“Stand firm in your faith!”  We have just heard the words of Jesus:  “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth” (Jn 14:15-17a).  With these words Jesus reveals the profound link between faith and the profession of Divine Truth, between faith and dedication to Jesus Christ in love, between faith and the practice of a life inspired by the commandments.  All three dimensions of faith are the fruit of the action of the Holy Spirit.  This action is manifested as an inner force that harmonizes the hearts of the disciples with the Heart of Christ and makes them capable of loving as he loved them.  Hence faith is a gift, but at the same time it is a task.

“He will give you another Counsellor – the Spirit of truth.”  Faith, as knowledge and profession of the truth about God and about man, “comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ”, as Saint Paul says (Rom 10:17).  Throughout the history of the Church, the Apostles preached the word of Christ, taking care to hand it on intact to their successors, who in their turn transmitted it to subsequent generations until our own day.  Many preachers of the Gospel gave their lives specifically because of their faithfulness to the truth of the word of Christ.  And so solicitude for the truth gave birth to the Church’s Tradition.  As in past centuries, so also today there are people or groups who obscure this centuries-old Tradition, seeking to falsify the Word of Christ and to remove from the Gospel those truths which in their view are too uncomfortable for modern man.  They try to give the impression that everything is relative:  even the truths of faith would depend on the historical situation and on human evaluation.  Yet the Church cannot silence the Spirit of Truth.  The successors of the Apostles, together with the Pope, are responsible for the truth of the Gospel, and all Christians are called to share in this responsibility, accepting its authoritative indications.  Every Christian is bound to confront his own convictions continually with the teachings of the Gospel and of the Church’s Tradition in the effort to remain faithful to the word of Christ, even when it is demanding and, humanly speaking, hard to understand.  We must not yield to the temptation of relativism or of a subjectivist and selective interpretation of Sacred Scripture.  Only the whole truth can open us to adherence to Christ, dead and risen for our salvation.

Christ says:  “If you love me ... ”  Faith does not just mean accepting a certain number of abstract truths about the mysteries of God, of man, of life and death, of future realities.  Faith consists in an intimate relationship with Christ, a relationship based on love of him who loved us first (cf. 1 Jn 4:11), even to the total offering of himself.  “God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).  What other response can we give to a love so great, if not that of a heart that is open and ready to love?  But what does it mean to love Christ?  It means trusting him even in times of trial, following him faithfully even on the Via Crucis, in the hope that soon the morning of the Resurrection will come.  Entrusting ourselves to Christ, we lose nothing, we gain everything.  In his hands our life acquires its true meaning.  Love for Christ expresses itself in the will to harmonize our own life with the thoughts and sentiments of his Heart.  This is achieved through interior union based on the grace of the Sacraments, strengthened by continuous prayer, praise, thanksgiving and penance.  We have to listen attentively to the inspirations that he evokes through his Word, through the people we meet, through the situations of daily life.  To love him is to remain in dialogue with him, in order to know his will and to put it into effect promptly.

Yet living one’s personal faith as a love-relationship with Christ also means being ready to renounce everything that constitutes a denial of his love.  That is why Jesus said to the Apostles:  “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  But what are Christ’s commandments?  When the Lord Jesus was teaching the crowds, he did not fail to confirm the law which the Creator had inscribed on men’s hearts and had then formulated on the tablets of the Decalogue.  “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets;  I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them.  For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished” (Mt 5:17-18).  But Jesus showed us with a new clarity the unifying centre of the divine laws revealed on Sinai, namely love of God and love of neighbour:  “To love [God] with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mk 12:33).  Indeed, in his life and in his Paschal Mystery Jesus brought the entire law to completion.  Uniting himself with us through the gift of the Holy Spirit, he carries with us and in us the “yoke” of the law, which thereby becomes a “light burden” (Mt 11:30).  In this spirit, Jesus formulated his list of the inner qualities of those who seek to live their faith deeply:  Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who weep, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for justice, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake ... (cf. Mt 5:3-12).

Dear brothers and sisters, faith as adherence to Christ is revealed as love that prompts us to promote the good inscribed by the Creator into the nature of every man and woman among us, into the personality of every other human being and into everything that exists in the world.  Whoever believes and loves in this way becomes a builder of the true “civilization of love”, of which Christ is the centre.  Twenty-seven years ago, in this place, Pope John Paul II said:  “Poland has become nowadays the land of a particularly responsible witness” (Warsaw, 2 June 1979).  I ask you now, cultivate this rich heritage of faith transmitted to you by earlier generations, the heritage of the thought and the service of that great Pole who was Pope John Paul II.  Stand firm in your faith, hand it down to your children, bear witness to the grace which you have experienced so abundantly through the Holy Spirit in the course of your history.  May Mary, Queen of Poland, show you the way to her Son, and may she accompany you on your journey towards a happy, peace-filled future.  May your hearts never be wanting in love for Christ and for his Church.  Amen!

