5But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts.
7Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
Thoughts: This section of John's Gospel always seems so heady. There is one thing here though that is easy to understand. Somehow, the Holy Spirit is going to be reintroduced to the world in a powerful way. I say reintroduced for certainly the Spirit of God has been around and about before this time. Even Genesis 1 will talk about the Spirit of God hoovering over the waters, but there is something new about to happen. Perhaps it is the Spirit infused with the power of the risen Christ, but whatever it might be--it is a gift that comes to keep the message of Jesus and alive and empowered. Here in our little parish we get a glimpse of who this might work; while we say goodbye to one beloved staff member, we say hello to a new member who we learn to love in a different way. So, Jesus again reminds the disciples they will not be orphaned, they will not be left alone.
Questions: Have you every felt abandoned by God? Do you think God is present even when we can't feel God?
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