“But when he comes, the Spirit of Truth, he will guide you to all truth.” // John 16:13
Telling the truth was something highly ingrained in me from the time I was a little child. The times I remember telling a lie to my parents, they could almost immediately see the truth of the matter in my eyes.
One time my mom made Stove Top Stuffing for part of dinner (that stuff tastes horrible, am I right?!) and I couldn’t stomach eating it. As I scraped my food into the garbage bin when mom briefly left the kitchen, I knew it was wrong to do. When she came back to the kitchen and asked if I finished my dinner, I burst into tears, unable to keep the lie up.
The Holy Spirit and our human conscience are ways God guides us to tell the truth.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is preparing His disciples for the time when He will no longer be with them on earth. Jesus is more or less saying, “Hey guys, listen up! My time with you here is limited. There is so much more I have to share with and teach you, when the Holy Spirit comes to you, He will guide you to all truth. He will point you back to Me and My Father.”
The Holy Spirit helps guide us and point us toward the truth, just as was the case for the early disciples. Sometimes it feels difficult or confusing to see or understand the truth in the world around us.
However, the Holy Spirit will always be the spiritual backbone we can rely upon.
Are there areas in your life or spaces in your heart where you need the light and guidance of the Spirit? Open yourself up to the Spirit’s guiding presence and join me in praying this prayer to the Holy Spirit:
Come Holy Spirit, guide me to all truth.
Come Holy Spirit, guide me to all truth.Click to tweet
Patty Breen serves as Ministry Formation Manager of Ascension Health and writes online in several different spaces. Her loves include CrossFit, writing and speaking, strong cups of coffee, Ignatian spirituality, and loving on her godchildren, niece, and nephew. Patty is passionate about messy and deep conversations at the intersection of faith, culture, and ministry. Find out more about her here.
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