Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas
14:15–17
15. If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
CHRYSOSTOM. Our Lord having said, Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that I will do; that they might not think simply asking would be enough, He adds, If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And then I will do what ye ask, seems to be His meaning. Or the disciples having heard Him say, I go to the Father, and being troubled at the thought of it, He says, To love Me, is not to be troubled, but to keep My commandments: this is love, to obey and believe in Him who is loved. And as they had been expressing a strong desire for His bodily presence, He assures them that His absence will be supplied to them in another way: And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter.
AUGUSTINE. (Tract. lxxiv. 4) Wherein He shews too that He Himself is the Comforter. Paraclete means advocate, and is applied to Christ: We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (1 John 2:1)
ALCUIN. Paraclete, i. e. Comforter. They had then one Comforter, who comforted and elevated them by the sweetness of His miracles, and His preaching.
DIDYMUS. (Didym. De Spiritu Sancto.) But the Holy Ghost was another Comforter: differing not in nature, but in operation. For whereas our Saviour in His office of Mediator, and of Messenger1, and as High Priest, made supplication for our sins; the Holy Ghost is a Comforter in another sense, i. e. as consoling our griefs. But do not infer from the different operations of the Son and the Spirit, a difference of nature. For in other places we find the Holy Spirit performing the office of intercessor2 with the Father, as, The Spirit Himself intercedeth for us. (Rom. 8:26) And the Saviour, on the other hand, pours consolation into those hearts that need it: as in Maccabees, He strengthened those of the people that were brought low. (1 Macc. 14:15)
CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxiv. 2) He says, I will ask the Father, to make them believe Him: which they could not have done, had He simply said, I will send.
AUGUSTINE. (contra Serm. Arrian. c. xix.) Yet to shew that His works are inseparable from His Father’s, He says below, When I shall go, I will send Him unto you.
CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxiv) But what had He more than the Apostles, if He could only ask the Father to give others the Spirit? The Apostles did this often even without praying.
ALCUIN. I will ask—He says, as being the inferior in respect of His humanity—My Father, with Whom I am equal and consubstantial in respect of My Divine nature.
CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxv. 1) That He may abide with you for ever. The Spirit does not depart even at death. He intimates too that the Holy Ghost will not suffer death, or go away, as He has done. But that the mention of the Comforter might not lead them to expect another incarnation, a Comforter to be seen with the eye, He adds, Even the Spirit of truth, Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him.
AUGUSTINE. (Tract. lxxiv. 1) This is the Holy Ghost in the Trinity, Whom the Catholic faith professes to be consubstantial and coeternal with the Father and the Son.
CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxv. 1) The Spirit of truth He calls Him, because He unfolds the figures of the Old Testament. The world are the wicked, seeing is certain knowledge; sight being the most certain of the senses.
BEDE. Note too, that when He calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of truth, He shews that the Holy Spirit is His Spirit: then when He says He is given by the Father, He declares Him to be the Spirit of the Father also. Thus the Holy Ghost proceeds both from the Father, and from the Son.
GREGORY. (v. Mor.) The Holy Spirit kindles in every one, in whom He dwells, the desire of things invisible. And since worldly minds love only things visible, this world receiveth Him not, because it rises not to the love of things invisible. In proportion as secular minds enlarge themselves by the spread of their desires, in that proportion they narrow themselves, with respect to admitting Christ.
AUGUSTINE. (Tract. lxxiv. 4) Thus the world, i. e. the lovers of the world, cannot, He says, receive the Holy Spirit: that is to say, unrighteousness cannot be righteous. The world, i. e. the lovers of the world, cannot receive Him, because it seeth Him not. The love of the world hath not invisible eyes wherewith to see that, which can only be seen invisibly. It follows: But ye know Him, for He dwelleth (manebit) with you. And that they might not think this meant a visible dwelling, in the sense in which we use the phrase with respect to a guest, He adds, And shall be in you.
CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxv. 1) As if He said, He will not dwell with you as I have done, but will dwell in your souls.
AUGUSTINE. (Tract. lxxiv. 5) To be in a place is prior to dwelling. Be in you, is the explanation of dwell with you: i. e. shews that the latter means not that He is seen, but that He is known, He must be in us, that the knowledge of Him may be in us. We see the Holy Ghost then in us, in our consciences.
GREGORY. (ii. Mor.) But if the Holy Spirit abides in the disciples, how is it a special mark of the Mediator that He abides in Him. (supr. 1:32. ἐπʼ αὐτὸν) We shall better understand, if we distinguish between the different gifts of the Spirit. In respect of those gifts without which we cannot attain to salvation, the Holy Spirit ever abides in all the Elect: but in respect of those which do not relate to our own salvation, but to the procuring that of others, He does not always abide in them. For He sometimes withdraws His miraculous gifts, that His grace may be possessed with humility. Christ has Him without measure and always.
CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxv. 1) This speech levels at a stroke, as it were, the opposite heresies. The word another, shews the distinct personality of the Spirit: the word Paraclete, His consubstantiality.
AUGUSTINE. (contr. Serm. Arrian. c. xix.) Comforter, the title of the Holy Spirit, the third Person in the Trinity, the Apostle applies to God: God that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us. (2 Cor. 7:6) The Holy Spirit therefore Who comforts those that are cast down, is God. Or if they will have this said by the Apostle of the Father or the Son, let them not any longer separate the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son, in His peculiar office of comforting.
AUGUSTINE. (Tract. lxxiv. c. 1) But when the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us, (Rom. 5:6) how shall we love and keep the commandments of Christ, so as to receive the Spirit, when we are not able to love or to keep them, unless we have received the Spirit? Does love in us go first, i. e. do we so love Christ and keep His commandments as to deserve to receive the Holy Spirit, and to have the love of God the Father shed abroad in our hearts? This is a perverse opinion. For he who does not love the Father, does not love the Son, however he may think he does. (c. 2). It remains for us to understand, that he who loves has the Holy Spirit, and by having Him, attains to having more of Him, and by having more of Him, to loving more. The disciples had already the Spirit which our Lord promised; but they were to be given more of Him: they had Him secretly, they were to receive Him openly. The promise is made both to him who has the Spirit, and to him who has Him not; to the former, that he shall have Him; to the latter, that He shall have more of Him.
CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxv. 1) When He had cleansed His disciples by the sacrifice of His passion, and their sins were remitted, and they were sent forth to dangers and trials, it was necessary that they should receive the Holy Spirit abundantly. But they were made to wait some time for this gift, in order that they might feel the want of it, and so be the more grateful for it when it came.
14:18–21
18. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more: but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
21. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
AUGUSTINE. (Tr. lxxv. 1) That no one might think, because our Lord was about to give the Holy Spirit, that He would therefore not be present Himself in Him, He adds, I will not leave you comfortless. The Greek word ὀρφανοὶ signifies “wards.” Although then the Son of God has made us the adopted sons of the Father, yet here He Himself shews the affection of a Father towards us.
CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxv. 1) At the first He said, Whither I go ye shall come; but as this was a long time off, He promises them the Spirit in the interval. And as they knew not what that was, He promises them that they most desired, His own presence, I will come to you: but intimates at the same time that they are not to look for the same kind of presence over again: Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more: as if He said, I will come to you, but not to live with you every day as I did before. And, I will come to you alone, He says, thus preventing any inconsistency with what He had said to the Jews: Henceforth ye shall not see Me.
AUGUSTINE. (Tr. lxxv. 2) For the world saw Him then with the carnal eye, manifest in the flesh, though it did not see the Word hidden under the flesh. But after the resurrection He was unwilling to shew even His flesh, except to His own followers, whom He allowed to see and to handle it: Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; but ye shall see Me. But, inasmuch as the world, by which are meant all who are aliens from His kingdom, will see Him at the last judgment, it is better perhaps to understand Him here as pointing to that time, when He will be taken for ever from the eyes of the wicked, to be seen thenceforth by those who love Him. A little while, He says, for that which seems a long time to men, is but a moment in the eyes of God.
Because I live, ye shall live also.
THEOPHYLACT. AS if He said, Though I shall die, I shall rise again. And ye shall live also, i. e. when ye see Me risen again, ye will rejoice, and be as dead men brought to life again.
CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxv. 2) To me however he seems to refer not only to the present life, but to the future; as if He said, The death of the cross shall not separate you from Me for ever, but only hide Me from you for a moment.
AUGUSTINE. (Tr. lxxv. 3) But why does He speak of life as present to Him, future to them? Because His resurrection preceded, theirs was to follow. His resurrection was about so soon to take place, that He speaks of it as present; theirs being deferred till the end of the world, He does not say ye live, but ye shall live. Because He lives, therefore we shall live: As by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. (1 Cor. 15:21) It follows: In that day (the day of which He saith, ye shall live also) ye shall know, i. e. whereas now ye believe, then ye shall see, that I am in the Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. For when we shall have attained to that life in which death is swallowed up, then shall be finished that which is now begun by Him, that He should be in us, and we in Him.
CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxv. 2) Or, in that day, on which I shall rise again, ye shall know. For His resurrection it was that established their faith. Then the powerful teaching of the Holy Spirit began. His saying, I am in the Father, expresses His humility; the next, And ye in Me, and I in you, His humanity and God’s assistance to Him. Scripture often uses the same words in different senses, as applied to God and to men.
HILARY. (viii. de Trin) Or He means by this, that whereas He was in the Father by the nature of His divinity, and we in Him by means of His birth in the flesh; He on the other hand should be believed to be in us by the mystery of the Sacrament: as He Himself testified above: Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in Him. (supr. 6:54)
ALCUIN. By love, and the observance of His commandments, that will be perfected in us which He has begun, viz. that we should be in Him, and He in us. And that this blessedness may be understood to be promised to all, not to the Apostles only, He adds, He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me.
AUGUSTINE. (Tract. lxxv. 5) He that hath them in mind, and keepeth them in life; he that hath them in words, and keepeth them in works; he that hath them by hearing, and keepeth them by doing; he that hath them by doing, and keepeth them by persevering, he it is that loveth Me. Love must be shewn by works, or it is a mere barren name.
THEOPHYLACT. As if He said, Ye think that by sorrowing, as ye do, for my death ye prove your affection; but I esteem the keeping of My commandments the evidence of love. And then He shews the privileged state of one who loves: And he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him.
AUGUSTINE. (Tract. lxxv. 5) I will love him, as if now He did not love him. What meaneth this? He explains it in what follows: And will manifest Myself unto him, i. e. I love him so far as to manifest Myself to him; so that, as the reward of his faith, he will have sight. Now He only loves us so that we believe; then He will love us so that we see. And whereas we love now by believing that which we shall see, then we shall love by seeing that which we have believed.
AUGUSTINE. (ad Paul. de videndo Dei, Ep. 112:100, 10) He promises to shew Himself to them that love Him as God with the Father, not in that body which He bore upon earth, and which the wicked saw.
THEOPHYLACT. Or, as after the resurrection He was to appear to them in a body more assimilated to His divinity, that they might not take Him then for a spirit, or a phantom, He tells them now beforehand not to have misgivings upon seeing Him, but to remember that He shews Himself to them as a reward for their keeping His commandments; and that therefore they are bound ever to keep them, that they may ever enjoy the sight of Him.
Catena Aurea John 14
NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)
From: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Philip's Preaching in Samaria
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[5] Philip went down to a city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ. [6] And the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what was said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs which he did. [7] For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice; and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. [8] So there was much joy in that city.
Peter and John in Samaria
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[14] Now when the Apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, [15] who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; [16] for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. [17] Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
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Commentary:
5. This is not Philip the Apostle (1:13) but one of the seven deacons appointed to look after Christians in need (6:5). The Gospel is proclaimed to the Samaritans--who also were awaiting the Messiah. This means that it now spreads beyond the borders of Judea once and for all, and our Lord's promise (Acts 1:8) is fulfilled: "You shall by My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria."
The despised Samaritans became the first to benefit from the Gospel's determination to spread all over the world. We can sense St. Luke's pleasure in reporting its proclamation to the Samaritans; earlier he had already showed them in a favorable light: he is the only Evangelist to recount the parable of the Good Samaritan (cf. Luke 10:30-37) and to mention that the leper who came back to thank Jesus after being cured was a Samaritan (cf. Luke 17:16). On the Samaritans in general, see the note on John 4:20.
14-17. Here we see the Apostles exercising through Peter and John the authority they have over the entire Church. The two Apostles proceed to confirm the disciples recently baptized by Philip: we may presume that in addition to laying their hands on them to communicate the Holy Spirit, the Apostles made sure that they had a correct grasp of the central points of the Gospel message. At this time the Apostles constituted the spiritual center of the Church and took an active interest in ensuring that the new communities were conscious of the links--doctrinal and affective—that united them to the mother community in Jerusalem.
This passage bears witness to the existence of Baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit (or Confirmation) as two distinct sacramental rites. The most important effects Christian Baptism has are the infusion of initial grace and the remission of Original Sin and any personal sin; it is the first sacrament a person receives, which is why it is called the "door of the Church".
There is a close connection between Baptism and Confirmation, so much so that in the early centuries of Christianity, Confirmation was administered immediately after Baptism. There is a clear distinction between these two sacraments of Christian initiation, which helps us understand the different effects they have. A useful comparison is the difference, in natural life, between conception and later growth (cf. "St. Pius V Catechism", II, 3, 5). "As nature intends that all her children should grow and attain full maturity [...], so the Catholic Church, the common mother of all, earnestly wishes that, in those whom she has regenerated by Baptism, the perfection of Christian manhood be completed" ("ibid.", II, 3, 7).
