Gospel (Jn 15.26—16.4) - At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: «When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me; and you also bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. I told you these things so that you don't have to be scandalized. They will drive you out of the synagogues; Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will believe that they are offering worship to God. And they will do this, because they have known neither the Father nor me. But I have told you these things so that when their time comes, you will remember, because I told you."

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

The Lord returns to reassure his disciples: it is true that they will soon separate, but not to stay further apart. The love of Jesus, we could say Christian love, does not end with the end of physical closeness. Jesus himself asks his disciples, after Easter, to confirm one another in faith and to testify to the world the love that united them to him and that continues to guide them in his ways. The love that the Lord pours into their hearts comes down from above; it is not the result of their effort; it is a particular gift from God, and it is an extraordinary love: it multiplies by living it and shrinks until it runs out if it is not practiced. He says to them: «When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me». The Spirit of love that comes from the Father is transmitted to the disciples by the Son. His strength inspires a friendship and affection that binds them in a stable and strong way to the point of making them capable of bearing witness to the same strength of the Spirit. The testimony of this love on the part of the disciples will always arouse opposition and hostility, Jesus warns them, on the part of those who do not know him. And the enemies will try to endanger the very lives of the disciples. It is the sad reality of the persecutions that still affect believers today. But the disciples need not be afraid. The Lord does not abandon his people to their fate. Of course, the disciples still have a great responsibility: that of communicating the Gospel of love to this world of ours so that it turns away from evil and sin and finds the path to salvation.