Immediately after the washing of his feet, John gives three farewell speeches of Jesus to his apostles. They, who lived with him for several months, must now take a step to discover another way to live with the risen and present Jesus, but invisible. Today we read the first of these speeches. As Jesus goes to the Father, He does not perform an individual conquest, but opens the way to our House, which stands not far above us, but in God. I am the way, says Jesus, in me you will see the Father. Christ brings us into the Divine family. Let us not speak of approaching God, as if He were far from us. God is always with us.
This reading prepares us to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The early Christians believed that the return of Jesus, the Parousia, was imminent. This belief was based on Jesus' promise to return to them. John, who writes his Gospel in the 90s, explains it in a different way: Christ, who is the way, the truth, and life, will return to them through the Holy Spirit. For John, this is the Parousia that counts. Because of this certainty that Christ is with them, the disciples do not need to worry or labor about anything. Jesus insists on the need for faith by assuring them that He leaves to prepare a place for them and that He will return for them. There's nothing to be afraid of! Don't let your hearts be troubled!
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