Hearing The Word

A weekly newsletter delivering context and insight into the Sunday Gospels.

May 10, 2026

Sixth Sunday of Easter

John 14:15-21

Jesus said to his disciples:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

And I will ask the Father,

and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,

the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,

because it neither sees nor knows him.

But you know him, because he remains with you,

and will be in you.

I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

In a little while the world will no longer see me,

but you will see me, because I live and you will live.

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father

and you are in me and I in you.

Whoever has my commandments and observes them

is the one who loves me.

And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,

and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

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The Paraclete and the Presence: The Holy Spirit

Rev. Christopher C. Moriconi, S.S.L., S.T.D.

Saint Margaret + Narbeth, PA

From the Fifth Sunday of Easter on, the dynamic of the readings shifts to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. On this Sixth Sunday of Easter, Jesus calls the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete (παράκλητος). What does this name given to the Holy Spirit tell us about him? On the one hand, the term has a forensic coloring. In this sense the Holy Spirit is a defender of the disciples when they are put on trial (Matt 10:20; Acts 6:10), meaning “one called alongside to help.” The Vetus Latina renders this aspect of the term as advocatus. But this image does not capture the Johannine picture.

A definition of a related term παρακαλέω is “to intercede, entreat, or appeal,” indicating a person who acts as an intercessor, mediator, or spokesman. This is clearly the meaning we find in 1 John 2:1, but in John’s Gospel, the Paraclete does not intercede for the disciples. A related translation is “helper, friend.” The Holy Spirit certainly aids his disciples, but this is too general a translation.



The essential components found in the Johannine concept of the Paraclete also appear throughout various aspects of Jewish thought. The Spirit of God creates (Gen 1:2), empowers leaders (Judg 3:10), gifts artisans (Exod 35:31), inspires prophets (Ezek 11:5) who anticipated the Spirit would anoint the Messiah (Isa 11:2; 42:1; 61:1). Given this background we can say that the Holy Spirit continues the work of Jesus in the lives of the disciples enabling them to understand and interpret God’s action and word authoritatively. They can do this because the Paraclete is the presence of Jesus among the disciples. Jesus’ promises to dwell within his disciples are fulfilled in the Paraclete (John 14:18). Unlike later Trinitarian theology, which focuses on distinguishing Jesus from the Spirit, John’s main concern is their likeness. He emphasizes the ongoing presence of Jesus with his disciples in the Paraclete after the resurrection, guiding them and demonstrating that Jesus has triumphed over death once and for all.

The Quiet Presence That Never Leaves

~Gia Myers

Immaculate Conception BVM Church + Douglasville, Pa.

Jesus is speaking tenderly to His disciples at a moment filled with uncertainty. He knows His physical presence among them is coming to an end, yet He reassures them that they will not be abandoned. “I will not leave you desolate,” He promises. This assurance reaches across time to us today, especially in moments when we feel alone in a difficult world and God seems distant.

This Gospel reminds me of my mother, who passed away in the summer of 2020. She died in a nursing home locked down during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. I wasn’t able be at her side when she died. I only received a phone call telling me the news of her passing. I felt abandoned in that awful moment. I could not conceive of my life without my mother’s physical presence. Who would be my confidant and my cheerleader? Who would give me recipes and cooking advice? During troubled times, she always reminded me of who I was when I tended to forget. Her guidance kept me on track, and her love was unconditional.

Despite these feelings of loss, I eventually came to feel my mother’s presence surrounding me. I could hear her voice when I was in the kitchen, telling me to add more flour because my bread dough was too sticky. I’d watch old movies and television shows we used to watch together and remember the lines that made her laugh the hardest. In those moments, her warm presence hugged me and I didn’t feel alone.

Central to this Gospel is Jesus giving His Apostles the promise of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, described as one who dwells within us. While the world may not recognize the Spirit, those who choose to live in relationship with Christ come to know this quiet, sustaining guidance. The Holy Spirit teaches, comforts, and reminds us of who we are when we forget. This Gospel calls us to trust in the unseen presence of God, to love through action, and to live with the confidence that we are never alone.