"The nature of the Sacrament of Confirmation," [Pope] John Paul II explains, "grows out of this endowment of strength which the Holy Spirit communicates to each baptized person, to make him or her--as the well-known language of the Catechism puts it--a perfect Christian and soldier of Christ, ready to witness boldly to His resurrection and its redemptive power: 'You shall be My witnesses' (Acts 1:8)" ("Homily", 25 May 1980). "All Christians, incorporated into Christ and His Church by Baptism, are consecrated to God. They are called to profess the faith which they have received. By the Sacrament of Confirmation they are further endowed by the Holy Spirit with special strength to be witnesses of Christ and sharers in His mission of salvation" ("Homily in Limerick", 1 October 1979). "This is a sacrament which in a special way associates us with the mission of the Apostles, in that it inserts each baptized person into the apostolate of the Church" ("Homily in Cracow", 10 June 1979). In the Sacrament of Confirmation divine grace anticipates the aggressive and demoralizing temptations a young Christian man or woman is likely to experience, and reminds them of the fact that they have a vocation to holiness; it makes them feel more identified with the Church, their Mother, and helps them live in accordance with their Catholic beliefs and convictions. From their formative years Christ makes them defenders of the faith.
From: 1 Peter 3:15-18Undeserved Suffering is a Blessing
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[15] But in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence; [16] and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. [17] For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God's will, than for doing wrong.
Christ's Suffering and Glorification
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[18] For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.
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Commentary:
3:13-4:19. The sacred writer now makes a series of appeals designed to give hope to Christians suffering unjustly on account of Jesus' name: he reminds them that every baptized person is called to share in the paschal mystery of Christ, that is, in his sufferings and in his glorification; just as he, after suffering unjustly, was glorified (3:18-22), so too those who now suffer for Christ will have a part in his glorious triumph (4:13-14).
The section begins and ends speaking about the Christian meaning of tribulation (3:13-17 and 4:12-19): trials should not make them feel cowed or ashamed, nor should they come as a surprise; on the contrary, they should fill them with joy and lead them to glorify God for letting them partake in our Lord's suffering.
The Apostle also points to one of the reasons for the misunderstandings they experience: after Baptism they have broken with their previous sinful life and that is something pagans cannot understand (4:1-6). Also, Christians should remember that life is something very transient, and therefore they should practice prayer and charity (4:7-11).
13-17. These verses act as an introduction to the central theme of this section (3:13-4:19). They seem to be directed to people who are surprised to encounter persecution despite doing good (v. 13). Opposition should not dismay them; their calumniators will come to realize their mistake (v. 16).
St Peter's words of advice have a very positive ring about them; they are really an application of the beatitude in which our Lord says, "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven" (Mt 5:11-12).
St Peter's teachings have a perennial value for disciples of Christ, for (as history clearly shows) fidelity to the Master brings with it persecution (cf. Jn 15:18-22; 2 Tim 3:12), sometimes open and violent persecution, sometimes persecution of a more subtle type, in the form of calumny, humiliation and other hazards.
The counsel St Peter gives is very positive in tone--a kind of application of the Beatitude which says, "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven" (Mt 15:11-12).
15. "Reverence Christ as Lord": literally, "Hallow", as in the Our Father. The words imply recognition of the divinity of Jesus Christ: he is called Lord ("Kyrios"), a name proper to God; and they are told to "glorify" or "reverence" him, that is, render him the worship that is due to God alone. Even in the midst of difficulties the entire Christian life should be a hymn of praise to God; by acting in this way, Christians are living out their holy, royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:4-10; cf. Vatican II, "Presbyterorum Ordinis", 1).
"To account for the hope that is in you": he is not referring to defending oneself before the courts, for official persecution had not yet become widespread in Asia Minor (cf. note on 2:11-12). He seems, rather, to be referring to the obligation to bear witness to their faith and hope, for all baptized persons should always, by word and example, make known their faith known to others.
18-22. This passage may include parts of a Creed used in early Christian baptismal instruction. It very clearly expresses the essence of faith in Jesus Christ, as preached from the beginning by the Apostles (cf. Acts 2:14-36; 1 Cor 15:1ff) and as articulated in the Apostles' Creed "He was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty."
Jesus Christ, who suffers for the sins of mankind--"the righteous for the unrighteous"--and then is glorified, gives meaning to the sufferings of Christians. "Oh, how great thanks am I bound to return to you for having shown me and all the faithful the right and good way to your everlasting kingdom! For your life is our life; and by holy patience we walk on to you, who are our crown. If you had not gone before and taught us, who would care to follow? Alas, how many would have stayed afar off and a great way behind if they had not had before their eyes your wonderful example!" ("The Imitation of Christ", 3, 18).
