Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full

"A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father." Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?" They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is saying." Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'? Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

"These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."

His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God." Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

- John 16:16-33

As Jesus continues His Farewell Discourse to His Apostles, we read His departing words also for ourselves. In yesterday's reading, He reassured them about the Holy Spirit which He would send after He goes to the Father. They will undergo the difficulties and sorrows that they share with Him -- He warns them they will be put out of the synagogues and those who harm them will believe they are acting for God. They are filled with sorrow at His words because He is leaving, but nevertheless, He teaches, it is to their advantage that He go, because then the Comforter will come for them. He said, "When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you all things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

"A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father." My study bible points out that the first "little while" is the period of the arrest, death and burial of Jesus; and the second "little while" is the time that Jesus is in the tomb.

Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?" They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'? We do not know what He is saying." Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'? Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy." The dialogue of this part reminds me of a play, a drama, in which the disciples act as our chorus. They ask the questions for us, they want to know. John's Gospel will always use the people in these scenes to get us to probe a little deeper, to understand there are mysteries involved in Jesus' life, death and Resurrection into which we are admitted -- at least to begin the journey -- in order to participate. And then Jesus begins to reveal a little more of what He is speaking about. He reveals that while He is away the "little while" they will weep and lament, even as the world rejoices, and that they will be sorrowful, "but your sorrow will be turned to joy." He tells them the truth, in all of its stunning paradox and reality.

"A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. And in that day you will ask Me nothing." Jesus gives us (and them) the figure of a woman in labor: what is to come will come even through pain and difficulty -- but what will come will erase the anguish, for joy. And it is the joy that will remain with them, no one will take it away. My study bible has an important and poignant note here: "Joy will come with the revelation of Christ risen from the dead, after the sorrow of the Cross. Jesus does not promise sorrow will be removed. His promise is that no one can remove our joy. In Phil. 3:10 we see this same combination of sorrow and joy -- the sufferings of Christ combined with His Resurrection, giving us entrance into the Kingdom of God."

"Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." My study bible says that "until now" they asked nothing in His name because Jesus was not yet glorified. But He goes to the Father, and this will change everything.

"These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father." My study bible says, "We know that prayer may be made in the name of God the Father, for Jesus Himself prayed 'Our Father' and 'Father, the hour has come.' Through Christ, we have direct access to the Father. Here, however, our Lord teaches us we may also pray in the name of God the Son. After Pentecost, we learn 'the [Holy] Spirit Himself makes intercession for us' (Rom. 8:26) and we are instructed to be 'praying always . . . in the Spirit' (Eph. 6:18). Therefore . . . we pray continually and with confidence to all three Persons of the Trinity, 'in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.'" But what strikes me most significantly about this passage is that it is linked to the knowledge of God, the knowledge of spiritual truth. It is not a promise that we will receive a house, a car or other such things. The Apostles are asking for truth, to know, to understand God and the spiritual life, to find entrance and participation in mysteries. And it is this, repeatedly, into which Jesus invites us to "ask and we will receive," to seek and to know. It is for this purpose He has become incarnate in the world: to bring God to us, to bring us to relationship. And so it is, and so is this promise in all its plain speaking and its promise of revelation for us. This is the great gift and the message we take with us, and they, the disciples, take forward with them.

His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God." Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me." And yes, indeed, they and He do truly speak plainly, and use no figure of speech. Here is the crux, the culmination of ministry and discipleship. Their faith is complete. But Jesus warns them again: the hour is coming when they will all be scattered and they will leave Him alone -- yet He is not alone because the Father is with Him.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Again, to know is to have peace. He shares everything with them; this is communion and relationship. But in the world they will have tribulation. And as the servant is not greater than the master, we will share all things, He assures them: "But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." And that victory is for us, and with us, and it will always help us. My study bible notes, "Despite persecution and suffering, Christians can maintain the peace and joy of Jesus Christ who has overcome the world of darkness through His saving work."

To know God, then, is our greatest gift. That is, to be in communion with God, in relationship. Through Christ, we receive of the greatest gift of Father, Son and Spirit. He speaks plainly, He tells them all things. What we ask, we shall receive. And so, as this story goes, we are invited in -- to deeper relationship, to deeper knowing and to deeper trust: to plainer talk, to truth. What is this gift of grace for which we are to feel our joy and our trust, despite the tribulation in the world? This is what we must think about, and about how -- today -- it impacts us. How do you experience that, and what is the joy of the Apostles in this knowledge? Is that joy shared with you, despite tribulation? For what do you ask, that your joy may be complete? Jesus has overcome the darkness of the world to bring this light to us.

When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth

"These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.

"And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you all things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

- John 16:1-15

We continue with Jesus' Farewell Discourse at the Last Supper. In yesterday's reading, He said, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." Jesus went on to warn His disciples that the servant is not greater than the master -- that they would encounter hatred in the world, just as He did, in fulfillment of the Scriptures: "They hated Me without a cause." But the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, will be with us to give us true testimony, so that we may fulfill His love and bear His fruits that glorify the Father.

"These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them." Jesus faces His persecution, and warns His disciples of the persecutions to come that they will undergo. We see a chain of relationship here: to know the Father is to know Christ, and vice versa. Hatred comes of those who have not known and cannot understand this love, and we too may perhaps encounter this in our lives.

