6th Week of Easter: Sunday, 26th May 2019

Chapters14-16 of John’s Gospel, from which today’s Gospel reading is taken are bracketed by the opening and closing verses: “Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God and trust in me” (14:1). Be brave I have overcome the world (16:33).

Jesus is facing his death, which he knows will be a rather traumatic experience for his disciples, so in his teaching during the last Supper in John’s gospel he, offers them several words of great encouragement especially in these two chapters. “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” (14:28) “you will be sorrowful but your sorrow will turn to joy” (Jn 14:20). His teaching is also full of encouraging promises.

Our God does not appear to human sight. He is rather a God who promises, beginning with the mysterious promise of a saviour given in Genesis 3:15 and repeated in various forms throughout the Old Testament.

As the Promised one, Jesus is the fulfilment of all God’s promises and offered his disciples several important promises and thus strengthened his words of encouragement for them.

In our modern very broken world we need to take Jesus’ encouragement and promises to heart and  with him become channels of hope for our future.

O God, May our hearts always be lit by your radiant glory and may Jesus, the Lamb of God and light of the world, unfailingly light our pathway through life. (cf. Apoc. 21:23).