[Pope Benedict, homily, Warsaw, 26 May 2006]

In the previous reflection on the Holy Spirit we began with John's text of Jesus' farewell discourse. In a certain way this is the principal gospel source of pneumatology. Jesus announced the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who "proceeds from the Father" (Jn 15:26). He will be sent by the Father to the apostles and the Church in Christ's name, by virtue of the redemption effected in the sacrifice of the cross, according to the eternal plan of salvation. In the power of this sacrifice the Son also "sends" the Spirit, for he announced that the spirit will come as a consequence, and at the price of his own departure (cf. Jn 16:7). There is a connection stated by Jesus himself between his death-resurrection-ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, between the Pasch and Pentecost. Indeed, according to the fourth Gospel, the giving of the Holy Spirit took place on the very evening of Easter Sunday (cf. Jn 20:22-25). It may be said that the wound in Christ's side on the cross opened the way for the outpouring of the Spirit, which will be a sign and a fruit of the glory obtained though the passion and death. 

We learn from Jesus' discourse in the upper room that he called the Holy Spirit the "Paraclete": "I will pray the Father, and he will send you another Paraclete, to be with you forever" (Jn 14:16). Similarly we read in other texts: "the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit" (cf. Jn 14:16; 15:26; 16:7). Instead of "Paraclete" many translations use the word "Counselor." That term is acceptable, though it is necessary to have recourse to the original Greek word Parakletos to grasp the full meaning of what Jesus says about the Holy Spirit. 

Parakletos means literally, "one who is called or appealed to" (from para-kalein, "to call to one's assistance"). He is therefore the defender," "the advocate," as well as the "mediator" who fulfills the function of intercessor. It is this meaning of "advocate-defender" that now interests us, while not forgetting that some Fathers of the Church use Parakletos in the sense of "Counselor" particularly in reference to the Holy Spirit's action in regard to the Church. For the present we shall speak of the Holy Spirit as the Paraclete-Advocate-Defender. This term enables us to grasp the close relationship between Christ's action and that of the Holy Spirit, as can be seen from a further analysis of John's text. 

When Jesus in the upper room, on the eve of his passion, announced the coming of the Holy Spirit, he did so in the following terms: "The Father will give you another Paraclete." These words indicate that Christ himself is the first Paraclete, and that the Holy Spirit's action will be like that of Christ and in a sense prolong it. 

Jesus Christ, indeed, was the "defender" and remains such. John himself will say so in his First Letter: "If anyone does sin, we have an advocate (parakletos) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 Jn 2:1). 

The advocate (defender) is he who, taking the part of those who are guilty because of sin committed, defends them from the penalty due to their sins, and saves them from the danger of losing eternal life and salvation. This is precisely what Jesus Christ did. The Holy Spirit is called the Paraclete because he continues Christ's redemptive work which freed us from sin and eternal death. 

The Paraclete will be "another advocate-defender" also for a second reason. Remaining with Christ's disciples, he will watch over them with his omnipotent power. "I will pray the Father," Jesus said, "and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you forever" (Jn 14:16). "He dwells in you, and will be in you" (Jn 14:16). This promise must be taken together with the others made by Jesus when going to the Father: "I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28:20). We know that Christ is the Word who "became flesh and dwelt among us" (Jn 1:14). When going to the Father he said: "I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28:20). It follows that the apostles and the Church must continually find, by means of the Holy Spirit, that presence of the Word-Son which, during his earthly mission, was physical and visible in his incarnate humanity, but which, after his ascension to the Father, is completely immersed in mystery. The Holy Spirit's presence which, as Jesus said, is interior to souls and to the Church ("He dwells with you, and will be in you": Jn 14:17), will make the invisible Christ present in a lasting manner "until the end of the world." The transcendent unity of the Son and the Holy Spirit will ensure that Christ's humanity, assumed by the Word, will be present at work wherever the trinitarian plan of salvation is being put into effect through the power of the Father. 

The Holy Spirit-Paraclete will be the advocate-defender of the apostles, and of all those down through the centuries in the Church who will be the heirs of their witness and apostolate. This is especially so in difficult moments when they are tested to the point of heroism. This was Jesus' prophecy and promise: "They will deliver you up to councils...you will be dragged before governors and kings.... When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say...for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you" (Mt 10:17-20; likewise Mk 13:11; Lk 12:12 says: "for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what you ought to say"). 

Even in this very practical sense the Holy Spirit is the Paraclete-Advocate. He is close and even present to the apostles when they must profess the truth, justify it and defend it. He himself then inspires them. He himself speaks through their words, and together with them and through them he bears witness to Christ and his Gospel. Before their accusers he becomes the invisible advocate of the accused, by the fact that he acts as their counselor, defender and supporter. 

Especially during persecutions in all ages, those words of Jesus in the upper room are verified: "When the Paraclete comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father...he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning" (Jn 15:26-27). 