18. "Christ has died for sins once for all": our Lord's sacrifice is unrepeatable (cf. Heb 9:12-28; 10:10) and superabundantly sufficient to obtain the remission of all sins. The fruits of the Cross are applied to man, in a special way, by means of the sacraments, particularly by taking part in the Mass, the unbloody renewal of the sacrifice of Calvary.
"Being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit": there is disagreement among commentators as to what "flesh" and "spirit" mean here. Some identify them with our concepts of body and soul--"dead as regards the body, alive as regards the soul". Others see them as equivalent to the humanity-divinity of our Lord: "dead as far as his human nature is concerned, alive (continues to live) as far as his divinity is concerned". Finally, having regard to the meaning these terms have in the Old Testament the phrase may refer to the earthly condition of our Lord compared with the glorious condition he had after his resurrection; in which case it would be an early form of words used to convey the idea that Jesus Christ, on dying, left his mortal condition behind for ever in order to move into his glorious, immortal state through his resurrection (cf. 1 Cor 15:35-49).
From: John 14:15-21The Promise of the Holy Spirit
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(Jesus said to His disciples,) [15] "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. [16] And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever. [17] even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; you know Him, for He dwells with you, and will be in you.
[18] "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. [19] Yet a little while, and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. [20] In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. [21] He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and manifest Myself to him."
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Commentary:
15. Genuine love must express itself in deeds. "This indeed is love: obeying and believing in the loved one" (St. John Chrysostom, "Hom. on St. John", 74). Therefore, Jesus wants us to understand that love of God, if it is to be authentic, must be reflected in a life of generous and faithful self-giving obedient to the Will of God: he who accepts God's commandments and obeys them, he it is who loves Him (cf. John 14:21). St. John himself exhorts us in another passage not to "love in word or speech but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18), and he teaches us that "this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments" (1 John 5:3).
16-17. On a number of occasions, the Lord promises the Apostles that He will send them the Holy Spirit (cf. 14:26; 15:36; 16:7-14; Matthew 10:20). Here He tells them that one result of His mediation with the Father will be the coming of the Paraclete. The Holy Spirit in fact does come down on the disciples after our Lord's ascension (cf. Acts 2:1-13), sent by the Father and by the Son. In promising here that through Him the father will send them the Holy Spirit, Jesus is revealing the mystery of the Blessed Trinity.
"Consoler": the Greek word sometimes anglicized as "paraclete" means etymologically "called to be beside one" to accompany, to console, protect, defend. Hence the word is translated as Consoler, Advocate, etc. Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as "another Consoler", because He will be given them in Christ's place as Advocate or Defender to help them, since Jesus is going to ascend to Heaven. In 1 John 2:1 Jesus Christ is described as a Paraclete: "We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous". Jesus Christ, then, also is our Advocate and Mediator in Heaven where He is with the Father (cf. Hebrews 7:25). It is now the role of the Holy Spirit to guide, protect and vivify the Church, "for there are, as we know, two factors which Christ has promised and arranged in different ways to continue His mission [...]: the apostolate and the Spirit. The apostolate is the external and objective factor, it forms the material body, so to speak, of the Church and is the source of her visible and social structures. The Holy Spirit acts internally within each person, as well as on the whole community, animating, vivifying, sanctifying" (Pope Paul VI, "Opening Address at the Third Session of Vatican II", 14 September1964).
The Holy Spirit is our Consoler as we make our way in this world amid difficulties and the temptation to feel depressed. "In spite of our great limitations, we can look up to Heaven with confidence and joy: God loves us and frees us from our sins. The presence and the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church are a foretaste of eternal happiness, of the joy and peace for which we are destined by God" (St J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 128).
18-20. At various points in the Supper we can see the Apostles growing sad when the Lord bid them farewell (cf. John 15:16; 16:22). Jesus speaks to them with great tenderness, calling them "little children" (John 13:33) and "friends" (John 15:15), and He promises that He will not leave them alone, for He will send the Holy Spirit, and He Himself will return to be with them again. And in fact He will see them again after the Resurrection when He appears to them over a period of forty days to tell them about the Kingdom of God (cf. Acts 1:3). When He ascends into Heaven they will see Him no longer; yet Jesus still continues to be in the midst of His disciples as He promised He would (cf. Matthew 28:20), and we will see Him face to face in Heaven. "Then it shall be that we will be able to see that which we believe. For even now He is with us, and we in Him [...]; but now we know by believing, whereas then we shall know by beholding.
