Reflection
So multi-dimensional is the gospel of John, so profoundly symbolic, so mystical, and yet so grounded ecclesiastically, and it is never more so than in today’s brief, yet richly packed passages.
At one level is Jesus’ farewell discourse on the night before his death. At the Last Supper, Jesus comforts his disciples. He prepares them, not only for his own scandalous and shocking crucifixion, but for their own impending severe persecution.
Then, John takes us to another level. There, Jesus reassures his shaken disciples with an incredible promise. He will not abandon them. No. He promises to send them the “Advocate,” or more accurately in the Greek, the “Paraclete.” And who is this Paraclete? This is quite literally “the one called to walk alongside” to help and support them. The Paraclete will be their active, empowering presence, especially during their coming times of challenge and suffering as they continue Jesus’ ministry.
At this point, Jesus reveals a profound triune dimension to his Farewell Discourse.” Indeed, the Trinity is quite notable in this passage. Jesus speaks of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — the Paraclete — together, as one.
Why? Why the promise of the Paraclete? Why the need to reveal the nature of the true God in this Farewell Discourse?
Here is where John brings all these levels, all these questions together.
Jesus’s physical departure does not mean abandonment. His crucifixion does not mean the end. His death does not mean the death of his ministry. Instead, Jesus will initiate a new, more profound and permanent spiritual presence, as well as the continuation of his ministry, and not only with the disciples, but with us today, his church.
In revealing the Triune God, Jesus is revealing that the unity of the church fundamentally mirrors the Trinity — the persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, reflecting the diverse community bound together in love, in forgiveness, and in mission.
The promise Jesus made to his disciples the night before he died is the promise he extends to us. When we are baptized, we are baptized in the Trinity, and like the Trinity we are united in community. Jesus the Christ will not abandon us. We too have the Paraclete walking alongside us to support us, even as we stumble. And by our baptism, we too are called to mission, to proclaim the Good News.
Thank you for this wonderful article, Deacon Manuel! Pentecost will be a much more greater celebration as a result of your wisdom and insight. God bless you!