“It Is
Better for You That I Go” by Melanie Rigney
(After the earthquake, the jailer brought
out Paul and Silas) and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they
said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved.” (Acts 16:30-31)
Your right hand saves me, O
Lord. (Psalm 138:7c)
Jesus said to his disciples: “Now I am going to the one who
sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I told
you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth; it is better
for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But
if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:5-7)
Piety
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of
us Your faithful and kindle in us the fire of Your love. Send forth Your
Spirit, and we shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructs the hearts of the faithful, grant, that by the same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolations, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructs the hearts of the faithful, grant, that by the same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolations, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Study
Change. It’s never easy.
Of course, the disciples see Jesus’s looming departure as a
Bad Thing. Why should they care where He’s going? They know it’s away from
them, and they love Him. They mostly trust Him. They’ve gotten used to Him
being around. His departure is not only going to grieve them, but it’s also going
to upset life as they’ve lived it for the past three years. Who will decide
where they will go? Who will lead them? Who will teach them? What will become
of them?
We do the same thing, of course. When someone dies or moves
away, it’s natural for us to wonder how this absence will change our lives.
Change. It’s never easy.
In what world, you can hear the disciples thinking, would we
be better off without Him? But He has promised them they will be. That’s
because the Advocate in the form of the Holy Spirit will come—and be with them
always. Of course, they didn’t understand at the time. It’s difficult for us to
understand with two thousand years of Sacred Tradition. But as we grow in faith
and dependence, we find the Holy Spirit opening our minds, hearts, and souls
just a little more each day.
You see, it truly was better for the disciples that Jesus was
leaving. His earthly work among them was finished. Now, it was time for the
Holy Spirit.
Change. It’s never easy. But it very often is glorious if we
choose to embrace it fearlessly.
Action
Pray with the Holy Spirit today.
Image credit from Pixabay/geralt is: Image by https://pixabay.com/users/geralt-9301/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4664704"
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