Shiju Joseph csc –
Readings: Acts: 15:1-2,22-29; Rev 21:10-14, 22-23; Jn 14:23-29
In the gospel today Jesus attempts to do something very difficult: to explain to the disciples why it will be beneficial for them that he is going away. The disciples were beginning to understand Jesus and enjoy his company, may be even getting a bit attached to his company with them.
And here he is trying to convince them that they should rejoice about his going to the Father. Jesus talks about it as an inevitable reality; that he is not meant to stay there forever. Jesus tries to help them understand that his being with them physically is not as important as his presence with them in Spirit. So he exhorts them to receive peace and keep faith.
The second reading has John seeing the vision of a strange version of the Jerusalem city: a city without a temple. The Jerusalem of the future does not require a temple because God himself is present there. John exhorts his readers to look beyond a temple to discover the presence of God. It is difficult to move beyond customs, practices, images and idols that are familiar to us.
But sometimes, as Jesus and John invite us today, it is important to move beyond the familiar even in our spiritual life. Depending on the physical presence of Jesus and the Jerusalem temple can lead us only to a certain distance in spiritual life. Beyond that we need to learn to let go of the tangibility of Jesus, visibility of a temple/building, and security of devotional practices.
Paul, Barnabas and elders of the early Church understood this, and had no qualms in letting go some of the customs of their ancestors. All that mattered, and all that matter today, is discovering (and leading others to discover) the presence of Christ beyond his physical form, buildings, materials, and traditions.