Daily Gospel Reflection for May 16, 2023

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: John 16:5-11

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells the disciples of His departure. He notices that not one of the disciples ask where He is going, but He senses their sadness. In trying to imagine what the disciples must have been feeling when they were told this news, I would imagine that along with the sadness, there was also fear and anxiety. Many questions would have certainly come to mind: Who would guide them in the ways of God? Who would be there to support them? Who would be their defender in the faith?

I also wonder why none of the disciples asked where Jesus was going. Wouldn’t that be a logical first question? On the other hand, being disciples who already witnessed His death and resurrection, perhaps there was a small, hardy seed of faith that had already begun to take root in their hearts. Jesus is the Son of God and they believed this to be true. Even with the sad news of Jesus’s departure, perhaps the disciples had good reason to hope. Perhaps the disciples’ faith was strong enough to know that some light would come out of the uncertainty, some good out of apparent despair.

Jesus’s departure, of course, brings the coming of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune God, Who guides, inspires, and sanctifies the life of believers. It is the Holy Spirit we call upon when we are initiated into our faith, and the Holy Spirit we should remember to call upon throughout our life on earth.

Ponder:

How often do I invite the Holy Spirit to dwell in my heart?

Pray:

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.

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It is the Holy Spirit we call upon when we are initiated into our faith, and the Holy Spirit we should remember to call upon throughout our life on earth. #DailyGospel

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