The Homily of Deacon James, BMC (on John 16:23-28, Acts 18:23-28)

< GOD, Invisible Perfect Presence >

    Have you ever tried writing your last will? In some Diocese, priests have to leave their last will as testaments and renew them every year. Although religious people who don’t prepare their last words in written statements, every night they pray for the restful night and peaceful death. Especially for members of the Clerical Congregation of the Blessed Korean Martyrs, we remember founder’s hymn on vesper ‘A sleep is a death, a nightdress a gravecloth and a bed is a grave’. In other words, we can say that we all God’s people are needed to be well prepared for the time of own death which is up to the will of God.

    What is supposed to be the last words of our Lord Jesus Christ? ‘In to Your hand I commend my spirit, I thirst, or It is done’ What do you think? In the secular point of view those answers can make sense. For me I believe that Jesus announced His last will from today’s Gospel. Following the context of Gospel according to Saint John, Jesus prays for Himself and His disciples to the Father after saying this message from today’s Gospel until He is finally arrested. Since He has known the moment of His death, Jesus might have been tried to leave His last words on the very right time.

    Today’s Gospel is about Trinity God. He never mentioned directly about ‘three in one’ or ‘one in three’ from today’s words, we need to see His intention of saying, “Ask the Father in my name”, “Father himself loves you, because you have loved me”, or “I came from the Father and I am going back to the Father”. And He has been talking on the advocate up to the moment just before He mentioned these.

    Tomorrow Church celebrates the solemnity of the ascension of the Lord. And she proclaims about Trinity from today’s Gospel just one day before the glorious time. Maybe the Church is trying to say that we should be prepared enough for the moment of an absence of Jesus after He goes back to the Father. Prepare for what? That is receiving Holy Spirit. He will take place of Jesus, help us to ask the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, and Father will give us whatever it might be.

    We see a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria spoke and taught accurately about Jesus with ardent spirit from the 1st reading, although he knew only the baptism of John. The reason that he could vigorously proclaim the truth of Lord Jesus Christ is deriving from the assistance of Holy Spirit. Jesus has been crucified, died, and buried, however, apostles could not feel any lackness or absence because of their belief and witness in the beautiful working of Triune God.

    Jesus said that the hour is coming from today’s Gospel when He no longer speaks to us in figures but clearly indicates the Father. Though none of us knows when that hour shall be, yet it is graceful for us to recall Jesus’ last will which is left behind His arresting to death. Try not to find imminent unseeing Lord from the world but Just feel the invisible God among you; the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit because He is always staying with us. So please ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

“O chosen people, proclaim the mighty works of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light(cf. 1Peter 2:9).” Alleluia!