Gospel in Art: The Advocate, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything

Wolke (Cloud), by Gerhard Richter © Alamy stock photo/ Sothebys' London, 31 January 2013

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 16 May 2022
John 14:21-26

Jesus said to his disciples:

'Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them will be one who loves me; and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and show myself to him.'

Judas - this was not Judas Iscariot - said to him, 'Lord, what is all this about? Do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?' Jesus replied:

'If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home with him. Those who do not love me do not keep my words. And my word is not my own: it is the word of the one who sent me.

I have said these things to you while still with you; but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.'

Reflection on the painting

In today's Gospel reading Jesus says,'The Advocate, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything'. The word Advocate has many meanings, but probably the one we are most familiar with is the person who would defend you if you were in a court of law - someone to advise and stand beside the defendant to support his or her case, providing comfort and support. So when Jesus says that the Holy Spirit is like an advocate, he means that the Spirit will be there with us, for us, and beside us to help us. But the Spirit is also there in the wider context of the community of the Church. The Spirit will guide the Church.

I think most of us pray to God, Jesus or Our Lady but maybe less frequently to the Holy Spirit. So maybe today's reading can prompt us to consciously call upon the Spirit to ask for guidance in some situation we are presently dealing with.

Of the three divine Persons, perhaps the most difficult one for us to grasp is the Holy Spirit. Throughout art history as well, artists have always struggled to represent the Holy Spirit. Depictions have ranged from nearly identical figures that represent the three persons of the Trinity (think of Rublev's Trinity icon for example), to a dove or a flame. For me this is where abstract or modern art comes in beautifully to help us, as in this canvas by Gerhardt Richter. It simply shows light shining through the clouds. There is this sense that soon the clouds will disappear and only blue skies and sunshine will be left. These types of painting lend themselves beautifully to help us to meditate on the Holy Spirit.

LINKS

Christian Art: www.christian.art

Today's image: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-14-21-26-2022/