Jesus said to his disciples: I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you. (John 16:12-15)

When he warns the disciples of his upcoming departure, Jesus reassures them, “I am not burdening you with too much baggage. I have made known to you the essential you must absolutely be familiar with (see John 15:15). So head towards the future with total confidence. In every new situation, the Spirit who will take over from me will reveal to you what you must know of me.”

When people leave behind a new religious or philosophical foundation, they are generally concerned to provide careful instructions set down in writing. Jesus acts in a different way. He leaves behind very little, and although what he does leave is irreplaceable, he counts instead on a living person, the Spirit of truth, to remind the disciples of it, to bring it to life and interiorize it. That Spirit will illuminate the meaning of his words by shedding on them the light of his death and resurrection. In that way the Spirit will “glorify” Jesus.

The Spirit will thus lead us neither to brand-new truths nor towards knowledge that will add to what Jesus has already bequeathed us. No, the Spirit will guide us to the fullness of truth from within, giving us a more correct understanding of that truth which is Jesus, making us aware of the impact that it will have in the new situations we are going to face.

No individual or group will ever be able to grasp this truth on their own. To explore it, no human tradition will suffice. We will need Christians from other cultures, other races, Christians with another history, to discover what that inexhaustible truth still holds so that we can root our lives in Christ.

 Am I ready to recognize that the full truth about Jesus still lies before me, that I still have to let myself be led towards it? What does this change in my way of witnessing to the faith? In my relationship with Christians of other traditions than mine?

 On my own humble level, how can I contribute to an ecumenical future in which we shall be better able to witness to Jesus because we are united to one another?