Gospel: Jn 16:12-15
Jesus said to his disciples: ”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:
Sometimes there are still many things to tell while time is running out. It is only when moments are counted that the urgency is felt. But then again, you realize that it is not the act of telling that is important. The hearer must be ready too in order to understand it. Or else, it is just one among the many words that they will conveniently forget. What they have will be a vague recollection of something that you once told them. The heart is not ready to receive it yet.
And so Jesus knew when to stop. He knows that His followers could not bear His words for the moment. But it does not mean that He abandons His plan to teach and instruct them. He will leave the task to the Spirit. The Spirit will continue what Jesus has started. It is in such moment as this that helpers are most welcome. The Spirit Helper will fill what Jesus could not accomplish in human time. It is because the Trinity is a community of love that Jesus could bank on the support of the other Persons in the Trinity. It is not a task solely of his own. He has a loving community that supports Him.