Gospel reading: John 16.5-11
[Jesus said] ‘But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.’
Reflections
Jesus is giving his farewell discourse to his disciples, before he is betrayed and arrested.
It is a final opportunity to teach them about his Father and the kingdom of God, and there sounds a note of sadness in his voice when he says, ‘I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” ‘
It is an echo of the sorrow that he recognises has filled the disciples’ hearts. He also recognises how hard it is to respond coherently when in desolation; how hard it is to know what is needed and what to ask.
But he is always so ready to answer our prayers: ‘Ask, and it will be given to you’. His reply or the gift we receive might be oblique. The answer might be silence. We might not recognise that we have been answered. But it is always fitting, always what is needed when it is needed.
Is it still the case that no-one asks? What should I be asking now? In this season as Ascension and Pentecost draw near, I will simply ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank you.
-oOo-
Since April 2020, I have been jointly hosting a shared Lectio Divina group on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings. These are my reflections only, during the prayer session and as I wrote them up. Please see my separate commentary and leaflet for more information about shared Lectio.
