For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you

7 MAY (Jn 16,5-11)

Never has such a Word been announced in Ancient Scripture. In times past it was always the Lord who gave the Spirit, making him lay on the person of his choice. To manifest the communion in the government of the Lord’s people and the unity in its tending, in the desert, God took some of the spirit of Moses and laid it on the seventy elders. Moses was not dead. He was still alive.

So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. Gathering seventy elders of the people, he had them stand around the tent. The Lord then came down in the cloud and spoke to him. Taking some of the spirit that was on Moses, he bestowed it on the seventy elders; and as the spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied. Now two men, one named Eldad and the other Medad, were not in the gathering but had been left in the camp. They too had been on the list, but had not gone out to the tent; yet the spirit came to rest on them also, and they prophesied in the camp. When a young man quickly told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp,” Joshua, son of Nun, who from his youth had been Moses’ aide, said, “Moses, my lord, stop them.” But Moses answered him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! Would that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all!” Then Moses retired to the camp, along with the elders of Israel. (Num 11,24-30).

Why is it necessary for Jesus to go away, so that the Paraclete comes to us? What is the reason of faith or theology that is at the foundation of this truth of Jesus? It is not Lord God who takes a part of the Spirit that is on Jesus in order to pour it out on the disciples? The reason of faith exists and it is revealed by the Apostle John. The Holy Spirit, that the Father pours out upon us is that produced by Jesus on the cross. Not the Spirit that is upon Him is what is taken, as it was done for Moses, but the Spirit which is produced by him. It is one of his fruits. It is the fruit of his obedience unto death on the Cross.

Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, for the Sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may (come to) believe. For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fulfilled: “Not a bone of it will be broken.” And again another passage says: “They will look upon him whom they have pierced.” (Jn 19,31-37).

This truth reveals us the current mode of the outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord. The Spirit of truth, conversion, faith must be a product of a disciple of Jesus. It is a product of his obedience to the Gospel, to the Word of salvation. If the disciple Jesus does not produce the Holy Spirit, in the manner of Jesus on the cross, no conversion takes place and no faith is born in our hearts.

But 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. 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. And when he comes he 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. Coming of the Advocate

It is the Holy Spirit that Jesus produced that is given to the disciples. That is why he must die on the cross. It is the cross the only tree that produces the Holy Spirit. Descended upon the disciples, from the disciples the Holy Spirit bears witness to the truth of Lord Jesus. The world no longer has any excuse for its unbelief; however, always provided, that the disciple of Jesus is like Christ, a real producer and a real tree of Holy Spirit. Today, this truth is totally ignored, disregarded and the world remains in its disbelief.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us live of only obedience.