The Holy Spirit In Us

𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝟐𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐇 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐀𝐜 𝟏𝟔:𝟐𝟐-𝟑𝟒

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟏𝟑𝟖:𝟏-𝟑, 𝟕-𝟖 “𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞, 𝐎 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐉𝐍 𝟏𝟔:𝟓-𝟏𝟏

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝑰 𝒈𝒐, 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖.” (𝒗.7)

          No other group of men in the New Testament were as bewildered and perplexed as the disciples of Jesus especially during those times when he told them he was going away and that he would suffer death on the cross.

         And now we read in today’s gospel passage that Jesus was telling his disciples he will be going to the one who sent him (𝐯.𝟓) and because they could not grasp the depth of what he was saying no one dared ask him where he was going (𝐯.𝟓) and sorrow filled their hearts when he said he was leaving (𝐯.𝟔).

         If you were there you probably would feel the same way and you’d wish the opportunity to be part of Jesus’ entourage would not see an end. You saw how he fed 5,000 people from just five loaves of barley bread and two fish. You were there when he raised Lazarus from death.

         You heard him preach and you walked with him as he taught you and the other disciples on the road. You witnessed the many instances of healing miracles and you never doubted his claim that he was the Messiah who had been prophesied. Under these circumstances, your life-long wish would be that all of these would never end.

         And now Jesus is telling you he is returning to the one who sent him. It means the end of what has been an enjoyable journey that took you to places you have never been before. And just like the rest of the disciples, this is something that your finite mind could not grasp.

         As we sit comfortably in our homes and read through this Gospel passage today we will definitely feel the same way the disciples felt at the time and for us to fully understand what Jesus is telling us we will have to break this passage down to what, according to Jesus, is the work of the Holy Spirit, what he does and what we can expect from the Third Person of the Trinitarian God. (Some manuscripts refer to the Holy Spirit as Helper, Counselor or Advocate.)

         And in this Gospel passage, Jesus gives us at least three major areas in our lives where the Holy Spirit will be at work: “𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒋𝒖𝒅𝒈𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕.” (𝒗.8)

         These are the three important tasks of the Holy Spirit when he indwells in every individual and the word that John the Evangelist used to describe what Jesus said was the word “𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞” and for the purpose of understanding this passage we will have to draw on the relative meaning of convince which is “𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭.”          

        Thus, when we try to digest what Jesus was saying in this Gospel today and apply it to our own setting, we will see that one of the things the Holy Spirit does is to convict us of our sins especially for some of us who dwells in unbelief and are in a state of denial.

         The Jews have experienced this when they did not believe they sinned when they crucified Jesus on the cross but when this greatest event in history was preached, it pricked their hearts and were convinced the crucifixion was the greatest crime in history (𝐀𝐜 𝟐:𝟐𝟕). Don’t we also feel remorseful when we are confronted and convicted by sins we have committed. This conviction is made possible by the work of the Holy Spirit.

          The Holy Spirit also convicts us of righteousness especially in believing all the truths of what Jesus said and did. Though we were created in the image and likeness of God (𝐆𝐞𝐧 𝟏:𝟐𝟔) we also were clothed with free will which means we are free to choose to do what we believe is right but which sometimes is not really right. We tend to veer away from the Church because worship is in conflict with the ways of the world that provide us power, fame, comfort and wealth. And the word of Jesus is the last thing that we would want to hear.

         Time comes, however, when we are moved to hear and listen to what Jesus is saying and are convicted of the righteousness of Christ which is backed by his death and resurrection. Such realization is beyond our finite minds and is made possible only when we are convicted of such by the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us and makes us pleasing in God’s eyes.

         It is also by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are led to a complete conviction that we will stand before God when our time on earth is up. From the carefree ways of the world that we immersed ourselves in, there comes a time when we will accept that there is a God who will judge the way we have made use of our lives. Such conviction comes not from us but from the Holy Spirit who makes us holy as God is holy.

         To sum it up, what this Gospel passage is telling us is that when we are convicted of our sins, when we have become convinced of God’s righteousness and, when we are convinced that there is a final judgment that awaits us, it is then that we are reconciled not only with our inner selves but with God who is the source of true peace, joy and, reconciliation.

         Paul tells the Christians in Rome: "𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔" (𝑹𝒐𝒎 8:39). By sending us the Holy Spirit, Jesus is making his presence known and he did not leave us as orphans, but the Lord himself dwells within us through the power of the Holy Spirit (𝟐 𝐂𝐨𝐫 𝟒:𝟗; 𝟔:𝟏𝟔𝐛) and it is by the same Spirit that we are forgiven of our sins, healed of our infirmities and, sanctified through his manifold graces so that we will merit the salvation that he has promised. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘔𝘢𝘺 27, 2025)