"And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart." My study bible has a lengthy and informative note about this word, sorrow. "The word sorrow means extreme grief, leading to a state of severe depression,' which is a sinful passion. Thus, St. John Chrysostom writes, 'Great is the tyranny of despondency.' This sin is also constantly referred to in the writings of the Desert Fathers. Even when the world hates true Christians, they must not become despondent, but take comfort from the Holy Spirit. The disciples are troubled not only because Jesus is leaving them, but also because of the ongoing struggle between light and darkness, between Jesus and the prince of this world." This word used here in the Greek is commonly used to express grief and condolences for others on any form of loss. As a person who has experienced sorrow and sadness in my life, I believe what the note in my study bible is leading us toward in its note is describing as "sin" a sense of total despair--instead it is teaching that we find comfort in our Comforter. As Christians, when we experience this hatred and loss, when we are severely disappointed, it's not enough to simply rest in what the world would hand us. This is a form of spiritual blindness to who we truly are. Instead we must find our way through our relationship, and seek the Comforter for the way forward. It is in this love and relationship that we take our perspective on the world, with all of its disappointments.

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you." Here Christ illustrates the point. The disciples are losing the greatest gift of all, God Incarnate, their Teacher, the Christ, Jesus who has loved them not as the world loves. But, just as He illustrated before when He spoke of the grain of wheat that falls to the ground, He is assuring them that it is a far greater gift that He now brings: the Helper, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit -- that this is what must come into the world for those who will follow in the future. On Jesus' departure, He will send the Holy Spirit to them. And this is "to their advantage." It is a kind of exchange -- not as the world gives, but as God gives us.

"And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." We return to the language of the courts, of judgment and testimony. What do we take from this language? To convict, as translated here, is really to offer solid evidence, to convince. So, in effect, by the response of the world to this Spirit, it gives testimony and evidence as to the character of all, of each. How do we respond to the Spirit? For myself, I believe this has to do with the depth in all of us, and how we go through our lives. At every juncture, we seem to be offered a choice -- to turn to the Helper, or not. And, just as Jesus admonishes the disciples that it is to their advantage that they are sent the Comforter, so we are offered this gift as well. Do we take it? Can we fulfill the potentials it opens up for us in ourselves? We have a lifetime of choices to make. How we respond to that which knocks at the door of our hearts makes a convincing testimony about who we are. I believe this happens at such a depth that we cannot with certainty judge others as the knower of hearts can, but we must instead come to know and choose to be aware of it at work within ourselves, and that is the great crux -- for me -- of this teaching. Do we accept this gift? What we can know, however, is that "the ruler of this world is judged," that we have a Helper who is never going to abandon us, and that we have a way to go forward in life and must seek it. And we turn to the Spirit for discernment in our lives.

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you all things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you." And here is the great fullness of this gift: that God gives us all things, in effect, all truth that Christ wishes for us. The fullness of that reality is ours in this great Comforter, the Spirit of truth that Jesus will send. And so, once again, how is it that we can refuse so great a gift? In this, it seems to me, is judgment. Which perspective do we choose -- the things that are of God and the fullness of "all things that (even) the Father has," or the perspective of the world whose ruler is judged?

So how can we refuse this gift? The answer to that is, in my opinion, quite simple. We can turn to the selfishness of our hearts, we can refuse to seek this Comforter, we can live in a "worldly" perspective that accepts casually all the things that harm others and bring them this sorrow and pain and sadness without comfort. Or we can seek the Comforter and find His words of "all things" that belong to God, to Christ, even to the Father. What we believe we need, we seek. To whom do you turn in your sorrow and despair, and what do you find there? In my experience, there is only one place that has the answers for me, and "the world" can't teach me properly how I have needed to respond to pain and loss. What's your choice? It's up to you.

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'

"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning."

- John 15:12-27

In today's reading, Jesus continues the Farewell Discourse from the Last Supper. Yesterday, He taught the disciples, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser." He taught us all to "abide in Him," and in this way we should bear much fruit. We abide in His love and the love of the Father's, through the Comforter or the Helper as my study bible text translates "parakletos" from the Greek. He said, " If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." My study bible says here: "Just as God loves us unconditionally, so we are to love each other unconditionally in Christ's name--whether there is a response or not!" I wonder, when I read these words of Christ, how far we fall short on this score! The great commandment He gives us here is His own, after He has spoken of abiding in His love and so following His commandments. If anything, abiding in His love should teach us how to love!

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another." Just as in yesterday's reading, Jesus taught that we are to abide in His love and follow His commandments in relationship, so He elaborates a little here. Couched in love, following His commands remains within this bond and relatedness, in which He and the Father and the Spirit dwell in us and are our Friends. My study bible points out that friendship is higher than servanthood. "A servant obeys his master out of fear; a friend is a servant who obeys out of love. Abraham was called a 'friend of God' because he believed and obeyed God. The disciples and the saints are honored as friends of Christ and heirs of God." To love one another and to abide in His love is to live with Him in relationship, as friends, and to follow His commandments within that bond of love. As in yesterday's reading about the vine and the branches, it is by abiding in that love and relationship -- as friends -- that we will bear the fruit He asks, and glorify the Father from whom all comes.

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you." My study bible says, "Regarding the world we learn that . . . while union with Christ brings love, joy and peace, it also brings the world's hatred and persecution." Here is the strange fruit of the world we may find hard to understand: abiding in Christ's love may bring us the hatred of those who don't know what this is within themselves. It may bring the hatred of those who don't understand nor know this love for themselves. One thing is certain: He does not promise us a world full of love in return for our love of Christ -- but rather the strife that comes from those who do not accept this for themselves, and don't know nor understand the reality of abiding in that vine, in His love. This is His promise: that the servant is not greater than the master. I believe this antipathy may come in many forms, among even those closest to us, as He has said.

