In his farewell discourse recorded in the Gospel according to St John, Jesus promised not to leave his disciples alone. He would ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit (John 14:16, 17, 26). This Spirit would continue to teach them and to remind them of all that Jesus had said. This Spirit is a promise of God. God wants to be involved in our lives. God wants to keep communicating, even though
the Son is no longer on earth. God does not want us to sit with a bunch of static memories of Jesus, written 2000 years ago, and simply to repeat what the evangelists had recorded.
The Spirit of Jesus, whom the Father has sent, keeps the memories alive and helps us to understand Jesus afresh in every new era. As new questions arise and new challenges face humankind and the church, we do not just fall back on a text. Inspired by the
Spirit of Jesus, we seek suitable ways to understand his message, with the gospel as our first port of call. Our faith is not just a “deposit.” It is a growing, evolving tradition – often clarified by the Magisterium, but also preserved by laypeople who have received the Spirit. The Spirit of Jesus guarantees that the Church remains “indefectible,” that it can’t deviate from the teaching that Jesus gave us.
“What Would Jesus Do?” young
people ask themselves when they wear the WWJD bracelets. What would Jesus say, and how would he react to these new situations? It is not always evident from the Scriptures. We need to discern what would offer the happier life, the deeper connection with God, the most personal integrity, greater fidelity to our Saviour, and the most truth in confusing times. And discernment – our task – means that we must be really docile to the Spirit of Jesus, seeking to do the will of God no matter how
challenging it might be. We need to believe that our brothers and sisters in this journey are equally trying to be as faithful to the Spirit that gives them life.
Am I trying to live with the Spirit of Jesus? What makes me most certain that my difficult decisions are guided by God? Do I also give other people the space to be faithful to the gift that the Father has given them?
Reflections by Peter Knox SJ