The action of the Holy Spirit is that of "bearing witness." It is an interior, "immanent" action in the hearts of the disciples, who then bear witness to Christ externally. Through that immanent presence and action, the transcendent power of the truth of Christ who is the Word-Truth and Wisdom, is manifested and advances in the world. From him, through the Spirit, the apostles obtained the power to bear witness according to his promise: "I will give you a mouth of wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict" (Lk 21:15). This happened already in the case of the first martyr Stephen, of whom we read in the Acts of the Apostles that he was "full of the Holy Spirit" (6:5). His adversaries "could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke" (Acts 6:10). Also in the following centuries the opponents of the Christians continued to rage against the heralds of the Gospel. At times they stifled the Christians' voice in their blood, but without succeeding in suffocating the truth of which they were the messengers. That truth continued to flourish in the world through the power of the Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit—the Spirit of truth, the Paraclete—is he who according to the words of Christ, "will convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment" (Jn 16:8). Jesus' own explanation of these terms is significant: "Sin" signifies the lack of faith that Jesus met with among "his own," those of his own people who arrived at the point of condemning him to death on a cross. In speaking of "righteousness," Jesus seems to have in mind that definitive righteousness which the Father will confer upon him ("...because I go to the Father") in the resurrection and ascension into heaven. In this context "judgment" means that the Spirit of truth will demonstrate the guilt of the world in rejecting Christ, or more generally, in turning its back upon God. Because Christ did not come into the world to judge and condemn it but to save it, then in actual fact that "convincing the world of sin" on the part of the Spirit of truth must be understood as an intervention directed to the salvation of the world, to the ultimate good of humanity. 

"Judgment" refers particularly to the "prince of this world," namely, Satan. From the very beginning he tried to turn the work of creation against the covenant and union of man with God: knowingly he opposes salvation. Therefore, he "is already judged" from the beginning, as I explained in the encyclical Dominum et Vivificantem (n. 27). 

If the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, is to convince the world precisely of this "judgment," undoubtedly he does so to continue Christ's work aimed at universal salvation. 

We can therefore conclude that in bearing witness to Christ, the Paraclete is an assiduous (though invisible) advocate and defender of the work of salvation, and of all those engaged in this work. He is also the guarantor of the definitive triumph over sin and over the world subjected to sin, in order to free it from sin and introduce it into the way of salvation.

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience, 24 May 1989]

This Sunday’s Gospel passage (cf. Jn 14:15-21) presents two messages: observance of the commandments and the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus links love for him to observance of the commandments, and he insists on this in his farewell discourse: “If you love me, then you will keep my commandments” (v. 15); “He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me” (v. 21). Jesus asks us to love him, but explains: this love does not end in a desire for him, or in a feeling, no; it demands the willingness to follow his way, that is, the will of the Father. And this is summarized in the commandment of mutual love — the first love [in its fulfillment] — given by Jesus himself: “even as I have loved you, that  you also  love one another” (Jn 13:34). He did not say, ‘Love me as I have loved you’, but ‘love one another as I have loved you’. He loves us without asking us to do the same in return. Jesus’ love is a gratuitous love; he never asks for the same in return. And he wants this gratuitous love of his to become the concrete form of life among us: this is his will.

To help the disciples walk this path, Jesus promises to pray for the Father to send “another Counselor” (v. 16), that is, a Consoler, a Defender, who will take his place and give them the intelligence to listen and the courage to observe his words. This is the Holy Spirit, who is the Gift of God’s love that descends into the heart of the Christian. After Jesus has died and risen, his love is given to those who believe in him and are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit himself guides them, enlightens them, strengthens them, so that everyone may walk in life, even through adversity and difficulty, in joys and sorrows, remaining on Jesus’ path. This is possible precisely by remaining docile to the Holy Spirit, so that, through his presence at work in us, he may not only console but transform hearts, opening them up to truth and love.

Faced with the experience of error and sin — which we all do — the Holy Spirit helps us not to succumb and enables us to grasp and fully live the meaning of Jesus’ words: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (v. 15). The commandments are not given to us as a kind of mirror in which to see the reflection of our miseries, our inconsistencies. No, they are not like that. The Word of God is given to us as the Word of life, which transforms the heart, life; which renews, which does not judge in order to condemn, but heals and has forgiveness as its aim. God’s mercy is thus. A Word that is light for our steps. All this is the work of the Holy Spirit! He is the Gift of God; he is God himself, who helps us to be free people, people who want and know how to love, people who understand that life is a mission to proclaim the wonders that the Lord accomplishes in those who trust in him.

May the Virgin Mary, model of the Church, who knows how to listen to the Word of God and to welcome the gift of the Holy Spirit, help us to live the Gospel with joy, knowing that we are sustained by the Spirit, the divine fire that warms our hearts and illuminates our steps.

[Pope Francis, Regina Coeli, 17 May 2020]

(Jn 15:18-21)

In the preceding section, Jesus denotes the character of love between Him and the disciples, and mutual love between believers. Now he introduces the contrast with the world: the opposite of love.

In Jn the term «world» designates the sin structure resulting from the combination of religion-power-interest.

A kingdom that organises itself from ambitious individuals and interests consortia.

From the earliest times, the wrong-side, the opposite road, became constitutive of the «sons». In this way, the configuration of the kingdom was becoming alternative thing; a reversal.

The well-established and praised models did not distract sisters and brothers of Faith. The new assemblies educated everyone to gain confidence in personal Vocation.

Their experience, even mystical one, had another criterion compared to hosannas and leashed quietism.

In the fourth Gospel the ‘Church’ [Jn never uses the specific term, Εκκλησία] is in watermark the opposite of the «world».

