Spirit of Truth

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be open to the expansion of our ideas on how we understand and respond to the relationship of humanity to the Divine.

In A Spirit of Truth

The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes Paul in Athens and his Speech at the Areopagus.

* [17:22–31] In Paul’s appearance at the Areopagus he preaches his climactic speech to Gentiles in the cultural center of the ancient world. The speech is more theological than christological. Paul’s discourse appeals to the Greek world’s belief in divinity as responsible for the origin and existence of the universe. It contests the common belief in a multiplicity of gods supposedly exerting their powers through their images. It acknowledges that the attempt to find God is a constant human endeavor. It declares, further, that God is the judge of the human race, that the time of the judgment has been determined, and that it will be executed through a man whom God raised from the dead. The speech reflects sympathy with pagan religiosity, handles the subject of idol worship gently, and appeals for a new examination of divinity, not from the standpoint of creation but from the standpoint of judgment.

* [17:23] ‘To an Unknown God’: ancient authors such as Pausanias, Philostratus, and Tertullian speak of Athenian altars with no specific dedication as altars of “unknown gods” or “nameless altars.”

* [17:26] From one: many manuscripts read “from one blood.” Fixed…seasons: or “fixed limits to the epochs.”

* [17:28] ‘In him we live and move and have our being’: some scholars understand this saying to be based on an earlier saying of Epimenides of Knossos (6th century B.C.). ‘For we too are his offspring’: here Paul is quoting Aratus of Soli, a third-century B.C. poet from Cilicia. (Acts of the Apostles,CHAPTER 17 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 148 invites all beings to praise God.

* [Psalm 148] A hymn inviting the beings of heaven (Ps 148:1–6) and of earth (Ps 148:7–14) to praise God. The hymn does not distinguish between inanimate and animate (and rational) nature. (Psalms, PSALM 148 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus proclaims an interpretation of the role of the Spirit.

* [16:13] Declare to you the things that are coming: not a reference to new predictions about the future, but interpretation of what has already occurred or been said. (John, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)

Barbara Dilly comments that Jesus did not give us a list of detailed instructions for everything that was going to happen to each of us in every time and place. Rather, he gave us specific principles associated with love, trust, truth, and hope, from which to base our relationships with God and each other.

I have learned through my faith traditions that we must listen to the Spirit of truth revealed to each of us in love, and hope. In this way, the Spirit frees us from an exhaustive and incomplete list of rules, practices, and traditions that are never open to reinterpretation in current times and places. That does not mean we are all left to our own devices. We do best when we identify with religious traditions that value scholarly inquiry into the works of the Spirit, inspired preaching, and a community of believers who study the Word of God with each other. We also do best when we listen to the lived lives of our brothers and sisters undergoing struggle and pain for the voice of the Spirit among us to guide us in ways of love, truth, and hope. I pray today for that Spirit to reveal itself even more strongly in our midst. (Dilly, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes The Spirit makes Christ known, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"He [the Holy Spirit] will make me clearly known by pouring love into the hearts of believers and making them spiritual and thus able to see that the Son whom they had known before only according to the flesh - and who they thought was only a man like themselves - was equal to the Father. Or at least, when his love filled them with boldness and cast out fear, they would proclaim Christ to men and women, and in this way they would spread Christ's fame throughout the whole world... For what they were going to do in the power of the Holy Spirit, this the Holy Spirit says he does himself." (excerpt from TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 100.1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 17:15, 22–18:1 comments that the Creator of all space and time is not far from you. Or as St. Augustine wrote, God is interior “intimo meo”—he is more inward than your innermost self. What’s more, the God who is present in you looks on you with love, mercy, and goodwill. His presence within you is not for condemnation, even though he knows the complete truth about you. Even when he sees your sins and weaknesses, he sees a child whom he loves and longs to heal and restore.

