WHEN THE COMFORTER IS COME

A SERMON FOR THE SUNDAY WITHIN THE ASCENSION OCTAVE

Our Lord gives two names to the Holy Ghost today.  The first name is ‘the Comforter’ and the second is the ‘Spirit of truth.’

Let’s remember first of all that our Lord is describing here not just some vague fuzzy ‘spirit’, but the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity.  He is describing God.  Or to put it another way, he is describing himself, for he too is God.  ‘Comforter’ and ‘Spirit of truth.’  If the Holy Ghost is both of these, then we must recognize that these two terms cannot be in contradiction with each other.  There can be no contradiction in God.  Even when we speak about God as being all-just and yet all-merciful, these are not contradictory terms, and it is de fide(of the faith) that God possesses the fullness of both mercy and justice.  We will come to understand exactly howon the Day of Judgment. But the terms ‘Comforter’ and ‘Spirit of truth’ are not even problematic for us.  We can readily understand, I hope, that it is in ‘Truth’ that we shall find ‘Comfort’.

As I said, our Lord is describing himself here in a certain sense.  He once said that he is ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life’ after all.  He didn’t say that he spoke the truth, he said he is the Truth.  And the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, is the Spirit of Truth.

Now, before we start yawning at these simple explanations of our Lord’s words in today’s Gospel, let’s pause for a moment and see how it relates to us. Because it does.  He’s speaking in the future tense to the Apostles because the Holy Spirit of truth had not yet come.  At this time between our Lord’s Ascension and the feast of Pentecost, nine days must elapse during which the Apostles prayed and waited.  We, on the other hand, are not waiting in that sense. The Holy Spirit of Truth has already descended two thousand years ago, and now, if we are in the state of grace, dwells within us.

We have been told since we were children that we are temples of the Holy Ghost, that God makes his dwelling place in our soul.  This is not true of all people.  When we deliberately commit a sin that is mortal in nature, it is an event which defies description as to its gravity and horror.  Because to sin mortally is to say to the Holy Ghost “Get out! I don’t want you here anymore, you have no place here.  I prefer the Devil and his works.  I prefer to offend you, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love.  So get out, and let me enjoy myself!”  That, my dear people, is a mortal sin.

Every mortal sin is a lie.  It’s a lie we tell ourselves, namely, that it’s better to choose evil than to choose good. The devil lies to us all the time. The world lies to us all the time. And our fallen human nature joins with them in trying to persuade us of something which is a lie, that it is better to do what we want than what God wants.  And so we sin.  And what then?  We feel guilty, because after all, we are essentially good children of God who didn’t really mean to offend him.  And like even good children, sometimes we are naughty children.  And so we return to God, our faces downcast in shame, and we confess our sin, we repent of having committed it, and we resolve not to do so again.  And our dear loving God, the Spirit of truth, returns to our soul and all is well.  And we are comforted.

We will never find comfort unless we repent our sins and resolve to do better. The Comforter will never find a home in our soul unless we choose good over evil, unless we choose to believe the truths of God, rather than the lies we’re told by others.  It is imperative that we understand that the devil, the world, and our fallen human nature are constantly warring against us, lying to us, with the terrible, yet enticing lie that we should do what we want whenever we want.  This is Satan’s simplest yet cleverest trick, and it is diametrically opposed to the Truth. Believe him and you will lose the Spirit of Truth within you.  Fight him and his temptations and the Spirit of Truth will continue to dwell in your souls and to comfort you.

When Christ was born, the herald angels sang of peace to men of good will. Do you have that inner peace in your soul today?  That inner peace is God’s gift to you through the indwelling of his Holy Spirit of Truth. If you do not have that inner peace, it isn’t a therapist you’re in need of, it’s simply the sacrament of Confession. Make a good confession, be truly sorry you have offended the Spirit of Truth by believing the lies of Satan, the world and your own fallen human nature.  And resolve to do better.  Your sins will be absolved and your soul will be cleansed, ready to become once again the home of the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter.