Promise Of The Spirit To Remain

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Sixth Sunday of Easter

Today's Readings:
[ Acts 17:22-31; Ps 66:7-18; 1 Pet 3:13-22; Jn 14:15-21 ]

In today’s readings, there is a quiet but persistent theme: God is nearer than we often realize.

In Acts, Paul stands among the philosophers in Athens and speaks of the God they do not yet know. He proclaims the One “in whom we live and move and have our being”. This is not a distant God hidden behind clouds, nor a divine force detached from creation. Franciscan spirituality delights in this truth: God is near, woven through creation, sustaining every breath, every birdcall, every human longing. St. Francis saw the world as charged with God’s loving presence—not because creation is God, but because it sings of its Creator.

Yet nearness does not mean indifference. Psalm 66 reminds us that faith involves honesty before God: “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened”. God’s closeness invites openness. We cannot hide forever behind appearances or distractions. The God who knows us fully also loves us deeply enough to call us toward repentance and healing.

Jesus, in John’s Gospel, offers a promise that speaks tenderly into our fears of abandonment: “I will not leave you orphaned”. He promises the Advocate, the Spirit of truth, who abides with us. For Franciscans, the Christian life is not about mastering faith through intellect alone but learning to walk with Christ in loving relationship. Love is the measure: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”. Obedience here is not cold rule-following; it is the natural fruit of love.

Peter reminds believers that suffering for what is good is not meaningless. Christ himself entered suffering and transformed it. We are not promised comfort at every turn, but we are promised companionship. The Spirit remains.

Today, perhaps the invitation is simple: pause and notice God already near to you—in prayer, in struggle, in ordinary moments, in creation itself. You are not abandoned. Christ has not left you orphaned.

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