as one meant for the whole Church. Jesus is entrusting the Holy Spirit to the church as a continual companion and guide. "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth."

In Jesus Christ, the Word Incarnate, we have received the fullness of revelation. It is not possible to add to what Jesus has said or done. Similarly, according to tradition, the time of public revelation ended with the death of the last apostle. It is not possible to invent totally new doctrines or teachings.

At the same time, we, both as individuals and as a community, can grow in our appreciation and understanding of the revelation we have received in Jesus Christ. To that end, Jesus Christ has sent us the Holy Spirit. "He will guide you to all truth."

(Fr. Stubbs, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, has a master's degree in theology from Harvard.)