"If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'" Ultimately, the First Cause of all things is the Father -- from whence Christ's love and commands come. As He has repeatedly taught that he who sees Him also sees the Father, as He is a reflection of the Father in the world and has done the Father's will and spoken the words the Father has given, He also points out here that the animosity or hatred encountered is ultimately the hatred and ignorance of the Father. The relationship goes fully all ways: to abide in His love is a complete chain: between us, the Spirit, the Son and Father. To hate without a cause is to hate indeed -- it is to be in opposition to the God who is love.

"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning." What is it to receive this Helper, sent from the Father? It is to receive true testimony, so that we may understand as do the disciples. The disciples themselves will bear witness, because "they have been with Him from the beginning." And so we have the living word, the Gospel, which also bears witness for us from the beginning of His ministry. It is the Helper that gives us the understanding of His words, that helps us to live His life in the world, as He would ask of us, that bears witness for us as He also did for the Apostles after Jesus' death. How can we not be grateful for such a gift?

To bear fruit, then, takes so much more than the good works we can do or think of doing. It is to be in relationship, to be friends -- to abide in His love and in the vine, the true indwelling of Father, Son and Spirit. Are we living in that love? Do we seek it for ourselves? Do we let it into our hearts as deeply as it can go each day, teaching us what we need and how to serve? What is it to love one another as He has loved the disciples, and loves us? To know this love is to live indeed -- and it also may mean one experiences hatred without a cause. The servant is not greater than the master. In this, we share all things, a sign of true love and friendship indeed.

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."

- John 15:1-11

In today's reading, Jesus continues His Farewell Discourse at the Last Supper. Yesterday, we read of His teaching on the Holy Spirit, or Spirit of truth, that He would pray the Father to send to us -- so that, in effect, the Trinity may dwell in us and be with us. He would not leave them orphans, He told the disciples, but goes to the Father who is greater than He is, so that they may come to be with us through the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. He said, "If you love Me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser." My study bible says that the vine is a symbol of Israel. It notes, "In contrast to disobedient and unfruitful Israel, Jesus calls Himself the true vine which, together with its branches, constitutes a new and fruitful people of God, the Church." So, in some sense, Jesus is calling all of us out of our pasts and into His vine, His way. The life we live is about a spiritual reality that gives us who we are, a living presence from which we take identity, sustenance, nourishing.

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you." I will once again copy a note from my study bible, which is helpful for the historical understanding of the Church from its perspective: "Abiding in Christ is living out our union with Him in faith, baptism, love obedience, and Eucharist. The figure of the vine and branches shows: (1) our union with Christ is intimate and real -- we are a new people in Christ; (2) life flows from the vine to the branches -- abiding in Christ is not static nor 'positional,' but dynamic and vitalizing; and (3) the fruit we bear is both good works and mission. Those who do not abide in Christ bear no fruit, and are cut off from Him." I think it is essential that we understand Christ's imagery of the vine as a living reality with which we are intimately connected. Just as He has said, in yesterday's reading, that through the Holy Spirit, the entire Trinity will dwell in us and with us, so this imagery of the vine teaches us about a living synergistic reality: if we abide in Him and He in us, then we are a part of something dynamic, as my study bible says. Our lives take their shape and identity from this vine.

"As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." And here is His essential teaching: we need the vine in order to bear fruit, we need to be of it, we need Him. My study bible says, "Without Christ we can do nothing -- nothing which is properly motivated and gives glory to God."

"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples." A kind of double meaning is here -- two teachings. We receive our energy, our own spirit or grace from this vine so that we are able to do the things He asks, to bear fruit. Without the vine, we cannot produce the same fruits He desires -- in effect, we wither. But if we abide in Him -- if His words abide in us (the commandments and life the Spirit will bring), then we are of Him, in His name essentially, we can pray in Him, and the life of the Spirit shall be at work in us and through us. And the second powerful part of this is that this is the way in which the Father is glorified -- if we live in that grace, the energy that bears much fruit through us.

"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." My study bible says, "The fact is, God does love us unconditionally, no matter what our response. But His unconditional love does us no good unless we keep His commandments and abide in His love. We show our love for God by obeying Him." It is my opinion that the life of the Spirit is the one which gives life to the commandments, to the word of Jesus -- and that which helps us to understand how to apply them in our own personal lives. So dwelling in this vine, abiding with Him and Father and Spirit is the essential way in which we learn what we are to do with our lives. It is a living relationship, something which feeds us and nurtures us and teaches us how to bear that fruit that He desires which glorifies the Father. And that is what love is: it is a living relationship, a kind of dependency that helps us to be stronger, fuller, gives us identity, and challenges us to bear fruit for God's glory. Commandments are not dry things written in a book, but a living reality of love that flows from vine to branches -- and in turn nourishes others, and the entirety of the Church.

Jesus asks us not to just obey and follow, but to "abide in His love." This is the greatest gift we have, from which "our joy is complete, or full." And this is really the whole fullness of the message of the vine and the branches. Elsewhere Jesus says, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." His life that He gives to us is His love, it is in this vine that we dwell and through this vine that we live and move and have our being, and through which we may bear fruits for the glory of the Father. All He asks of us truly is that depth of relationship that gives us, in exchange, everything. It is a living, growing reality within us, one which will continually give us more, and cleanse us of the things that get in the way of its growth and its fruit. Are you ready to go forward today in that life, more deeply than before? In God's love we grow and live, and move forward. Let us follow His example, His way.