The worldly spirit of official religiosity already hated the very friends whom Christ had drawn «from» those polluted waters:

«If you were from the world [...] For you are not from the world, but I have chosen you from the world, therefore the world hates you» (v.19).

The first experience of the Johannine communities in Asia Minor was persecution.

In event after event, the oppression suffered became normal for the believer ones, because that world there loved only "its" followers: «the world would love its own» (v.19), i.e. that and those in whom it recognizes itself.

Instead, by their living Faith, the friends of Christ remained 'intimate'; strangers to every apparatus.

In their choices and conduct, they reflected a unique convivial lifestyle - humanizing far more than any normal, servile beliefs.

With their action derived from inner strength alone, they prefigured a germ of non-conformist society. This, in comparison to the ideology of power - and its having-appearing.

In such a way, the Lord's brethren bore witness against «the sin of the world» (cf. John 1:29) just as the Lamb of God had done.

Although doomed for defeat, the true believers operated in an eccentric manner; never obsequious.

The detachment was with the official devotional structures, always deferential, cowardly; well disposed to the sacralization of established roles.

In short, the disciples of all times «know» the Son and the Father; the world ignores and disowns them (v.21).

So «There is no greater servant than his Lord» (v.20).

Believers drink from the same Chalice [cup], proclaim the same truths: they cannot have a better fate.

The intensification of evil-against is inevitable.

«All these things shall they do against you because of my Name» (v.21).

Jesus lived amidst denunciations, contrasts, animosities, persecutions, and died as a punished and reduced to shame rebel.

This is the reality of the «Name».

What can be expected differently from the heirs of his Word, from the bearers of the same Appeal that led the Master to be destroyed by the official authorities?

Yet the simple people of the earth have never rejected Him.

And now more than ever it is necessary for the vital germ of that calm and dramatic testimony to continue.

[Saturday 5th wk. in Easter, May 9, 2026]

(Jn 15:18-21)

He who is a master of love, who liked to speak of love, speaks of hate. But he liked to call things by the proper name they have [Pope Francis].

Culture today reflects a 'tension', which sometimes takes the form of 'conflict', between the present and tradition. The dynamic of society absolutizes the present, detaching it from the cultural heritage of the past and without the intention of delineating a future [...] In fact, a people, which ceases to know what its own truth is, ends up lost in the labyrinths of time and history, lacking clearly defined values and without clearly stated great goals [Pope Benedict].

In the preceding section Jesus denotes the character of the love between Him and the disciples and the mutual love between believers. Now he introduces the contrast with the world: the opposite of love.

In Jn the term 'world' designates the structure of sin resulting from the union of religion power interest.

Tradition that is organised from ambitious individuals and entanglements; networks of amateurs, circumstantial tunes, cliques.

From the earliest times, the converse became conversely constitutive of sons! In this way, the configuration of the Kingdom was an alternative, a reversal.

Well-established and praised models did not distract the brethren of Faith. The new assemblies educated to gain security in the personal Vocation.

Their experience, even their mystical experience, had another distinction from the hosannas and leashed quietism of empire and religions.

In the Fourth Gospel the 'Church' [in Jn the specific term Εκκλησία is never used] is in watermark the opposite of the 'world'.

The worldly spirit of official religiosity already hated the friends that Christ had drawn "from" those polluted waters:

"If you were of the world [...] For you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (v.19).

The first experience of the Johannine communities in Asia Minor was persecution.

In episode after episode, the oppression suffered became normal for the believer, because that world there loved only 'its own': 'the world would love its own' (v.19 Greek text), that is, that and those in whom it recognises itself.

Instead, by their living Faith the friends of Christ remained 'intimate'; strangers to every apparatus.

In their choices and conduct, they reflected a unique convivial lifestyle - humanising far more than any normal, cowardly belief.

By their action derived from inner strength alone, they prefigured a germ of a non-conformist society. This compared with the ideology of power - and its having-appeared.

Thus the Lord's friends bore witness against "the sin of the world" (cf. Jn 1:29) just as the Lamb of God had done.

Though destined for defeat, the true believers operated eccentrically; never servile.

The detachment was with the official devout structures, always deferential, cowardly; well disposed to the sacralisation of established roles.

In short, the disciples of all times 'know' the Son and the Father; the world disowns them (v.21).

Thus "there is no greater servant than his Lord" (v.20).

The believer drinks from the same cup, proclaims the same truths: he cannot have a better fate.

The intensification of evil-doing is inevitable.

"All these things will they do against you because of my Name" (v.21).

Jesus lived amidst denunciations, contrasts, animosity, persecutions, and died as a rebel punished and shamed. This is the reality of the 'Name'.

What can one expect differently from the heirs of his Word, from the bearers of the same Appeal that led the Master to be destroyed by the official authorities?

Yet the simple of the earth have never rejected it.

And now more than ever it is necessary for the vital seed of that quiet and dramatic witness to continue.

John helps the communities of Asia Minor to understand their own identity and destiny as a mocker, without, however, stopping at the subject of persecution.

Our Way runs parallel to the Master's not only because it is disinterested in visible results and punctuated by wounds.

In the panorama of the various creeds according to worldly currents, it is to be taken into account that the proposal of Jesus creates divisions, antipathy; because it seems an absurdity compared to the ordinary path.