In the quiet of prayer today, know that your Father is with you. Believe that he loves you personally and with a joy-filled, sin-forgiving, transforming love. It’s this love that moved God to become man in Jesus Christ, that propelled Paul and all the apostles to preach to the nations, and that is now available to you today. It’s true; the One who created the galaxies knows you individually. He is filled with love for you. He wants nothing but good for you. So seek him today; he is not far from you!

“Father, I know you are here with me!” (Meditation on Acts 17:15, 22–18:1, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles Paul goes to Athens and to the Areopagus, a great place for debate of new ideas. Paul notes they worship an unknown god.  As Stoics, they accept a few of Paul's arguments but not rising from the dead. Stoics understand the soul as imprisoned in the body and some even use fasting to be less material, as a Stoic excess. In the Gospel of John, Jesus continues the Last Supper Discourse identifying the Spirit of truth to remind the community of the Jesus teaching and continue to reveal the truth. The Spirit will continue, as seen in the Acts of the Apostles, to guide in the Church. Friar Jude comments that we share Jesus' relationship with the Father through the Spirit in the Trinity.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces spiritual teacher and translator Mirabai Starr describes how Julian’s positive experience of God sustained her when things were not “well” in the world around her.

Julian unpacks this for us [in chapter 27]. In doing so she dispenses with the whole concept of sin and replaces it with love. “I believe that sin has no substance,” Julian writes, “not a particle of being.” While sin itself has no existential value, it has impact. It causes pain. It is the pain that has substance.

But mercy is swiftly forthcoming. It is immediately available. Inexorable! It is frankly rude of us to doubt that all will be well (and all will be well and every kind of thing shall be well). “When he said these gentle words,” Julian writes, speaking of God-the-Mother, “he showed me that he does not have one iota of blame for me, or for any other person. So, wouldn’t it be unkind of me to blame God for my transgressions since he does not blame me?” The merciful nature of God renders the whole blame game obsolete….

For those of us who do not subscribe to a belief in some perfect afterworld but, rather, are focused on making things better right here on Earth, this teaching may feel disconnected. But what Julian is saying, with heartbreaking compassion, is that we cannot know this now, from our limited, pain-drenched perspective. Yet eventually we will awaken to the truth that we are unconditionally adored by God. (Rohr, n.d.)

We contemplate the Truth revealed by the Spirit about the Love of God that is the force that inspires our action to strive for “all will be well” in our environment.

References

Acts of the Apostles,CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 13, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/17?15 

Dilly, B. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved May 13, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-may-13-2026 

John, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 13, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/16?12 

Meditation on Acts 17:15, 22–18:1. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved May 13, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/05/13/1563390/ 

Psalms, PSALM 148 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 13, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/148? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Will All Be Well? Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 13, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/will-all-be-well/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Holy Spirit Will Guide You into All the Truth. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 13, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Wisdom Avoids Hypocrisy

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate our understanding about the nature of sin and act to implement Jesus' Way of love, mercy, and compassion in our relationship with our community and environment.

Choose the Way

The Reading from the Book of Sirach declares God is neither the cause nor the occasion of sin.

* [15:11–20] Here Ben Sira links freedom of the will with human responsibility. God, who sees everything, is neither the cause nor the occasion of sin. We have the power to choose our behavior and we are responsible for both the good and the evil we do (vv. 15–17).

* [15:20] Deceivers: those who hold the Lord responsible for their sins. (Sirach, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 119 delights in the law’s consolations and begs for wisdom to understand the precepts.

* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them…

* [119:19] A sojourner in the land: like someone without the legal protection of a native inhabitant, the psalmist has a special need for the guidance of God’s teaching. (Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians proclaims The True Wisdom.

* [2:6–3:4] Paul now asserts paradoxically what he has previously been denying. To the Greeks who “are looking for wisdom” (1 Cor 1:22), he does indeed bring a wisdom, but of a higher order and an entirely different quality, the only wisdom really worthy of the name. The Corinthians would be able to grasp Paul’s preaching as wisdom and enter into a wisdom-conversation with him if they were more open to the Spirit and receptive to the new insight and language that the Spirit teaches.

* [2:7–10a] God’s wisdom: his plan for our salvation. This was his own eternal secret that no one else could fathom, but in this new age of salvation he has graciously revealed it to us. For the pattern of God’s secret, hidden to others and now revealed to the Church, cf. also Rom 11:25–36; 16:25–27; Eph 1:3–10; 3:3–11; Col 1:25–28.

* [2:8] The rulers of this age: this suggests not only the political leaders of the Jews and Romans under whom Jesus was crucified (cf. Acts 4:25–28) but also the cosmic powers behind them (cf. Eph 1:20–23; 3:10). They would not have crucified the Lord of glory: they became the unwitting executors of God’s plan, which will paradoxically bring about their own conquest and submission (1 Cor 15:24–28). (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus’ teaching about the Law, Anger, and Adultery.

* [5:17–20] This statement of Jesus’ position concerning the Mosaic law is composed of traditional material from Matthew’s sermon documentation (see note on Mt 5:1–7:29), other Q material (cf. Mt 18; Lk 16:17), and the evangelist’s own editorial touches. To fulfill the law appears at first to mean a literal enforcement of the law in the least detail: until heaven and earth pass away nothing of the law will pass (Mt 5:18). Yet the “passing away” of heaven and earth is not necessarily the end of the world understood, as in much apocalyptic literature, as the dissolution of the existing universe. The “turning of the ages” comes with the apocalyptic event of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and those to whom this gospel is addressed are living in the new and final age, prophesied by Isaiah as the time of “new heavens and a new earth” (Is 65:17; 66:22). Meanwhile, during Jesus’ ministry when the kingdom is already breaking in, his mission remains within the framework of the law, though with significant anticipation of the age to come, as the following antitheses (Mt 5:21–48) show.

* [5:19] Probably these commandments means those of the Mosaic law. But this is an interim ethic “until heaven and earth pass away.”

* [5:21–48] Six examples of the conduct demanded of the Christian disciple. Each deals with a commandment of the law, introduced by You have heard that it was said to your ancestors or an equivalent formula, followed by Jesus’ teaching in respect to that commandment, But I say to you; thus their designation as “antitheses.” Three of them accept the Mosaic law but extend or deepen it (Mt 5:21–22; 27–28; 43–44); three reject it as a standard of conduct for the disciples (Mt 5:31–32; 33–37; 38–39). (Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Elvin Cardoso, SJ shares “When I make choices each day, am I asking only what is required of me, or am I allowing God to shape the intentions of my heart?”

St. Paul deepens this understanding by challenging our assumptions about wisdom itself. The wisdom of the world prizes strength, recognition, and control. It appears impressive, yet it fades quickly. God’s wisdom, revealed most clearly in the cross of Christ, looks entirely different. What the world sees as weakness, God uses as the path to salvation. This wisdom cannot be grasped by intelligence alone, but it requires humility, trust, and openness to the Spirit. Paul reminds us that God is always at work beyond what we can see, offering peace, meaning, and hope even amid uncertainty.

In the Gospel, Jesus leads us beyond a faith of rules into a faith of the heart. He honors the law, yet reveals its deepest meaning by drawing our attention to our inner attitudes and intentions. What truly matters is not outward compliance but the spirit from which our actions arise. By addressing anger and violence, Jesus calls us to reverence every person, every relationship, and life itself. His wisdom is relational, not controlling, inviting us freely into love shaped by purpose. (Cardoso, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “What you teach, you should do,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).