I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--the Spirit of truth

"If you love Me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

"I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives to I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here."

- John 14:15-31

In yesterday's reading, we read the beginning of Jesus' farewell discourse to His Apostles at the Last Supper. Here He embarked on the understanding of the union of His nature with the Father, though they are two separate Persons. All who wish to come to the Father must go through Him; the Father is in Him. In His Father's house, there are many mansions, and He goes to prepares a place for the faithful, so they will be with Him also. See I am the way, the truth, and the life.

"If you love Me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." And here we receive the great and tremendous news that He does not leave us alone. He will leave them with a Helper, an Advocate, a Comforter. The Greek word παράκλητος ("parakletos") can mean all of these things, including lawyer or counselor. We note the legal terms related to justice and how they are all present with Christ and His mission: He has said that He comes for a judgment. Many of the faithful will be martyrs ("witnesses") as will He Himself. We have with us a Counselor for faithful and good testimony. If you break down the parts of this word "parakletos," it literally means the one who is close by, upon whom one can call -- specifically it was used contemporarily to Jesus for "attorney." One study guide notes, "a legal advocate who makes the right judgment-call because close enough to the situation . . . paráklētos ('advocate, advisor-helper') is the regular term in NT times of an attorney (lawyer) – i.e. someone giving evidence that stands up in court." From this passage and more to follow, we learn of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. My study bible says, "The Apostles did not fully understand the teachings and works of Christ prior to their reception of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost." So, we can conclude, the Advocate, our Helper, is not only our advisor and guide, but also testifies truly of the Judge, to show us His way, and to teach us His commandments, to fulfill His love and will for us. My study bible has another note to add here: "Jesus calls us to know the Spirit of truth who is in us and helps us pray. Thus prayer in Jesus' name relates to all three Persons of the Holy Trinity. Jesus gives assurance that such prayer is answered for those who are united with Him."

"I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." To be left orphaned is indeed how it would feel to be without this blessed Teacher in whom dwells the Father. But His promise is good. My study bible says "the brief separation of Jesus from the disciples, due to His arrest and Crucifixion, will lead to a deeper mystical union after the Resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. . . . At that day refers to the Resurrection of Jesus followed by the Ascension and the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, all of which, working together, make the fullness of divine life available to all believers." To love Him, to follow His commandments, is to be embraced by both Christ and the Father -- Jesus will "show" or "appear" (my study bible says "reveal," or "make Himself real") to those who are in this loving embrace, all one.

Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me." With whom will we dwell in life? Jesus makes it clear here, that just as He has lived as a human being in the world, so He will also return and dwell with us. But not Christ alone, but also the Father, because the word we hear is not His but the Father's who sent Him. We are far from orphans, living with Father and Son and Spirit, in loving embrace. When we love Christ through the keeping of the commandments which the Spirit helps us to know, all dwell within us in love. As there are many mansions in His Father's house, so they will also come and dwell within us.

"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." Again, we are taught about the Spirit and what He will reveal to us in His mission as Advocate and Spirit of truth. My study bible says, "We have confidence in the Apostles' doctrine because the Holy Spirit is their Teacher and brings Christ's words to their remembrance." And this is grace for us, what the Spirit of truth brings.

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives to I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe." We may wonder, what is peace here? My study bible says, "Peace was the customary Jewish word of both greeting and farewell. Perfect peace is brought by the Messiah, who carries out the work of salvation and reconciles humanity with God. Together with 'grace,' peace is part of the traditional greeting of Christians to each other." The Father and Son are equal but the Son was begotten of the Father, and as such is loyal always to the Father, as He has told us here. My study bible says, "the Incarnate Son receives His whole existence from the Father and carries out His mission in full obedience to the Father." Our peace and our rejoicing is in this moment of reunion and reconciliation, and the bringing of the Holy Spirit to us, so that all will dwell within us and we may be one, with Him.

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here." And, as He always does, He illustrates what He has just been teaching. He is loyal to the Father in all things. My study bible says, "The ruler of this world, the devil, dominates the realm of those who do not love Christ or keep His commandments. Jesus said the devil has nothing in Me because there can be no compromise between Christ--or us--and the devil. Jesus became man, but was never stained with the sin of men, nor was He under the authority of the devil." We are told the Father dwells in Christ -- but there is one who "has nothing in Him." We wish to be kept within the embrace of Father, Son and Spirit, and so we call upon the Comforter to be near and with us always, we seek His counsel, for we also wish the prince or ruler of this world to have nothing in us. But the very next most important statement He makes is the whole point of the judgment, the way to counter that "ruler of this world" -- the Father gave Him commandment, and so He does. And so we must follow -- we have our advocate, helper and guide to do so.

What does it mean to be indwelt by this Holy Trinity? to follow the Helper or Advocate, the One who is close to us and who brings us ever closer with the indwelling Father and Son? This is what we ponder today, and the peace and grace He brings us. How do you experience that in your life?

I am the way , the truth, and the life

"Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know."

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do; that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

- John 14:1-14

Yesterday was Easter Sunday, and there was no Gospel reading for Saturday. But today we return to Jesus' words to His Apostles at the Last Supper. We start in the text right after Friday's reading, in which Jesus told Peter that he would deny Christ three times that night, despite Peter's protests to follow Him even into death, that Peter would lay down his life for Jesus' sake. Of course, Peter will eventually do so, and his words will be true in time. See Lord, where are You going?

"Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know." My study bible has a beautiful note on this passage which is worth repeating: "Many mansions is literally 'many dwelling places,' a word-picture of numerous living units surrounding a central courtyard -- an abundance of living accommodations. Mansions also speak of the multiplicity of blessings which await those who enter the Kingdom of God." But in these verses we see Jesus linking Himself with the Father, and His disciples with both of them, even unto the eternal reality of heaven. He prepares a place for them -- and by extension, for us who are faithful, so that where He is, we may be also. He is announcing His departure from this world as incarnate man.

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." Once again, I will quote from my study bible: "The way, the truth, and the life is a Person, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is so because of His perfection union with His Father. The way we reach the Father is forever established through the Son. Jesus is the truth because He is the unique revelation of the Father, who is the goal of our journey through life. Christ is the life, the uncreated eternal life manifest in the flesh, so that we might have life. Because of this, 'no one comes to the Father except through' the Son. While aspects of goodness and truth are found among all people by virtue of their being created in the image and likeness of God, salvation comes through Christ alone." Jesus again emphasizes His union with the Father, and that the Father is reflected through Him - that we know the Father through Him. All in all, this summing up of His life and mission is to bring us to the Father, to create union for us as well, reconciliation, relationship, love and knowledge.

Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works." Philip is our wonderful Apostle who asks the questions for us, and Jesus answers. Has Philip not been with Him since the beginning of His ministry, does he not know Him by now? The union of Father and Son, separate Persons, but of the same essence, is our interpretation of these words, as it is written in the Creed. Jesus' words are the words of the Father, because He serves the Father in all things, and the Father in Him does the works (the signs or miracles) He has done. My study bible notes that, "if we believe in Christ and follow Him, then we ourselves become 'sons of God,' living eternally in the love of the Father." So we also recall Jesus' earlier words to the temple leadership, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods."'?"

"Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do; that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." Jesus begins His departing speech to His Apostles with these words about what is to come in their lives and the life of the Church, the believers. My study bible points out something important here: "As shown in the Book of Acts, the disciples will later do even 'greater works' in spreading the gospel throughout the world because Jesus will have completed the work of salvation and they will be endowed with the Spirit. In Christ, and through the Holy Spirit, the Church makes God's salvation available to all in every age."

Jesus completes the circle of relatedness and union: He goes to the Father. But, He is saying, He will also take us: He prepares a place for us where He goes so that we may be with Him. But there is much more to it, after all. If we know Him, we know the Father -- and so, we come also to be sons of God. He draws us with Him into union, friendship, love and reconciliation. Is there any way to calculate what this really means, and all the ways this feeds us with true food in our lives? I don't think so. An eternity is not calculable, nor are the depths of that relationship and relatedness and how it impacts us in our lives, in every moment. So, think today about Jesus' mission and His departure to return again, to keep us with Him wherever He is, and to teach us also to know the Father. In this is our salvation, our joy and rest. I hope Easter is blessed for you on this day of Resurrection, as is every day.

Lord, where are You going?

Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward." Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake." Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."

- John 13:36-38

Today is Good Friday, and for our reading the lectionary has given us Jesus' foretelling of Peter's betrayal. In the Gospel itself, this prediction is placed in a very interesting context. It comes right after Jesus has told His disciples, at the Last Supper, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

And on the other side of today's reading, just after the prediction of Peter's betrayal, Jesus teaches: "Let not your heat be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know."

Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward." My study bible notes on this verse: "Jesus is saying, 'You cannot die with Me now, but you shall later.' This is a prediction of Peter's martyrdom." After the Holy Spirit is sent upon the world, so much will change for the Apostles. In the great figures of the Gospels, perhaps none is illustrated so vividly as the change that will come to St. Peter. He is always the excessive, exuberantly emotional one -- he gets carried away with his feelings. When Jesus wished to wash the disciples' feet, Peter at first refused. When Jesus explained that He must do this, that otherwise, Peter "would have no part with Him," Peter exclaimed, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" Throughout the Gospels, we see similar evidence of his character. But he truly will become the "Rock" of the name which Jesus has given Him, a great leader of the Apostles and of the early Church. All that is in his character will be crystalized to shape and form someone upon whose shoulders (among others, of course) the church could be built. And in his death, he will die among the greatest of martyrs, and in humility he will ask to be crucified upside-down, so as not to claim equality with His Lord. It will be extraordinary courage and wisdom that will be the hallmark of his apostleship and leadership.

Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake." Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times." And so, with the understanding we have of what Peter will indeed become, we read again of his fast exuberance, his great declarations of love, and of loyalty even to the death. But Jesus knows him, as He also knows us. Peter will deny Him three times that very night. And this will be done out of cowardice before a servant girl.

