Gospel Notes – “I Will Not Leave You as Orphans”

John 14 is one of the most helpful passages in all of Holy Scripture. It weaves in and out of Jesus saying, be not afraid, I am coming to you, the Parakletos (the Holy Spirit who is your Comforter, your Advocate, and the One who intercedes for you) is coming to you, and the Father is coming to you. I will not leave you as orphans. We are coming to you to make our dwelling place with you and in you.

Jesus goes on to say, as you love me and obey my words, I dwell in you and the Father dwells in you and the Spirit dwells in you.

In John 15, with the “maschal”, a parable like saying, of the vine and the branches, Jesus teaches that he, the eternal Word of God or Logos, is our dwelling place. As we live in union with Christ, like the branch abiding in the vine, we bear much fruit and glorify our Father.

As John 14 (and John 13-17) weaves in and out of these themes, Jesus offers many nuances for us to enter. All of them encourage us to be not afraid and to enter into union with Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father.

As we intend to enter this union everything changes. According to Thomas Keating, we are entering “a process of interior transformation, a conversion initiated by God and leading, if we consent, to divine union. One’s way of seeing reality changes in this process. A restructuring of consciousness takes place which empowers one to perceive, relate, and respond to everyday life with increasing sensitivity to the divine presence in, through, and beyond everything that happens” (Open Mind, Open Heart, p. 1-2).

We don’t just see different things, how we see changes. As our patron Saint Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, “I pray that the eyes of your hearts would be enlightened.”

We are being invited on a journey in which we actualize, realize, experience union with God right here, right now. There is no waiting for heaven or some other coming of Jesus.

For two millennia, the church has taught that we meet Christ as we engage with, that is, pray with, Holy Scripture, especially the stories and teachings of Jesus. Various methods for engaging Scripture are available to us. At Saint Paul’s, we have been learning the method of lectio divina or The Art of Engaging Holy Scripture in our Spiritual Formation class after church. We are also learning how to practice contemplative prayer, which is to become silent and rest in Christ’s presence within. I encourage you to join us.

In the meantime, I urge you to pray with and meditate upon John 14.

You remain in my prayers,

Jim