May 8,2024 – Wednesday of the 6th week of Easter
Acts 17, 15. 22--18, 1; John 16, 12-15
Homily
We have reached almost the end of that beautiful and long discourse of Jesus to His disciples at the Last Supper. He told them many things already, some of them profound and difficult. Now He tells them that He has still many more things to reveal to them, but they are not yet able to bear them. He also announces to them that the Spirit about whom He has been talking to them since the beginning, and whom He always call the “Spirit of Truth”, will guide them to all truth. There are two things that should be noticed in this promise. The first one is about the verb “to guide”.
If they need to be “guided” – as we all need to be guided – it is because Christian life is an ongoing journey. As soon as we think that we have arrived and we want to settle, without continuing our journey, without pursuing our ongoing conversion, we are no longer Christians, and we certainly are no longer monks.
The second thing that needs to be noticed in that promise is the goal towards which the Spirit of Truth will guide us. He will guide us, says Jesus, to “all truth”, that is, to the whole truth. Now, that Truth is Christ Himself. He is not only the Truth, but also the Way that leads to the Truth and the Life that we find in it. “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” says He.
Now, this brings us back to the aim, the goal, of our monastic life, as it is described in our Document on formation (our Ratio). We are called to be transformed into the Image of Christ. This is the goal of our monastic life.
Since we are on such a journey, turned towards such a goal and guided by such a Spirit, we really do not have anything to fear, specially not from the spirit of lies. We can, as Saint Benedict says, run with an enlarged heart and with joy, in the way of God’s commandments. And the first of those commandments, the one that contains all he others, il the one of love.