John 16:1-15

Daily Meditation: John  16:1-15

John 16:1-15

My Beloved, through the ages since Your glorious Resurrection, the blood of those who believe in You has been spilled.  To this day we see so many who kill Christians and they do it triumphantly believing that it is the will of the god or gods they worship.

Everything we face to day, all the difficulties and victories.  The sublime joy that we enjoy in the midst of the greatest suffering and persecution are true indications of the power of God and His faithfulness to those who believe that You Beloved are the Song and God and You came to earth and became as one of us to fulfill the Father's wonderful and astounding plan of salvation that all mankind be saved in You, through You and for You. 

This mission was hard for the disciples to understand.  They had given up everything to follow You because they genuinely loved You and they did it without any regret.  Just to be close to You day and night was exceedingly fulfilling and satisfying to them.  However when You spoke about leaving them they became troubled.  They thought life would lose all meaning without the daily fellowship with You.  It was beyond their comprehension and something to be avoided at all cost.  You  understood their grief but You impressed upon them the necessity of returning to heaven for only then  You could send Your Holy Spirit.  Even to this day not all understand how great is this Gift of gifts.  We have only to look at the 2000 plus  years of Church history to see  how powerfully the Holy Spirit has worked in Holy Mother Church and in the saints who have been able to live lives of extraordinary grace and heroism made possible only because they allowed the Spirit of the Father and the Son perfect freedom to act as He willed in their lives.  It is the Holy Spirit that convicts us of sin, leads us in Your way of righteousness to the Father so that we can stand before God on the day of judgment with rejoicing  and thanksgiving to be received in the Kingdom.

Thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit who reveals the rich and varied ways in which we who are poor, sinful, weak, frail unworthy creature can become saints.

---- Mine, it was necessary for Me to return to heaven   First came the Father who prepared the way for Me.  When the time was right He sent Me and once My mission was accomplished, I had to return in order to send the Holy Spirit who will remain with My Bride, the Church, until the end of time.  The  Holy Spirit who lives in you is the same Spirit is the bond of love uniting the Father and Me in Him.  The powerful love between us generates the Holy Spirit.  It is this same Holy Spirit that I send to You in Baptism.  It is here that you die in my death and you rise to new life in My Resurrection.  Grafted to Me, you become My brothers and sisters , adopted children of the Father, the Most High God and co-heirs with Me to the Kingdom.  Now can You grasp why I love You so much I wanted You to have the life of the  Triune God in your soul.  Now can You understand why some have reached such great heights in sanctity and spiritual perfection - it is because they yielded completely to the Holy Spirit.

O my Beloved, now I see the immensity of Your love and graciousness and I see myself as I am - a bruised reed, a flickering wick and it is Your love alone that sustains me.  I know my Beloved that I will always need Your strength to hold me up and to have Your hands constantly around me so that my tiny little flame of love for You will not go out.  That's all I can offer You my Beloved and I need Your help even to offer You this.  Stay with me my Beloved. Thank You.