So, what do we gather from today's passage, and its context of the Commandment of Love, and the promise of the "many mansions" that await those who will be gathered to him? Just this, that love encompasses all of who we are, that Jesus knows who we are -- He, as Christ, is the "heart-knower," as the Apostles (notably Peter) will later refer to Him. Given Peter's vacillating and emotional character, how else does Jesus come to name him "Rock"? (This is the meaning of the Greek word "Petros" - which in English has become "Peter.") We recall also Peter's centrality to our faith: it was at his confession of faith that Jesus was the Christ that this happened. "The rock" is the confession itself; it is this rock of faith upon which the Church is built, against which the gates of hell cannot prevail. But it was Peter who made that first confession recorded in the Gospel. And in that faith -- in that confession, which belongs to all of us who do the same in truth in our hearts -- we find this powerful bond, this rock, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail nor conquer. In that bond of faith we find our Friend, the Comforter, who shall lead us into the mansions of which Jesus speaks, through the love of God. After Peter's denial, he returns to the fold of the Apostles. He may as well have repeated his words from the Gospel, "Lord, to whom else shall we go?" He returns, and he is forgiven, and he will go on to lead and to establish the Church in so many fundamental ways. Together with the other Apostles (and martyrs) who are "sent out," and with St. Paul, that other towering figure who underwent tremendous change as a disciple of Christ, Peter establishes for us what it is to live in love in that bond of faith which in which is held the strength of this impregnable rock. It includes all that we are, and Christ's forgiveness in our repentance and transformation into those who may enter those mansions. May we remember this as we go through our lives with our own weaknesses and lack of character and courage, and have the strength and love of that rock of faith to go forward, following Christ in repentance from our failings, and know forgiveness, growth, service, love.

I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that he world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that he world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

"O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

- John 17:1-26

Because it is Thursday of Holy Week, today the lectionary skips forward to the final words of Jesus' address to His disciples at the Last Supper, just before His betrayal. It is His prayer to the Father. From this prayer was shaped much of our theology, including the basis for the Nicene Creed. My study bible says, "We find our Lord's words bearing witness to His divinity and His filial relationship with the Father."

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." It is time, it is His hour. My study bible points out that this is a sign of divinity - the power over time. Not until it is the proper time will this happen -- His exaltation on the Cross. Hence, the glorification that belongs to both Christ and the Father. It says, "God is glorified when salvation and eternal life come to His people." Eternal life -- the power to draw Him with us -- is explicitly laid out here: it is the power to know God and Christ. My study bible says, "The knowledge of God, which is eternal life, goes far beyond rational or academic pursuit; it is participation in divine life and communion with God. Thus, eternal life -- life proper to the age to come -- is an ongoing, loving knowledge of God in Christ." He has finished the work He was given to do, bearing His life and divinity incarnate as a human being in the world, and He is going on to the place of glory with the Father that was His before the world was. It is a complete circle -- and all of this reality incorporates the One whom we know as Christ.

"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled." Here is an illustration of the "vine and the branches," the metaphor that He has used with the disciples at the Last Supper. God's name is a powerful way of expressing God's Person and presence. In the Old Testament, my study bible notes, the term "the name" was reverently used as a substitute for God's actual name, "Yahweh." The "name" is thus the extension of all things of God, including God's power, and the word given through Christ to those whom God has gathered to Him. In this prayer to the Father, He prays for those who could "hear" and "receive" and "keep" this word. So, all who receive -- specifically, here, the Apostles -- are "in His name." And this is a living reality, a participation, a living relationship. For this, which glorifies Him and the Father, He prays - that they will be sustained in His name after Christ has returned to the Father, "that they may be one as We are." My study bible says, "The word they have kept is Jesus' revelation, and especially the new commandment to love one another, which is a definitive mark of discipleship."

"But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." What is the joy of which He speaks, here? It is the joy of that life in the word, in the name, and its fulfillment, that He prays for. My study bible says, "Inasmuch as Jesus comes from the realm of divine existence, He confers a heavenly identity and life on those who are joined to Him. In fellowship with Him, the disciples attract the world's hatred." We know what persecutions will follow. It is a life in which we belong to the Father and the Son and Spirit -- in God's name -- but our vocation is in the world. Here, Jesus prays for the Apostles, but through their word, others will also be of this "name" in the world. To be sanctified is to be made holy; as my study bible says, "to consecrate, separate, set apart from the world, and bring into the sphere of the sacred for God's use." The "holy" is always "set apart." So, by God's truth all those who are in His name are sanctified, set apart for purpose and mission. St. John Chrysostom has interpreted this verse: "Make them holy through the gift of the Spirit and by correct doctrine." The truth is inseparable from this loving relationship and from holiness and mission.

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that he world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that he world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world." Here, the prayer, in all its effects, aims and desires, is extended to all of those who will follow the Apostles -- all through whom the Apostles' word will live (that is, the word which has been given to them by the Father through Christ). This is the whole of the future Church, which, my study bible says, "participates in the life and glory of the Father and the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christians enjoy two kinds of unity: vertical, with the Trinity, and horizontal, with one another, the latter rooted in the former." This prayer is so complete that He holds all who will come equal with the Apostles in this relationship, "that they may be made perfect in one," each participating in the fullness and eternity of this union.

"O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." The union is complete: knowing God, and participating in God's love and reality in total relationship, is the aim. My study bible says, "We cannot have love for God the Father, or receive His love, apart from the knowledge of (communion with) the Father. The purpose of the knowledge of God is to impart the love of God." And so, this is our mission, our vocation. It is that fullness and its growth and power through us and with us that He seeks.

So let us consider today, on the eve of His crucifixion, what it is to love and to be loved by God, complete in a circle with Father, Son and Spirit, to participate in that life and relationship and communion, and to grow in such. We, of course, are to spread that love -- as vine and branches, we are to bear fruit and reach out to one another. Let us consider today, then, love and what it is to have joy in this love that is of God and spreads through us to the fullness of depth that is incalculable and eternal. What is it that God loves us so much as to keep us with Him in eternity, for which Christ prayed, for which the Spirit is alive and at work in our world? We who consider ourselves a part of this Church for which He prays, not of the world but in it, how do we feel that joy and know God? How do we know and live that love in His name and His word? For what are we set apart and sanctified?

Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going

"Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him." Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." This He said, signifying by what death He would die. The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?" Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."

These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

- John 12:27-36

In yesterday's reading, we were told that certain Greeks had come to worship at the Passover feast, and they wanted to see Jesus. Jesus proclaimed that it was the hour in which He would be glorified. He said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in the world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me, and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

"Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name." We look at these words and must see them in the context of what has come before. As noted in yesterday's commentary, when Jesus spoke of "his life in the world" he used the Greek word "psyche," which is usually translated as soul. Here, he uses the same word, psyche, when He says, "My soul is troubled." So, it is, in effect, an illustration of what He has just said. He feels with His human soul in this world, the deep troubling reality of what is to happen now that His hour has come. My study bible notes that this verse gives us a glimpse of the Gethsemane experience of Jesus, and so it does. And yet, He chooses to glorify the name of His Father -- to follow the purpose for which He came into the world.

Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him." We read the illustration of various impressions of a theophany or revelation of God in the world. My study bible has an important note on the idea of the Father's name, which I will quote. "The Father's name is an extension of His person. The Son worked for the glory of the Father, and His death is now to be offered up to complete that purpose and to show the Father's love for all people. The divine voice gives assurance that the death of Jesus is not humiliation but glorification through the fulfillment of God's plan for the redemption of the world."

Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." This He said, signifying by what death He would die. My study bible says that lifted up is "a reference to the lifting up of Christ on the Cross, which is His glorification and will lead to the salvation of the human race. At the same time this event is a judgment on the unbelieving world of darkness and the abolition of the power of the ruler of this world, Satan." Christ's martyrdom (a "martyr" in Greek is a "witness") will be the testimony that carries the judgment of the ruler of this world. It is the great call that is sent out to all the universe in order to build the judgment that will be a victory for all human beings under captivity to that "prince" or "ruler of this world." And, indeed, for this purpose He has come and lived a life as one of us, and asks us to "Follow Him." He has referred before in John's Gospel to His own lifting up, when He compared it to Moses lifting the serpent in the wilderness. "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" John 3:14-16. The fact that we have just heard, in yesterday's reading, that the Greeks (who are Gentiles who've come to the Passover to worship the God of Israel) wish to see Him is also a signal for His last statement here -- that He will draw all peoples to Himself.

The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?" Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." Jesus' emphasis is on the light -- and His repeated emphasis that it is with them a little while longer. My study bible reminds us, beautifully: "Christ is 'light from Light' (Nicene Creed). In union with Him, we partake of His light, becoming children of light." So the time for argument is through; it is His hour. They must walk in the light while they have it, while He is yet with them. He calls all to faith now at every opportunity; His time is nearly over as a human being in this world.

These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them. These words reflect the condition in which He will leave us. We have His light, but we must seek it for ourselves.

"Light from Light" - let us think about this phrase. What does it mean for you? It is so important to me that my study bible points out that this light is meant to illuminate us, so that we, too, may carry it with us and help to shed its rays, like a lamp, to others. We are not the Source of the light, but we may, in turn, become a reflection of it. Jesus turns once again here to themes of light in John's Gospel. Yesterday we were reminded of Matthew's Gospel, and the Sermon on the Mount, in which He taught that we must cast away the things that will destroy the whole body: "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out." And today we are also reminded of Jesus' words from that Sermon: "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Today's question, then, is how do you reflect that light in the world? How do you cast Christ's light into the world through yourself? Let us consider light and darkness -- and the constant tension between the victory won in exaltation on the Cross, and that which is yet to be won in each of us.

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in the world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me, and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

- John 12:20-26

In yesterday's reading, we read of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. After the resurrection of Lazarus, many have come to believe in Jerusalem, for there were many witnesses to this seventh and final miracle or sign in John's Gospel. The leadership of the temple seek to put Him to death because of it. Yet, He comes into Jerusalem openly for the feast of Passover. As He does, He is welcomed by crowds bearing palm branches, who shout, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!"

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. In this beginning of the story of Jesus' last Passover, we get a picture of what will come through evangelism. Philip is a Greek-speaker, as he is from Bethsaida in Galilee. The Greeks are Greek-speaking Gentiles who are interested in Judaism -- my study bible refers to them as "either God-fearing or full proselytes, who come to participate in the Passover festivities." As the end of Jesus' earthly life draw near, we get a glimpse of the many who will be drawn from all over the world to become a part of His flock. "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd" - John 10:16.

But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in the world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me, and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." John's Gospel has been leading us from one truth to another -- more deeply into the identity and understanding of Jesus and who He is, and what His mission is here in the world. As the outsiders from other "folds" are drawn toward Him, He speaks of the hour that has come, His hour. My study bible says it is "the great hour of salvation through the death and Resurrection of Jesus, leading to the salvation of the human race." Jesus' death and Resurrection will be the seed, as the grain of wheat, which will "produce much grain" or perhaps more literally, "bear fruit." My study bible says that this signifies that "Christ will die in order to give life, a principle of self-sacrifice which applies to all those who follow the way of Christ." Again, we have the promise of the eternal life -- with Him. We are to follow Him, and then we will be with Him, wherever we are. And, He adds, "him my Father will honor also." It is a promise of eternal union, together with Him, that sees us through all our lives and beyond. This great paradox of what we give up in order to join Him will play out through all the lives in this Gospel and beyond, all of the apostles -- and it is at work in our own lives as well.

