Led Into the Whole Truth
May 28, 2025 - Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
John 16:12–15
Have you ever had someone say, “I want to tell you something, but you're not ready yet”? That’s kind of what Jesus says in today’s Gospel:
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”
Jesus wasn’t holding back to be secretive—He just knew that the disciples needed time. Time to grow, to understand, to experience, and most of all, to receive the Holy Spirit who would open their hearts to the whole truth.
Sometimes, truth comes slowly. Not because it’s hiding, but because we grow into it. And the Holy Spirit is our guide on that journey.
There’s a cool tradition that some Christians still practice when making the sign of the cross. You hold your fingers a certain way:
Your thumb, index, and middle finger come together—symbolizing the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Your ring finger and little finger rest on your palm—reminding us that Jesus is both God and human.
Every time you cross yourself like that, you're saying with your hands what the Church has spent centuries saying with words:
God is a mystery—Three-in-One.
Jesus is fully God and fully human.
And the Spirit is alive in us, leading us deeper into truth.
These truths weren’t fully understood right away—not even by the first disciples. It took time, prayer, struggle, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That’s why the Church, guided by the Spirit, held big gatherings called councils where the early Christians prayed, studied, and declared what we now say every Sunday in the Creed. You might hear it called the Nicene Creed—it comes from the cities of Nicaea and Constantinople where those councils were held.
And here’s what’s awesome: the Spirit didn’t just lead them back then. The Spirit leads us now.
Jesus calls the Spirit the Paraclete—our helper, our guide. In John’s Gospel, the Spirit is described as the one who:
Teaches us everything
Testifies to Jesus
Reveals truth to the world
Glorifies Christ
And leads us deeper into the mystery of God’s love
And through the Spirit, we know the full truth:
That God is our Father.
That Jesus is our Savior and our Friend.
That the Spirit is the Giver of Life—alive and active in you.
So the next time you make the sign of the cross, do it slowly.
Let your fingers remind you of what your heart believes:
You’re part of a mystery. A story. A relationship that’s bigger than anything this world can offer.
And the Spirit is guiding you—day by day—into the truth that changes everything.