- John 14:15:21
This week’s Gospel is like a trailer for what is coming over the next two weeks. It is a preview of coming attractions. The disciples are warned that, though Jesus will be leaving, He will not be leaving them by themselves. Rather, He will be sending the Holy Spirit and, because the Spirit is united with the Father and the Son, Jesus will remain with them even though they cannot see Him. So in this brief passage from John’s Gospel, we have Jesus telling us about both the Ascension and Pentecost.
But the key point to take away from this passage is that Jesus will never abandon us. It does not matter what we do, He will always be there for us. He will support us when times get rough and celebrate with us when everything goes well. He is our constant companion, mentor and friend. There is no choice we can make or path we can go down that will cause Him to stop reaching out to us.
That does not mean, however, that Jesus will force Himself into our lives. While He will never abandon us, it is possible for us to abandon Him. When we choose not to follow His commandments, we choose to walk away from Him. When we neglect our relationships with others, we neglect our relationship with Him. When we cause pain and harm to others or ourselves, we cause pain and harm to Him. But when we care for our fellow men and women, we care for Him. When we share a smile or a story with a friend, we share a smile or story with Him.
It is in these little choices, these small moments, both good and bad, that our relationship with Christ grows or weakens. And on every step of the way, in every choice we make, Jesus is there – serving as our cheerleader, confidant, advisor and friend. And with Him are the Father and the Spirit. We can’t ask for a better trio to accompany us on our journey through life!