Daily Devotional

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus likens these persecutions to the pains a woman feels when she is about to give birth: “When a woman is in travail, she has sorrow because her hour has come; but when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world. You have sorrow now, but I will see you again; your hearts will rejoice…” (John 16:20-23).

By ascending into heaven, Jesus did not create a distance between himself and humanity; his Ascension confirms that we all have a final destination beyond this earth. Jesus is still with us. Jesus is always with us. In fact, we must never forget Jesus’ last words in today’s Gospel passage: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20).

The Athenians did not accept Paul because they couldn’t face the truth. They acknowledged their ignorance by making an Altar with the inscription: “To an unknown god,” but when Paul brought the truth to them, they resisted it.