Jesus, at the moment he knows he is going to die, is not crushed. He greatly expands the disciples’ limited and frightened analysis of the situation. He calms them by turning them to the Father and the Holy Spirit. In this way, he invites us today to look beyond our worries and to adopt a dynamic and hopeful perspective: Jesus trusts in the Father and is sure that the Holy Spirit will continue and amplify his work.
Relying on the Father
This is an attitude that we can hardly win by our own strength, but we will grow into it if we focus on the heart of Christ, as our SVECJ Life Project invites us to do. In the heart of Christ we find his surrender to the Father and his total trust in the Holy Spirit. They will become our own.
With the Spirit of the Father and the Son
This month of June begins with the expectation and manifestation of the Holy Spirit, whom we celebrate at Pentecost. Each year the Church sets out “on a journey of self-discovery, of mission centred in Jesus Christ, of engagement with the poor”(Evangelii gaudium, 97). Further on, Pope Francis invites us to savour “the pure air of the Holy Spirit, which frees us from remaining centred on ourselves”. And he concludes #97 with “Let us not allow the Gospel to be stolen”.
Renewed by the Gospel
Yes, the Gospel has an infinite power of renewal. It “enables us to pass through difficult situations or trials to enter into hope; for every crisis conceals good news that we must listen to by “sharpening the hearing of the heart”(Amoris Laetitia 232). Good news of God’s love for the whole universe and for every person!
Christophe Decherf, SVECJ
