Embracing the Spirit: How Jesus Prepares Us for a Life Beyond This World

Embracing the Spirit:
How Jesus Prepares Us for
a Life Beyond This World

Jesus, praying to his Father in heaven, said, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one.”
(John 17:11-19)

This scripture, from the Gospel of John, takes us back to a time before Jesus’ passion and death on the cross. A time before his betrayal by Judas, his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, and his denial by Peter.

Jesus knows all these things are coming soon and that the time for him to be glorified draws near. But here we find Jesus praying. No, he’s not praying for himself; he is praying for his followers and especially the apostles whom he will send into the world to proclaim his gospel.

Jesus, lifting his eyes to heaven, prayed, “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.” He goes on to say, “I gave them your word, and the world hated them because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.” Then he made the curious statement, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one.”

But why not take them from the world? Why doesn’t Jesus just ask the Father to take them from the evil they will face instead of leaving them here to fight against those who hate them, who we know will eventually torture and kill them? Jesus does this not because he doesn’t care about what will happen to them but because he loves them and wants to give them something better. Something better than anything the world has to offer. Something better that will lead these ordinary men to start a movement that will eventually spread the gospel of Jesus throughout the earth. He wanted to give them something better. He wanted to give them the Holy Spirit.

Jesus told the disciples this just a chapter earlier in John’s Gospel when he said, “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 of course they didn’t understand. They were probably thinking just as we would, what could possibly be better than having Jesus right here physically with us? The ultimate answer to this question can only be understood in the context of the gift of sanctifying grace which we receive through the Sacraments. First, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us at our Baptism and then again in our Confirmation.

In baptism, we are cleansed of our sins and become a part of Jesus’ body, the Church. When we are baptized, the Holy Spirit enters into us, and we are sealed with an indelible spiritual mark as belonging to Christ. Nothing can remove that mark, even our own sinfulness. But through baptism, there is an even deeper relationship we establish with Jesus. Through our baptism, we become a part of Jesus’ family, we become his brother or sister, an adopted child of God the Father, and joint heirs with Christ to the Kingdom of God. Then, our baptismal promises are perfected in Confirmation and the Holy Spirit fills us once again, and just as in Baptism, we receive another indelible spiritual mark on our soul. Through Confirmation, our bond with Jesus and his Church is strengthened and we are more closely united to the mission of the Church to bear witness to the Christian faith both in words and in deeds.

In Confirmation, we truly receive that same Holy Spirit that the Apostles received at Pentecost. Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, God places in us everything we need to go and proclaim the gospel to the world in all that we do and say. This gift of the Holy Spirit is what Jesus is talking about when he said, “It is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.”

In the difficult times of our life, let us never forget that through the Holy Spirit, we are part of Jesus’ Family, and he is sharing his life and love with us and desires that we live the life he is calling us to live, a life Through Him, With Him, and In Him. In living this life, we will be living the life Jesus wanted for the Apostles and wants for us today. A life more amazing than we can imagine, a life in the Holy Spirit, a life that helps us understand why Jesus could possibly say, “It is better for you that I go.”

We celebrate the Feast of St. Isidore on May 15th, the patron Saint of farmers. St. Isidore was born in Madrid, Spain, in the year 1070. He lived very humbly, working most of his life as a farm laborer. Many miracles were attributed to his prayers both during his life of work in the fields as well as after his death. He sometimes had visions of heaven, and it is said that the angels even helped him in his work on the farm.

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, through the intercession of St. Isidore, the holy and humble farmer, grant that we may overcome all feelings of pride and surrender ourselves to the Lord, seeking to serve Jesus and his Church and live according to the call he has placed in each of our hearts.

St. Isidore the Farmer, pray for us!

Amen.