Gospel (Jn 16:29-33)

Jesus’ disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure! Now we know that you know all things, and need none to question you; by this we believe that you came from God.”

Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, every man to his home, and will leave me alone; yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Commentary

We are present at the Last Supper as the apostles listen attentively to what our Lord is saying, although they find his meaning had to grasp. This half-understanding may explain their satisfaction when they finally think they have understood Jesus’ words: “Now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure!”

The clear words they hear enable them to trust and believe that Jesus has come from God. But our Lord wants to help them rise above a superficial understanding of faith and reminds them that they have not yet overcome all temptations: “Do you now believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, every man to his home, and will leave me alone.” And he stresses once again that in the world they will encounter struggle and suffering (cf. v. 33).

Jesus’ words point to a truth that we experience almost daily. To keep our faith strong and untarnished, we need to fight against our bad inclinations, against circumstances that sometimes offer values ​​other than those of God, against the temptations of the devil, etc.

But today’s Gospel passage offers us the solution to this problem. Jesus reminds us that the important thing in our struggle is to know that we are closely accompanied by our Father God. Often the most difficult thing is not so much that we have to confront suffering but the fact that we think we have to do so alone and with our own strength.

God’s presence in our hearts will not always alter the difficulties, but it will alter our attitude towards them. Our Lord wants to be present in our lives to grant us a peace that only God knows how to give. Therefore, when we feel most strongly the weight of temptation, Jesus’ words about himself can be a great help to us: “I am not alone, for the Father is with me.”