Living the Gospel Today 
May 16, 2012
Today’s Gospel is part of Jesus’ lengthy Last Supper discourse, as recounted in the Gospel of John. In his last hours to be with his disciples, Christ chooses to teach them at length about the most central truth: his relation to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit in the Trinitarian identity of God.
Christ is speaking about the time after his resurrection when he will send the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, upon his disciples. He explains that the truth which the Spirit will communicate to the disciples does not originate in the Spirit, but rather the Spirit conveys Christ’s truth. Christ, in turn, has the truth because the truth is the Father’s.
In this we see that that the life of the Trinity is a life of self-gift that does not remain contained within God but spills out onto Christ’s disciples through the Holy Spirit. The Son has the truth from the Father, because the Father shares all that He has with the Son; the Son speaks the truth to the Holy Spirit, and Christ’s gift of the Holy Spirit to us at Pentecost allows us to share in the life of truth that is the Trinity.
We also understand through Christ’s words at the Last Supper that obedience to the truth is personal. As the perfectly obedient Son, Christ shared the truth of his Father with us through his life of ministry on earth, and through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit’s obedience in speaking the truth the Spirit hears from the Son, we receive the truth ourselves. Therefore when we preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, as we have been called to do, we live out the life of personal obedience to truth that mirrors the life of the Trinity.
Greer Hannan, ‘09
Events Planning Coordinator, Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture
Gospel Reading of the Day May 16, 2012
Jesus said to his disciples:
I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (Jn 16:12-15)
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved (http://www.usccb.org/bible/approved-translations/ ).
Today's Prayer May 16, 2012
Loving God, Christ promised his disciples the gift of the Spirit who would guide them to all truth. In these often confusing and difficult times, many “truths” are spoken. Open me up to the gifts of your Spirit to be able to discern your truth so that I may more faithfully speak it to others and embrace it more fully in my own life. I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Rev. Thomas C. Bertone, C.S.C., MDiv ’80; Director of Health Care and Aging, U.S. Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross
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