Breaking the Word

  "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. (Jn 16:12-15)

The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth. The work he does in today’s reading is to guide the disciples to all truth. What is ‘all truth’? Interestingly ‘all truth’ is described in the following word of the reading. ‘All truth’ is Jesus himself. Because, the Spirit of truth will take from Jesus and declare to the disciples. He will glorify Jesus. He will be also declare the things that will take place.

Everything that the Father has is mine says Jesus. Thus he links the Father and the Spirit with his life and work. All what Father has, belongs to Jesus and the Spirit will take from Jesus and declare it to the disciples. So, the works and the life of the three persons: The Father, The Son and The Spirit are inter-linked.

It is not that one has worked and the other has not. Of the three persons each one has a role to play and it is done to its perfection. Even though Jesus has not said everything to his disciples because they would not be able to bear it yet the work never remains undone. The work is completed by the Spirit. The work of the three persons seems to be complementary and yet it is total (all truth)

  But 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. Coming of the Advocate (Jn 16:5-11)

The advocate will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation. So the Holy Spirit comes in to the world with a purpose. The purpose is clear and his work is threefold. He will tell the world what is sin and what is righteousness who is condemned.

Sin is clearly said as not believing in Jesus. The Holy Spirit does not go around the world explaining the different moral sins and the types of sin and the seriousness of sin. These are there and there are people who go around doing this. The Holy Spirit has been sent in to the world to show to the world there is only one sin, which may be the sin of all sins, and that is, not believing in Jesus.

The Holy Spirit will demonstrate that the righteousness is with Jesus. Righteousness is with Jesus because he is going back to the Father. Jesus was sent by the Father with a specific mission and he has completed the mission and now he is going back, and he will not be seen anymore. So righteousness is in returning to the Father. (It could be for us as well)

The Holy Spirit condemns the ruler of this world. The ruler of this world is the evil power. The power that works against Jesus and that destroys the disciples and turns the disciples away from Jesus.