"While it is sinful to abolish the least of the commandments, all the more so the great and most important ones. Hence the Holy Spirit affirms through Solomon: 'Whoever despises the little things shall gradually die' (Sirach 19:1b). Consequently nothing in the divine commandments must be abolished, nothing altered. Everything must be preserved and taught faithfully and devotedly that the glory of the heavenly kingdom may not be lost. Indeed, those things considered least important and small by the unfaithful or by worldly people are not small before God but necessary. For the Lord taught the commandments and did them. Even small things point to the great future of the kingdom of heaven. For this reason, not only words but also deeds are important; and you should not only teach, but what you teach, you should do." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 20.2.1-3)

[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."] (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 comments that it's easy to reduce the gospel to a message about right living and adherence to a moral code that we have to try hard to follow. It’s easy to reduce it to a set of self-help principles that we can adopt. It’s easy to reduce it to any number of things. But once you start hearing about God’s plan “for our glory,” you know that Jesus has done something for us that we could never do ourselves. His death defeated our death. And his resurrection has opened heaven—for all of us.

Today is the perfect day to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal this glorious plan to you a little more. Read today’s second reading slowly and prayerfully. Let the words sink into your heart and fill you with hope. You were created for glory!

“Jesus, thank you for revealing your awesome hidden wisdom to me!” (Meditation on 1 Corinthians 2:6-10, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments the reading from Sirach, a Jewish scribe in 3rd century BCE, asserts Jewish wisdom is as good as Greek wisdom. The passage exhorts us to choose the path of life or the path of death, similar to the blessing and curses of a covenant. Paul asserts to the Corinthians that the Wisdom of God is not understood by the teachers of the age. The Greek philosophers in Athens had rejected Paul’s message  because of the imperfection of the physical world and body and Paul proclaimed the wisdom of the Cross as true love. The Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew, is a very Jewish Gospel, different from the Gospel of Luke which is addressed to pagans. Matthew shows how Jesus fulfills and extends the Law of Moses in contrast to the Pharisee’s scrupulosity. Jesus extends the law philosophically. Jesus speaks of Gahanna, an image for hell. There are many ways to kill the spirit of hope, reputation, and not protecting the vulnerable by the decision to do nothing. Friar Jude advises caution with sexual thoughts and our response. More important not to dwell on them. We deal with adultery, divorce and remarriage frequently in our time. Friar Jude challenges us about how we bring people to the community of Christ and cautions about oaths where we may make God an accomplice in our lies concluding with “May God bless us all”.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Carmen Acevedo Butcher who takes inspiration from the desert Christians of the fourth century. 

The desert elders have meant so much to me, and the really great thing is that even before I quite understood them, I loved their stories. My favorite story is about Abba Moses of Egypt. Somebody sent a message to him and said, “We need you to come to the elders’ gathering because there’s someone who has committed a sin, and we need you to help us make a judgment about his behavior.” He just said, “I don’t want to go.” Then, a priest sent word to him and said, “Moses, we need you here. They’re asking for you. You’ve got to come.” So reluctantly, Moses got up. He went over to the old basket he had that was full of holes, and he filled it with sand. Then, he put it on his back and walked to this meeting where someone was accused of a sin and was awaiting the judgment of the group. People came out to him and said, “Moses, what are you up to? What are you doing?” He said, “Well, here I am going to judge someone for a sin they say he has committed, and yet here my sins are running out behind me, and I don’t even see them.” [2]

The accusers just fell away. They went back to the gathering and told the man, “We don’t have anything to say to you.” It disbanded because of Moses’s humility. It’s very much like the woman accused of adultery by the men in John’s Gospel, where Jesus comes up and says, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). (Rohr, 2026)

We invoke the Spirit in our efforts to understand, implement, and live by the principles and concepts expressed in Jesus Word for fullness of life.

References

Cardoso, E. (2026, February 15). Daily Reflection February 15, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved February 15, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-15-2026 

Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 15, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?17 

Meditation on 1 Corinthians 2:6-10. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 15, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/02/15/1499744/ 

1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 15, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/2?6 

Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 15, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?1 

Rohr, R. (2026, February 13). A Return to the Garden — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved February 15, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-return-to-the-garden/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Great Are Those Who Teach and Obey the Commandments. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 15, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Sirach, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 15, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/15?15