YOUR SORROW WILL TURN TO JOY

 


FRIDAY, SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER

Act 18:9-18; Ps 47:2-7; Jn 16:20-23

The Holy Spirit of Consolation and Joy

With the ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Church commences the novena to the Holy Spirit in obedience to the injunction of Our Lord to the disciples that they were to remain in Jerusalem for the fulfilment of what the Father promised them. The Father pledged to, and the Lord also promised to send the power from heaven. That the promises are from the Father and the Son is understandable, for the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son. The coming of the Holy Spirit will bring them joy and console them for the departure of the Son of Man. The death of the Son of Man on the cross shattered the hope of the disciples. His resurrection and communion with them for forty days rekindled and strengthened their faith and hope. But his new communion with them was quite different from what they enjoyed before the crucifixion, for he was no longer accessible to the public but only to the faithful. His life, language, and teaching assumed a mystical form they struggled to understand. They had no clear understanding of what his subsequent mission would be or the nature of their relationship with him. In this state, he communicated his final departure into heaven or mystery. The Lord understood their state of mind and promised the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit was already with them, for the Spirit was always in the Son of Man through his ministry on earth. After his resurrection, at his various appearances, he offered them the Holy Spirit. The formal commencement of the ministry of the Holy Spirit with the disciples of the Lord is what he promised would change everything for them. “I tell you most solemnly, you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.” The cause of the disciples’ sorrow is what we have described above: their attachment to the Son of Man, their ignorance of his real mission and the bearing of their lives, the fact that he will leave them, the hatred of the religious leaders in Jerusalem, etc. We all have similar fears: uncertainty about tomorrow, ignorance of our Christian faith and its real meaning for our lives here on earth, ignorance of God’s will for us, little faith and worldly concerns, etc. Nobody is immune from these fears and anxiety. The promise of the Holy Spirit is God coming to our help in our weakness.

The Lord described these fears and worries as characterising our birth process. “A woman in childbirth suffers because her time has come; but when she has given birth to the child, she forgets the suffering in her joy that a man has been born into the world.” The coming of the Holy Spirit ends our birth throes, for he gives birth to our new spiritual self. This new spiritual self is Jesus Christ in us. “So it is with you: you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you.” Before he comes, we are pregnant with spiritual desires and yearning. His coming brings joy and consolation to the spiritually pregnant souls. The alternation of these fears and anxiety with the joy and consolation of the Holy Spirit characterises our spiritual journey into Jesus Christ. Paul was afraid and anxious about what he was to experience in Corinth from the Jews, but the Holy Spirit consoled him. “Do not be afraid to speak out, nor allow yourself to be silenced: I am with you. I have so many people on my side in this city that no one will even attempt to hurt you.” The consolation gladdened his heart and made him spend eighteen months preaching the Gospel in the city. We are full of fears and anxiety sometimes on our journey into the mysteries of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit of consolation and joy comes to us to gladden our hearts and encourage us in our weakness. He fills us to overflowing with spiritual joy.

Let us pray: O God, who restore us to eternal life in the Resurrection of Christ, raise us up, we pray, to the author of our salvation, who is seated at your right hand, so that, when our Saviour comes again in majesty, those you have given new birth in Baptism may be clothed with blessed immortality. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.  

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