Not only is the witness of the Crucified not reducible to platitudes of lordship, turnabout and social theatre.

Evangelisers make a difference from the abbecedarian of 'spiritual' obviousness as a paradigm.

Precisely, the world does not know the Father (v.21): it loves and understands only what is its own (v.19).

It is impossible to grasp the idea that only those who risk understand God; that only depth, reciprocity and equal dignity make Him Present.

As for the specifics of the humanising proposal, in the Spirit:

It seems absurd that one can be "in the presence" of the Mystery not starting from perfection, but from Grace. Not from the optimal condition, but from the borderline situation. Not by the obligation that is fulfilled (and equal for all) but by the eccentric Calling by Name.

In the life of Communion with Heaven and our neighbour, we do not spring from upstream judgements, procedures, or already solid platforms, but from our accepted neediness.

Proposal that neither abolishes nor ignores what is divinising and human.

It is a bombshell, of course. For sole servants - and without reward.

Forget the [detestable] 'world' with its quietism on a leash: it likes to self-define what is e.g. 'respectable', 'justice', 'spirit', 'relaxation'... and even 'beauty'!

Emptiness - a kind of 'woke' situationism - that does not regenerate the deep nature of souls, nor the world.

To internalise and live the message:

Do you lock yourself into theatrics where the mask eclipses yourself?

Do you opt for the wide and familiar road?

Do you prefer paths of easy self-righteousness or the Way of Faith in the Crucified One, the Way of Love's snub and imbalance?

Today’s culture is in fact permeated by a “tension” which at times takes the form of a “conflict” between the present and tradition. The dynamic movement of society gives absolute value to the present, isolating it from the cultural legacy of the past, without attempting to trace a path for the future. This emphasis on the “present” as a source of inspiration for the meaning of life, both individual and social, nonetheless clashes with the powerful cultural tradition of the Portuguese people, deeply marked by the millenary influence of Christianity and by a sense of global responsibility. This came to the fore in the adventure of the Discoveries and in the missionary zeal which shared the gift of faith with other peoples. The Christian ideal of universality and fraternity inspired this common adventure, even though influences from the Enlightenment and laicism also made themselves felt. This tradition gave rise to what could be called a “wisdom”, that is to say, an understanding of life and history which included a corpus of ethical values and an “ideal” to be realized by Portugal, which has always sought to establish relations with the rest of the world.

The Church appears as the champion of a healthy and lofty tradition, whose rich contribution she sets at the service of society. Society continues to respect and appreciate her service to the common good but distances itself from that “wisdom” which is part of her legacy. This “conflict” between tradition and the present finds expression in the crisis of truth, yet only truth can provide direction and trace the path of a fulfilled existence both for individuals and for a people. Indeed, a people no longer conscious of its own truth ends up by being lost in the maze of time and history, deprived of clearly defined values and lacking great and clearly formulated goals. Dear friends, much still needs to be learned about the form in which the Church takes her place in the world, helping society to understand that the proclamation of truth is a service which she offers to society, and opening new horizons for the future, horizons of grandeur and dignity. The Church, in effect, has “a mission of truth to accomplish, in every time and circumstance, for a society that is attuned to man, to his dignity, to his vocation. […] Fidelity to man requires fidelity to the truth, which alone is the guarantee of freedom (cf. Jn 8:32) and of the possibility of integral human development. For this reason the Church searches for truth, proclaims it tirelessly and recognizes it wherever it is manifested. This mission of truth is something that the Church can never renounce” (Caritas in Veritate, 9). For a society made up mainly of Catholics, and whose culture has been profoundly marked by Christianity, the search for truth apart from Christ proves dramatic. For Christians, Truth is divine; it is the eternal “Logos” which found human expression in Jesus Christ, who could objectively state: “I am the truth” (Jn 14:6). The Church, in her adherence to the eternal character of truth, is in the process of learning how to live with respect for other “truths” and for the truth of others. Through this respect, open to dialogue, new doors can be opened to the transmission of truth.

“The Church – wrote Pope Paul VI – must enter into dialogue with the world in which she lives. The Church becomes word, she becomes message, she becomes dialogue” (Ecclesiam Suam, 67). Dialogue, without ambiguity and marked by respect for those taking part, is a priority in today’s world, and the Church does not intend to withdraw from it. A testimony to this is the Holy See’s presence in several international organizations, as for example her presence at the Council of Europe’s North-South Centre, established 20 years ago here in Lisbon, which is focused on intercultural dialogue with a view to promoting cooperation between Europe, the southern Mediterranean and Africa, and building a global citizenship based on human rights and civic responsibility, independent of ethnic origin or political allegiance, and respectful of religious beliefs. Given the reality of cultural diversity, people need not only to accept the existence of the culture of others, but also to aspire to be enriched by it and to offer to it whatever they possess that is good, true and beautiful.

Ours is a time which calls for the best of our efforts, prophetic courage and a renewed capacity to “point out new worlds to the world”, to use the words of your national poet (Luís de Camões, Os Lusíades, II, 45). You who are representatives of culture in all its forms, forgers of thought and opinion, “thanks to your talent, have the opportunity to speak to the heart of humanity, to touch individual and collective sensibilities, to call forth dreams and hopes, to broaden the horizons of knowledge and of human engagement. […] Do not be afraid to approach the first and last source of beauty, to enter into dialogue with believers, with those who, like yourselves, consider that they are pilgrims in this world and in history towards infinite Beauty!” (Address to Artists, 21 November 2009).

