Commentary on the Gospel of
Come Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth…
In today's Gospel, Jesus promises us that when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide us into all truth. It is important to read this sentence carefully. Because it does not say that today, here and now, we already have the whole truth. What he tells us is that the Holy Spirit will guide us towards the truth. The conclusion is easy: we are on the way. That whole truth is revealed to us gradually on our journey.
There are many Christians who believe they already possess the truth. Their conviction is that, except for themselves, everyone else is wrong, and everyone in the world lives in error except for them. We often hear people finding fault with the Church's teachings. Like the Pharisees of the time of Jesus, some in the Church regard the traditions of the Church as more important than the commandment to love and forgive.
The reality is a little different. There is an image that can help us better understand the situation of the pilgrim Church. The image is that of a pilgrimage where the one who goes ahead has a lantern, that vaguely illuminates the way. Those who walk behind, following this lantern, know where they want to go, but they have to grope their way because darkness surrounds them. So are we men and women of this world, of all generations, walking and searching for the best, with many mistakes and errors along the way. But always with our eyes on the horizon, on the destination we want to reach: the Kingdom. Those who work for justice, scientists who seek remedies and solutions that make people's lives easier, politicians who are honest and want to serve society, Christians and members of other religions, we all seek the best for this world, for humanity.
We have only one lantern, and that is the Spirit that animates our steps and encourages us to collaborate with everyone to make this world a better place for the sons and daughters of God, where no one is excluded or condemned. Always open to dialogue, always full of hope because, like Jesus, like God, we believe in humanity and that God is working out his plan of salvation in our history.
