Today is Day 36 of our reflections on the Gospel of John.  Thanks so much for joining us!  Find us on our website at www.markandkatiemartinez.com.

A Reflection on John 16:1-15

“I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” (v 12)

Without the Spirit, we are spiritually immature. There are things we cannot bear. Like Peter, when pressed, we will deny our beloved Lord.

Sometimes, we can’t feel Jesus’ presence. In those moments, we are desolate, frustrated, angry even. Why does He leave? Why can He not stay with us always? And yet we know, we see, there is no growth without pain. We come to understand that if we were to constantly be fed by our Lord, like spiritual infants, we would not mature.

Come, Holy Spirit! We know we are weak. We know that without You, we cannot grow in intimacy with Jesus. Without You, we will deny, we will reject. You alone can transform our hearts.  Our human hearts are not able to love as Jesus loves, but you can transform us. You can take our stony hearts and make them soft flesh. And instead of being thrown about by the wind, you will anchor our hearts to Christ. You attach us to Him. We know in our hearts that He alone can satisfy our heart’s desire. But we don’t always know how to let Him. We don’t know how to grow. Like the seed in the field, we cannot make ourselves grow in this way. But with you, we can. With you, we can be who the Father has created us to be. With you, we can truly love those He has given us to love. With you, we can be transformed into a new creation in Christ.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I give you permission to come into my heart. Transform it. Give me the gift of fortitude for the things I cannot bear. Thank you, Jesus, for sending me your Spirit, so that I may grow as the Father desires.

Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved worldwide.