Precisely so as “to place the modern world in contact with the life-giving and perennial energies of the Gospel” (John XXIII, Apostolic Constitution Humanae Salutis, 3), the Second Vatican Council was convened. There the Church, on the basis of a renewed awareness of the Catholic tradition, took seriously and discerned, transformed and overcame the fundamental critiques that gave rise to the modern world, the Reformation and the Enlightenment. In this way the Church herself accepted and refashioned the best of the requirements of modernity by transcending them on the one hand, and on the other by avoiding their errors and dead ends. The Council laid the foundation for an authentic Catholic renewal and for a new civilization – “the civilization of love” – as an evangelical service to man and society.

Dear friends, the Church considers that her most important mission in today’s culture is to keep alive the search for truth, and consequently for God; to bring people to look beyond penultimate realities and to seek those that are ultimate. I invite you to deepen your knowledge of God as he has revealed himself in Jesus Christ for our complete fulfilment. Produce beautiful things, but above all make your lives places of beauty. May Our Lady of Belém intercede for you, she who has been venerated down through the centuries by navigators, and is venerated today by the navigators of Goodness, Truth and Beauty.

[Pope Benedict, meeting with the world of culture, Lisbon 12 May 2010]

37. The Church of the first millennium was born of the blood of the martyrs: "Sanguis martyrum - semen christianorum". The historical events linked to the figure of Constantine the Great could never have ensured the development of the Church as it occurred during the first millennium if it had not been for the seeds sown by the martyrs and the heritage of sanctity which marked the first Christian generations. At the end of the second millennium, the Church has once again become a Church of martyrs. The persecutions of believers —priests, Religious and laity—has caused a great sowing of martyrdom in different parts of the world. The witness to Christ borne even to the shedding of blood has become a common inheritance of Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans and Protestants, as Pope Paul VI pointed out in his Homily for the Canonization of the Ugandan Martyrs.

This witness must not be forgotten. The Church of the first centuries, although facing considerable organizational difficulties, took care to write down in special martyrologies the witness of the martyrs. These martyrologies have been constantly updated through the centuries, and the register of the saints and the blessed bears the names not only of those who have shed their blood for Christ but also of teachers of the faith, missionaries, confessors, bishops, priests, virgins, married couples, widows and children.

In our own century the martyrs have returned, many of them nameless, "unknown soldiers" as it were of God's great cause.

[Tertio Millennio Adveniente]

Christians are persecuted today more than at the beginning of the history of Christianity. The root cause of all persecution is the hatred of the prince of the world towards those who have been saved and redeemed by Jesus through his death and resurrection. The only weapons to defend themselves are the word of God, humility and meekness.

Also this morning, Saturday 4 May, Pope Francis pointed out a way forward to learn how to untangle the pitfalls of the world. Insidies that, he explained in the homily of the Mass celebrated in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, are the work of the "devil", "prince of the world", "spirit of the world".

The Pope, commenting on the day's readings taken from the Acts of the Apostles (16:1-10) and the Gospel of John (15:18-21), focused his reflection on hatred "a strong word - he stressed - used by Jesus. Hatred indeed. He who is a master of love, who liked to speak of love so much, speaks of hate'. But "he," he explained, "liked to call things by the proper name they have. And he tells us 'Do not be afraid! The world will hate you. Know that before you he hated me'. And he also reminds us of what he may have said on another occasion to the disciples: 'remember the word that I have spoken to you: a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you'. The way of Christians is the way of Jesus'. To follow him there is no other. One of those marked by Jesus, the Holy Father pointed out, "is a consequence of the hatred of the world and also of the prince of this hatred in the world".

Jesus,' the Pontiff explained, 'chose us and "redeemed us. He has chosen us by pure grace. By his death and resurrection he redeemed us from the power of the world, from the power of the devil, from the power of the prince of this world. The origin of hatred is this: we are saved and that prince of the world, who does not want us to be saved, hates us and gives rise to the persecution that has continued from the early days of Jesus until today. So many Christian communities are persecuted in the world. In this time more than in the first times; eh! Today, now, in this day, in this hour. Why? But because the spirit of the world hates".