What is it to fall to the ground and die, in Jesus' metaphor of the grain of wheat? What is it to love or hate our lives in the world -- and to keep it for eternal life? It is intimately connected with service to Him, an exchange. We exchange one perspective for another, and we gain an eternal life together with Him, and a gift of honor from the Father. To hate our lives in the world is directly connected with sacrifice -- with the things we are willing to give up of ourselves in order to better follow Him. This speaks of the deepest possible transformation, a lifetime of drawing closer in relationship to Christ, and following wherever that leads us, and whatever it may lead us to discard. We recall Jesus speaking in Matthew's Gospel, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out." What sacrifices of ourselves, our lives or psyche (often translated as soul, the Greek word that is used here) in this world, are we willing to let go of in order to grow closer to Him? "In this world" implies the words He has previously taught as to the "praise of men" that may be in conflict with the "praise of God." What He is speaking about here is the deepest exchange possible, and yet, with God all things are possible -- and with a relationship of love, so we do the same. Jesus Himself is willing to go the full route, the supreme sacrifice, so that we may all be gathered with Him, people from all flocks gathered into one. He will make the most extraordinary sacrifice for this union. Can we follow Him and answer the call? The Greek speakers here prompt Jesus to speak of the fruits of His sacrifice. Together with Him, we are called to bear fruit ourselves.

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

"Hosanna!

'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'

The King of Israel!"

Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

"Fear not, daughter of Zion;

Behold, your King is coming,

Sitting on a donkey's colt!"

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!"

- John 12:9-19

In the previous reading, we read of Lazarus' resurrection. We know there were many witnesses from Jerusalem, who had come mourning Lazarus together with his sisters Martha and Mary. Jesus was moved by the sadness of Mary and the mourners, and we are told that "Jesus wept" also. But the miracle, the seventh and last sign of John's Gospel, is made all the more clear by His delay in coming to Martha and Mary after receiving word of Lazarus' illness. It is for the glory of God, that those who see might believe. In this powerful reading, we are given the Jesus who is both fully God - and the Presence of the Father with Him, and a very human Jesus who weeps with His friends. See Jesus Wept.

For today's reading, the lectionary skips a little bit and leads us into chapter 12. We miss the plotting of the chief priests and Pharisees at a meeting resulting from the resurrection of Lazarus -- such a powerful sign cannot be ignored. Caiaphas, acting as high priest, said to them all, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish." From that day on, the Gospel tells us, they plotted to put Jesus to death. So, Jesus would no longer walk openly among them but remained near the wilderness with His disciples. But it is now Passover -- and they await at the temple to see if He will come to the feast. A call is given out to report any sighting of Him to seize Him. Jesus returns to Bethany, to the home of His friends Lazarus, Martha and Mary, six days before Passover. There, Mary anoints Jesus' feet with costly fragrant oil, to the consternation of the disciples -- especially Judas, because it was so expensive and it could have been sold and the money distributed to the poor. But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."

Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. We remember that many came from the temple in Jerusalem to mourn with Mary and Martha at Lazarus' death, and so were witnesses to his resurrection by Jesus. Clearly Lazarus had become an object of fascination for all -- but he is also a living symbol of Jesus' holy power, so he also must be done away with. Tradition holds that Lazarus later went with his sisters to Cyprus, where they founded a community of believers and he died a natural death.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!" Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt!" Jesus' open procession into Jerusalem signals the end that will be coming. He knows the leadership plot to kill Him, especially after the resurrection of Lazarus which has created so many believers and was witnessed by so many from the temple. "Hosanna" means "save now" - my study bible says it is a liturgical shout. It is from Psalm 118:25. A note also reads: "Jesus' deliberate action of riding in on a donkey signifies He is the prophesied Messiah of peace (Zech. 9:9), for kings and military leaders rode on horses or in chariots. The Triumphal Entry marks a high point in Jesus' ministry as He brings His message to the Holy City and encounters the central authorities. This event is celebrated on Palm Sunday, an acclamation of the lordship of Christ as King of kings."

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!" So, after Lazarus' resurrection, the stage is set. So many witnesses had come from Jerusalem to mourn with the sisters of Lazarus that they have by now created a great following. Nothing can stop this momentum, and the leadership know it. They see themselves by now as firmly opposed to Jesus, even though we know there are and will be believers among the Pharisees and other classes of the leadership. (St. Paul, for example, declares himself to have been a Pharisee in another section of today's lectionary reading; see Phil. 3:5.) So the great conflict is set -- as Jesus comes openly to the Passover festival in the Triumphal Entry, which we celebrated yesterday as Palm Sunday.

Sometimes, we must ask ourselves why the intervention of great holiness into our world must be the occasion of tremendous conflict. I believe it teaches us something about ourselves and the condition of our world. Do we hold onto things we need not hold onto? Do we fail to prioritize even according to our own professed beliefs? Is not the holy, the great signs that Jesus has done, more important to the temple leadership than their positions or any political consideration of power? This is something we must ask ourselves in the context of our own lives and circumstances, so that we understand the pitfalls that await us in our own fears and personal deceptions. I cannot speak for anyone else, of course, but myself and my own nature in this regard. How often have I had to go down a road that made me afraid of loss, in the fear of what others think (or "the opinions of men") rather than what I felt God wanted me to do? The list is endless! As we read about the Triumphal Entry, let us remember our Lord and His courage. He feels with us, He understands our losses and pain, and yet He went boldly before us, to teach us and help us to get there, too. Shall we look to His example -- and that of so many others in these Gospels and beyond, and do the same?