Beware the disastrous path to hell
Listen, the Holy Spirit will take from what is mine and declare it to you
Sent by Jesus, the Holy Spirit will make clear the delineation of a life led by sin, a willful casting off of Jesus’ teachings. The Advocate will gather and grow the believers. Others will not see Jesus as a visible leader, interpreting Jesus’ absence as an excuse for their righteousness regarding sin. Do not join with the condemned.
Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Acts 14:19-28
John 14:27-31a
In another detailed teaching from Jesus, one for the ages, the disastrous path to hell for those who do not choose Jesus is bluntly described. Jesus doesn’t tell us this to shake our faith but to explain how he remains with us even as he ascends to Heaven.
We know the speed bumps to our faith. Instead, call on the Holy Spirit. Jesus lays out the barriers to faith so that we can see how we will stray from God and Jesus’ teachings, refusing to call on the Advocate.
Begin by ignoring thoughts of sinfulness. Argue that guilt is a misplaced emotion, an unfair assessment of who you are. You’ve not done anything wrong. Not really. Sins are mistakes, not death sentences. Errors in your behavior and decisions can be attributed to your upbringing, poor choice of friends, bad luck, and other factors. You are a good person with good intentions.
Second, take pride in your mature, evolved perspective on sin. You have a healthy demeanor, and no matter what happens, you will be just fine. Righteousness comes from confidence, persistence, and self-motivated accomplishments.
Third, deny any power that condemns you for anything you’ve done. Believing that God, or any authority, can decide your fate amounts to turning over your existence to an invisible voice. No one and nothing can condemn you. Take charge of your own life.
That’s the process of eliminating God’s influence. If we do take that path, Jesus insists, we join with the ruler of the world, Satan—a doomed, condemned, and evil benefactor.
Jesus takes a typical building-block fashion to make this point. He begins his description of the wayward world by explaining that his disciples’ grief over his leaving them, though understandable, is necessary.
I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you. I did not tell you this from the beginning, because I was with you. Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts (John 16:4-5).
Grief over Jesus’ Ascension, he tells them, will be met with and addressed by the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ presence will continue. In fact, it’s necessary that Jesus goes. All suffering is subject to this same analogy. Joy leaves, but God comes to us.
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
Sent by Jesus, the Holy Spirit will make clear the delineation of a life led by sin, a willful casting off of Jesus’ teachings. The Advocate will gather and grow the believers. Others will not see Jesus as a visible leader, interpreting Jesus’ absence as an excuse for their righteousness regarding sin. The Lord and Ruler of the world will not roam freely in sin and righteousness, because the Holy Spirit will reveal that he has been condemned. So, too, will his followers be condemned.
And when he comes [the Holy Spirit] will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
We do not hear the following verses in today’s gospel selection, but they reinforce the permanence of God’s presence even when we don’t see him. Jesus establishes a fantastic future for the Church, one that gains further clarity in knowledge of the truth over time. Jesus may not be visible, but he will be glorified, again and again.
I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Beware the tendency to forgo the authority of God, his warnings of a contemptible life, and the ensuing pride of surrendering to no one. Jesus’ presence with the disciples was a powerful antidote to the sinful world. The Holy Spirit, however, amps the antidote by leading each of us, gathering us together, and calling us to surrender to God in a community of faith.
The Church provides us with guidance through the Holy Spirit. It’s an important reminder that we support each other as a fellowship under God’s divine care. When we operate with all cylinders firing together, the clarity of sin, the avoidance of pride, and the recognition of condemnable evil will influence those who have not listened to God’s voice.
We, the followers, are included in those reminders.
[The Holy Spirit] will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.