Usually persecution comes after a long, long road. "Let us think - Pope Francis suggested - of how the prince of the world wanted to deceive Jesus when he was in the desert: 'But be good! Are you hungry? Eat. You can do it'. He also invited him a little to vanity: 'Be good! You have come to save people. Save your time, go to the temple, throw yourself down and all the people will see this miracle and it is all over: you will have authority'. But let us consider this: Jesus never answered this prince with his words! Never. He was God. Never. He went, for the answer, to find the words of God and answered with the word of God'. A message for the man of today: "With the prince of this world you cannot converse. And let this be clear'. Dialogue is something else: 'it is necessary between us,' explained the bishop of Rome, 'it is necessary for peace. Dialogue is a habit, it is precisely an attitude that we must have among ourselves to hear each other, to understand each other. And it must always remain so. Dialogue comes from charity, from love. With that prince you cannot dialogue; you can only respond with the word of God that defends us'. The prince of the world, he reiterated, 'hates us. And as he did with Jesus he will do with us: 'But look, do this... it's a little scam... there's nothing to it... it's small' and so he starts to take us down a slightly unjust road. It starts with small things, then begins with flattery and with it "softens us up" until "we fall into the trap. Jesus told us: "I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be prudent, but simple'. But if we allow ourselves to be taken in by the spirit of vanity and think we can fight the wolves by making ourselves wolves, 'they will eat you alive'. Because if you stop being a sheep, you have no shepherd to defend you and you fall into the hands of these wolves. You might ask: "Father, but what is the weapon to defend oneself against these seductions, these fireworks that the prince of this world makes, against his flatteries?" The weapon is the same as Jesus': the word of God, and then humility and meekness. Let us think of Jesus when he was slapped: what humility, what meekness. He could have insulted and instead asked only a humble and meek question. Let us think of Jesus in his passion. The prophet says of him "like a sheep going to the slaughterhouse, he cries out nothing". Humility. Humility and meekness: these are the weapons that the prince of the world, the spirit of the world does not tolerate, because his proposals are of worldly power, proposals of vanity, proposals of riches. Humility and meekness does not tolerate them'. Jesus is meek and humble of heart and 'today,' he said as he drew to a conclusion, 'it makes us think of this hatred of the prince of the world against us, against the followers of Jesus'. And let us think about the weapons we have to defend ourselves: "let us always remain sheep, because then we will have a shepherd to defend us".

[Pope Francis, S. Marta homily, in L'Osservatore Romano 05/05/2013]

(Jn 15:9-17)

Jesus has just used the image of the vineyard to configure the character of the new people and the circulation of life with those who believe in Him.

The allegory of the vine and the branches is now translated into existential terms.

The propagation of divine dynamism in us gives rise to a current and communication of love. The movement of authentic love Comes to us.

It is an uninterrupted flow of resemblances of the divine condition. Transparent syntony with generative value, brought by the Son: «as» and «because» [I have loved you] (v.12 Greek text).

Mirthfulness that flows from this will not be one of euphoria or exaltation: it is the result of an awareness that combines the divine proposal of non-possessive Similarity with our capacity to welcome - not detach ourselves.

Abiding in the Father-Son circulation of love, we are enveloped by a Happiness that senses the meaning and uniqueness of our seed, and changes the way we see life, suffering, relationships and joy.

«Greater love hath no man than this, that one lay down his life for his friends» (v.13).

Difference between religiosity and Faith? Friendship, which is stronger than both cerebral alchemy and voluntarism.

The Friend shares intents, cultivates communion of life.

The «servant» (v.15) remains unreliable and rancorous, because he is a mere executor of other people’s orders - which do not concern the irreducible hidden roots, the Source from which the heart draws and which belongs to him (v.16).

In this way, the trustworthy Friend is happy not only when he realizes himself, but also when he can expand and brighten the life of his beloved.

And he willingly ousts himself from the first seat in favour of the beloved.

John does not speak of love of enemies as Mt 5 does in the Sermon on the Mount, rather he insists on mutual love within the community of believers, as a relationship with the divine life itself.

Here we note a particular concern for individual persons and the atmosphere among friends of Faith, who must first themselves embody the spirit of selflessness and truth they preach to others.

The Lord does not ask for 'fruits' [multiple external works, often tinged with exhibitionism] but only one 'work': Love without duplicity, qualms, dissociations.

In the unique and unprecedented personalization of the «Fruit» (v.16), Christ does not remain a Model to be imitated, but a real Life that continues in us.

The only tiger in the engine: by inviting the mystery of the our founding Eros that dilates the Ego into the You:

In Friendship; in the opposing feelings that surface; in the growing unity of thought and aspirations; in the people who draw near; in the communion of desire and circumstances... the wills unite.

In this divine-human Empathy [which is more persuasive than voluntarism] the codes of behavior, the extrinsic, external, extraneous project, to which (previously) one had to bow, now weave a dialogue.

Finally, they come together - by 'Name' [a term that in the Gospels indicates in particular the rawness of the Lord's true story, as well as our personal interpretation and actualisation of it].

Here is up the ignition and the pouring out of Communion, on a high ground of understanding; without hidden conflicts. And without servitude.

In short, in the Ideal as in the Dream we prefer Friendship.

And we tread the Way of Faith in the Crucified - that of the setback and imbalance of love.

[Friday 5th week in Easter, May 8, 2026]

Confidants, not doers: the friendship of Jesus and between brethren

(Jn 15:12-17)

«Greater love hath no man than this, that one lay down his life for his friends» (v.13).

Total mutual love, which waits for nothing, for nothing, is generally not possible from the condition of precarious creatures, who willingly desire relationships seeking completion.

Unfortunately, such love-Eros not infrequently comes into being summarily. And it happens by confusing gratuitousness and necessity, by mixing the purpose with the means; by entangling individual need with self-giving.

The authentic love movement comes.

It is a Current of resemblance of the divine condition. Transparent syntony with generative value, brought by the Son: "as" and "because" [I have loved you] (v.12 Greek text).

