«If I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you»
M Mons. Vincenzo Paglia
00:00
02:30

Gospel (Jn 16.5-11) - At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: «Now I go to him who sent me and none of you asks me: “Where are you going?”. Indeed, because I told you this, sadness filled your heart. But I tell you the truth: it is good for you that I go away, because if I don't go away, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send it to you. And when he comes, he will demonstrate the guilt of the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will no longer see me; concerning judgment, because the prince of this world is already condemned."

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

For Jesus it is time to inaugurate the time of faith. We must not think that this time is poorer than that of the Apostles. The Holy Spirit poured into the hearts of the disciples decides the time of the Church. It is the Spirit who supports the disciples, who consoles them, comforts them, guards them, enlightens them and makes them capable of communicating the Gospel of love to transform the world. The Spirit will help the disciples in the difficult times they will face. The Spirit “will demonstrate the guilt of the world regarding sin, righteousness, and judgment.” The evangelist imagines it as a great meeting where the evil that operates in the world to destroy it is revealed and unmasked. It is the task that disciples must live by letting themselves be guided by the Spirit. There is a need to consume our eyes in scrutinizing the world and history in the light of the Scriptures, with the help of the Spirit, in order to identify the evil that operates in the world and defeat it, and undertake the paths of love that save the world . It is the serious and fascinating task that Christians still have today: to be prophets who unmask evil and who first of all indicate with their example the path of good. One of them, Archbishop Oscar Romero, still speaks today. He read the dramatic story of his time in the light of the Word of God. Of course, it cost him martyrdom, but his testimony is more precious than ever even today. Faced with the accusations made against him, he replied that he was simply reading the story in the light of the Gospel: «The word is like the ray of sunshine that comes from above and illuminates. What fault does the sun have when its pure light encounters puddles, excrement, rubbish on this earth? It must illuminate these things, otherwise it wouldn't be sun, it wouldn't be light, it wouldn't highlight the ugly, the horrible that exists on earth."