I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
What truths were the disciples unable to bear at first? Among others, they struggled with the idea of a Messiah who would have to die and rise again. They had limited comprehension of the relationship of Jesus to the Father in heaven. And what truths do we find difficult? Is it not often the command to take up our cross and follow Jesus? Further, though we know we are made sons and daughters in the Son through baptism, have we internalized this teaching enough to live our lives in loving abandonment and trust to the Father?
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
The love that is at the heart of the Christian mystery cannot be fully intellectually grasped from the outside looking in. It can only be experienced from the inside out. Thus the revealing the mysteries of the Kingdom was preceded by the gift of new hearts, hearts for which these mysteries would be intelligible.
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules (see Ezekiel 36:25-27).
Because the baptized have received new hearts they are able to receive the teaching of the Church. It is the Church that most perfectly receives the promise of being guided into all truth. But insofar as we are united with the Church, and through the body to the head, Christ himself, we too receive the promise and are guided into all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears
The Spirit does not present us with novelties for our amusement. Rather, he declares what he himself has heard. These are words of the Father and of Jesus that are perhaps familiar to us but of which our understanding is lacking. The Holy Spirit leads us deeper and ever deeper into the faith we have been given.
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
The Spirit also offers us guidance by his charismatic graces. He declares the things that are coming both by revealing the meaning of the word of God to us and also by gifts of prophecy. Prophecy is not so much concerned with sating our curiosity about the future. Rather, it is designed to help us hear what the Spirit is saying even now to the Church. The more clearly we hear that message the more we are able to respond with docility. And so, what if, perhaps, the Spirit has a word he wants to speak through us? Do we know how to listen with open hearts? Do we have enough trust to share such a word once we are convinced that the Spirit is the source? After reminding his hearers that love comes first Paul insisted on the importance of prophecy.
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy (see First Corinthians 14:1).
Allowing ourselves to be open to the possibility that the Holy Spirit wants to speak through us is part of what it means for us to allow ourselves to be guided by him into all truth. And even if we do not receive a concrete word that surprises others with its prescience we will not be the worse for having sought this gift, for doing so at the very least makes us better able to listen.
One final point. The fact that revelation is imparted gradually, to us, and even to the disciples, should make us patient with those who don't immediately understand when we try to share the Gospel with them.
“We should like to hear you on this some other time.”
It may sound as though the Athenians had been provoked to a certain unhelpful intellectual curiosity for which they were famous. But, admittedly, Paul's message was a lot to take in all at once. And eventually at least some of them did receive it. The Holy Spirit works in his own time. Listening for his voice has the added benefit of making us patient as we await his action in the world. We grow more and more in the conviction that he will indeed act when the time is right.
But some did join him, and became believers.
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