The Father gives everything he has and is to the Son; the Son gives everything he has and is to the Spirit.

The Spirit is the promised Helper who will guide the disciples into the whole truth.

The Spirit will continue to move forward what the Father through Jesus has inaugurated.

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now”

The disciples “cannot bear” certain things now but will — through the Spirit — be guided “into all the truth” 

  

1st Reading: Acts 17:15, 22-18:1

Paul was taken

As far as Athens by his escort, who then returned to Beroea with instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible.

Then Paul stood up in the Areopagus hall and said, "Athenian citizens, I note that, in every way, you are very religious. As I walked around, looking at your shrines, I even discovered an altar with this inscription: To an unknown God. Now, what you worship as unknown, I intend to make known to you.

 

God, who made the world and all that is in it, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands, being as he is Lord of heaven and earth. Nor does his worship depend on anything made by human hands, as if he were in need. Rather, it is he who gives life and breath and everything else, to everyone. From one stock he created the whole human race, to live throughout all the earth, and he fixed the time and the boundaries of each nation. He wanted them to seek him by themselves, even if it was only by groping for him that they succeed in finding him.

 

Yet, he is not far from any one of us. For, in him we live and move and have our being; as some of your poets have said: for we, too, are his offspring. If we are indeed God's offspring, we ought not to think of divinity as something like a statue of gold or silver or stone, a product of human art and imagination.

 

But now, God prefers to overlook this time of ignorance; and he calls on all people to change their ways. He has already set a day, on which he will judge the world with justice through a man he has appointed. And, so that all may believe it, he has just given a sign, by raising this man from the dead."

 

When they heard Paul speak of a resurrection from death, some made fun of him, while others said, "We must hear you on this topic some other time." At that point Paul left. But a few did join him, and believed. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus court, a woman named Damaris, and some others.

 

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

 

Ps 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14 Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

 

Gospel: John 16:12-15

I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now. When he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into the whole truth. For he will not speak of his own authority, but will speak what he hears, and he will tell you about the things which are to come. He will take what is mine and make it known to you; in doing this, he will glorify me. All that the Father has is mine; for this reason, I told you that the Spirit will take what is mine, and make it known to you.

 

Reflection:

"Triune God."

Jesus explained to his disciples that the Spirit of truth would come and would guide the disciples into all truth. Jesus further explained to his disciples that the Spirit of truth would not be speaking of his own authority but of what he hears. Jesus did not also speak of his own authority and he would only say and do what the Father commanded him to say and do (cf. Jn. 14:10).

 

Today's Gospel emphasizes that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, would be taking from whatever is of Jesus. Moreover, Jesus also said that all that the Father has is his. Thus, the relationship existing between the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is a self-giving relationship. We Christians worship a Triune God, the one God in three divine Persons. Hence, every relationship on earth should be patterned in the self-giving relationship of the three divine Persons.

 

When we become selfish rather than selfless, self-referent rather than self-giving, we actually lack certain knowledge of the Triune God we profess to worship. Self entitlement is a concrete example of our failure to understand the Triune God we believe in.