Fr Paul reads from John’s Gospel (15:26 – 16:4) in which Jesus says when the Holy Spirit comes, he will be my witness and you, too, will be my witnesses.

Fr Paul says, as happened all last week, Jesus is speaking to his disciples.  He is preparing them for taking over the mission that he has begun.  He is outlining some of the challenges the disciples will face.

Amid the challenges that Jesus talks of, like persecution, Jesus promises his followers that the Holy Spirit will come. This Holy Spirit will come from God and will be the backbone, the mainstay, of the Christian movement going forward.

This Spirit will make clear to the disciples the truth of the message of Jesus. The Spirit is a witness to this truth. The Spirit will also give the disciples the strength to confront opposition and to speak out bravely.

Mindful of the Gospel’s message, for our reflection today, Fr Paul says being a Christian is not easy, but we will always have the Holy Spirit with us to strengthen us.