Offhand we might not understand. But only from the acceptance of the proposal "from above", genuine, Provident, can a shift of gaze begin that activates the path of rebalancing, discoveries, selflessness, and return of the Gift.

The circle of empathic initiative and response is the core of the experience of Loving Faith [replacing religious devotion].

Once one has experienced the intoxication and sense of fullness of being, one will never want to leave this new cosmic and personal relationship.

Jn does not speak of love of enemies as Mt 5 does in the Sermon on the Mount, but insists on mutual love (within the community of believers) as a relationship with the divine life itself.

The fourth Gospel is concerned with the consistency and quality of relationships between church members: the first ones deputed to the proclamation of peace, justice and love in the existential peripheries.

Precisely to the distant ones they will preach the new face of God, of society, of person, and they will not be able to live in the duplicity of discipleship.

Of course, that of God's intimate life is not sacrificial love; it does not demand a spirit of common nomenclature, renunciation, mortification and effort, but rather fidelity to one's deepest vocation.

We are "friends" (vv.14-15) no longer servants of God. The term alludes to equality and mutual benefit in growth, which envelops every firm domestic dimension.

A relational configuration that in an atmosphere of agape makes each discover his or her own Name - as well as that of the Church capable of communion.

It is the seal of the focal and missionary physiognomy, and vice versa.

Ecclesial Communion itself will not be that of religious uniformity, but the fruit of the exchange of gifts.

Conviviality of differences and recovery of opposites, in view of the shared enrichment of each, in coexistence.

One-sidedness is also banished in terms of the very participation in the overriding current of love that willingly descends on our senses of permanence, to move us.

The confrontation with daily history coming out of the sacristies forces us to purification and essentiality, makes us creative and available to God's future.

The healthy pluralism of different colours, approaches and styles in the way of living and implementing the Gospel, intends the Voice of the Spirit that helps discernment; it makes us dare.

A variegated, open polyhedron that turns on each particular voice. Counterforce that reflects the peculiar relationship that exists between divine Persons.

The Word of Deliverance itself can thus be firmly reformulated in an unprecedented and personal way, in order to correspond with new answers to new questions.

People and Church allow themselves to be challenged and keep themselves open, because they originate from the unpredictable Mystery and are precisely animated by personal Faith.

Women and men, new mothers and new fathers, open to the Gratis that welcomes the opposite - and for the unexpected - participate.

Koinonia' dispossessed, open to the gift and for the gift. Made aware of the depths of God's heart, and of its communion-eucharistic quality.

Such is the Church of Friends. Fraternity ready for the mission: "I have called you friends" (v.15) "I have constituted you so that you may go" (v.16) in the same defenceless Openness.

Difference between Religiousness and Faith? Friendship, which is stronger than both cerebral alchemy and voluntarism.

The Friend shares intentions, cultivates communion of life.

The "servant" (v.15) remains unreliable and resentful, because he is a mere executor of others' orders.

External directives do not concern one's own seed, the irreducible hidden roots, the Source from which the heart draws and which belongs to it.

It is our Core that is at stake: it manifests itself spontaneously; and it exists not by initiative, but by innate, constitutive and given character (v.16).

The trustworthy Friend is glad not only when he realises himself, but also when he can expand and cheer up the life of his beloved.

And he willingly ousts himself from the first seat in favour of the beloved.In this way - and it is worth repeating because of its terrifying relevance - in the Fourth Gospel the notes and appeals about love do not seem to be addressed to the distant.

Rather, these appeals are addressed to members of communities, so that they do not allow themselves to be carried away by ridiculous infatuations, which are inevitably transient and which would turn into a feeling of sadness or sadness.

In Jn, we see a particular concern for individuals and the climate among friends of the Faith.

This is because those who pretend to make recommendations about fine manners, roadmaps, humility, transparency, forgiveness, sharing, should first embody in themselves the spirit of selflessness and truth that they preach to others.

In short, the Lord does not ask for 'fruits' [multiple pious, outward-looking works, often tinged with exhibitionism] nor small gloating intimacies, but only one work: Love without duplicity.

In the unique and unprecedented personalisation of the 'Fruit' (v.16), Christ does not remain a Model to imitate, but a real Life that continues in the disciples.

Unique tiger in the engine, inviting the mystery of the founding Eros that dilates the I into the Thou:

In Friendship; in the opposing feelings that surface; in the growing unity of thought and aspiration; in the people who draw near; in the communion of desire and circumstance... the wills unite.

In such divine-human empathy [which is more persuasive than voluntarism] the codes of behaviour, the extrinsic, external project, to which (before) they bow, now weave a dialogue.

Finally, they come together - by 'name' [a term that in the Gospels indicates in particular the rawness of the Lord's actual event, as well as our personal interpretation and actualisation of it].

Here is the igniting and pouring out of Communion, on a high ground of understanding; without concealed conflict. And without servitude.

In short, in the Ideal as in the Dream we prefer Friendship.

And let us walk the Path of Faith in the Crucified One - that of the snub and imbalance of love.

To internalise and live the message:

"I can't live without you": How do you distinguish a self-deluded sentimental sphere, from a working proposal of union of life?