Daily Gospel Reflection

Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.

May 16, 2023

Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Jn 16:5-11
Listen to the Audio Version

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.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”

Reflection

Mikey Lamb '14
Share a Comment

If someone important in my life told me they were leaving, one of the first questions I would ask is, “Where are you going?” What kept the disciples from asking this obvious question?

Jesus explains that “It is better for you that I go.” Seeing the sorrow within the disciples at the thought of his absence, Jesus reassures them that his departure is necessary for the Advocate to come to them.

I can only imagine how cryptic and challenging these words must have been for the disciples. How is losing someone you love, follow, and believe in beneficial? How is it better to substitute a Jesus you can see, hear, and feel with an ambiguous “Advocate”?

Putting myself in the disciples’ shoes, I know that my sorrow would be rooted in a selfish desire to keep Jesus physically present in my world for myself. My fear and confusion about substituting a physical Jesus for one I must seek within myself would draw me to sullen silence.

And yet, isn’t this a similar selfish and fearful mindset that I currently use to keep Jesus safely within the confines of my person, unknown to those around me? Am I limiting Jesus by prioritizing my interests instead of his, pushing the Advocate away?

Through the Advocate, Jesus is always present with us. With time, the disciples realized that they didn’t have to rely on the constraints of a physical Jesus. They learned how small their ideas were compared to God’s.

I pray we may all shift away from the fear and selfishness of our immediate desires and instead open ourselves to the movements of the Advocate within and ask Jesus, “Where are you going?” so that we might follow.

Prayer

Rev. Herbert Yost, C.S.C.

Jesus, you tell us that the ruler of the world has no power over you. Oh, to have that freedom! We are too enslaved by appearances and the expectations of others. It wears down our spirits. Loving God our Father, doing God’s will, and knowing that we are beloved of you and the Father—ah—there is true peace. May we have more of your peace and less of the world’s in our lives. Amen.

Saint of the Day

St. Brendan

St. Brendan is one of the great saints of Ireland. He is most famous for being the main character in the fantastic Irish sea-tale, the Navigatio, which tells of Brendan and 60 followers embarking on a voyage to find the "Isle of the Blessed"—the Garden of Eden, or paradise.

Brendan certainly was a real person, and it is possible that he even travelled with some followers to spread the good news. He was born in Tralee on the west coast of Ireland and was educated and befriended by several of the other saints of Ireland. He was ordained a priest and shortly afterwards gathered some followers and established a common life with them in a monastery.

The monastery he founded in Clonfert in 559 grew to include some 3,000 monks. It is said that an angel dictated to him the rule that guided that community.

It is possible that his travels took him to some of the British Isles. His Navigatio suggests that he even reached the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa.

His image is used here with permission from Catholic.org. A stained glass window dedicated to him colors the chapel in Dillon Hall—it depicts three yellow birds from the Canary Islands.

As we follow God on our journey of discipleship, let us ask Brendan for his boldness in following God beyond the borders of our own maps for our lives.

St. Brendan, your faith led you to great adventures at the ends of the known world—pray for us!