Challenge is a word I have taught both my children and my students to embrace and which I try to emulate in my roles as mother and teacher. It is an ever-evolving word in today’s world. Challenge is oftentimes presented as an individualistic word: one faces challenges head-on, by oneself, with courage and determination.

I would offer, however, that today’s gospel reading offers us comfort in that the challenge of faith is also a collective one. We take on the challenge of living our faith, of testifying our beliefs and bearing witness to the goodness of God because, as a community, we trust in the guidance of the Trinity. I can’t imagine how different it was for the disciples, a community vastly smaller than ours, to face the challenges they knew were coming.

Thus, Jesus provided his disciples, and us, with both a promise and a purpose. An Advocate in the form of the Holy Spirit was gifted to us, to empower, guide, and love us. As an educator, I often advocate on behalf of those I am called to serve and protect. It is both humbling and fulfilling to act as a proponent for another. In doing so, I send the message, “You are not alone.” So it is with the Holy Spirit. We are never alone. We should not be afraid. And with such promise, we solidify our purpose to live and love as Jesus taught us.

In these challenging days, we reach out more purposefully to connect, to consult, and to console our students, family and friends. May we also continue to intentionally reach out to know Jesus’s presence in our lives and to ask the Holy Spirit for the guidance we need to tackle these challenges we face…together.