2025/05/25 SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Sixth Sunday of Easter
- Joanna Krynski, Communications Manager
I rely heavily on reminders. Post-it notes, calendar alerts, alarms, voice prompts from my Echo Dot, and lists — so many lists. As a working parent, there’s always much to juggle (hello Maycember!), and it’s all too easy for something important to slip through the cracks. That’s why this part of today’s Gospel speaks to me so deeply:
“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.” (John 14:26)
What a comfort that is — not just practically, but spiritually. Jesus knows how human it is to forget. We don’t just lose track of to-do lists. We forget deeper things too: that we are loved, that we’re not alone, that God is still at work. And so, Jesus doesn’t scold our forgetfulness — He makes provision for it. He promises a living presence.
The Holy Spirit isn’t just a helper in crisis. He is a steady companion, teaching us and reminding us — sometimes gently, sometimes urgently — of who God is and who we are in Him. And often, the Spirit does this right in the middle of real life: not during a retreat or a quiet morning (though sometimes there, too), but amid errands, conversations, unexpected interruptions. A Scripture verse we’ve heard a hundred times suddenly lands differently. A moment of silence becomes a moment of clarity. An unexpected word from a friend sounds like grace.
And then Jesus says this: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” (John 14:27)
The peace Jesus offers isn’t like the world’s peace — which often depends on everything going as planned: calm, controlled, successful, with everyone on the same page. Jesus offers something deeper: peace within the mess, peace that holds even when the schedule is overwhelming and nothing is going as expected. It’s the kind of peace that doesn’t demand perfection but comes from presence — His presence.
And I’ve experienced that. The Spirit has shown up for me in answer to prayer (Come, Holy Spirit) as well as in unexpected moments, offering grace, strength, clarity, and calm. A presence that reminds me: You are loved. You are not alone. I am with you.
This isn’t a private gift to hoard — it’s one we’re called to live and share. Jesus' teachings weren’t only about inner peace; they were about love in action. As we remember His words and open ourselves to the Holy Spirit, we’re also called to become reminders of His love for others — in our families, our communities, and our world. By loving one another, by showing up in peace even when things are hard, we witness to the power of the Spirit at work in us.
So today, may we grow in awareness of the Spirit’s quiet and constant work in our lives. And when the reminders come — in Scripture, in silence, or even in the blur of daily life — may we pause long enough to let them settle in and remind us of what’s always been true:
We are seen.
We are remembered.
We are loved.
And we are never alone.