Daily Gospel Reflection for May 24, 2017

Today's Gospel: John 16:12-15

When I read this Gospel, I can’t help but think of Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, “You can’t handle the truth!” Not that I think Jesus was shouting down his disciples (or ordered a Code Red!), but that truth is sometimes unbearable. That I can’t come to it on my own.

Oh, I try. I read all the books. I take notes. I study the Bible. I read commentaries. But all of this is me trying to pour into my brain the mysteries of our Lord. Too often, I try to study my way into heaven. If only I could study one more book, I would understand (anything, really). But this isn’t effective. It’s like the child St. Augustine met on his walk on the beach: forever trying to fill the sand pit with the entirety of the ocean.

Not that reading and studying the Bible aren’t beneficial, but they can’t be used as tools to force my way into heaven. I can’t contain Jesus in my head. There’s a better way that is both infinitely easier and infinitely more dangerous. I simply have to wait on the Spirit. The Spirit will guide me to the truth. He will reveal to me what it is I need to know - what it is I can handle - if only I wait and listen. I only need to be still.

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Ponder:

What about you? Is there something in your life that you are trying to “force”? Is the Holy Spirit asking you to be still, so that He can lead you in the direction of truth?

Pray:

Holy Spirit, still my restless heart that it might seek you and wait on you. Guide me to the truth and grant me understanding in your time, Lord. Amen.

Christine Cooney is a wife, mother, compulsive reader, and freelance writer living in Central Ohio. In her spare time she plays word games and takes pictures with her iPhone. She also likes superheroes, fancy pens, and the color blue. She blogs at Epiphanies of Beauty.