THE TEXT BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPTION OF THE VIDEO COMMENTARY BY FR. FERNANDO ARMELLINI

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Happy Easter to all! 

This Sunday, we are also presented with a passage from the discourse Jesus gave to the disciples at the Last Supper, which is therefore part of his testament. To understand his words, we must try to identify with the dramatic moment when he spoke to them. The group of disciples following him is wounded. Judas had recently left the upper room to make an agreement with the high priests about how to deliver Jesus to them. John notes in his Gospel that when Judas left the upper room, it was night. He saw him shrouded in darkness because Judas preferred darkness to light. 

The eleven who stayed with Jesus were scared and worried. Twice, he tells them, “Do not be troubled, do not be discouraged.” Under what circumstances are these eleven? They have built big dreams and hopes, and now they see that their Master is about to leave them. If they were so hesitant and unsure when Jesus was with them, what can we expect now that they are left alone? 

By human standards, all the requirements for this lost group to start a new chapter in world history are absent. We can also speculate today, after two thousand years, that if this upheaval of the world occurred, we must assume that this group acted with a force beyond this world. 

And it is exactly this divine power that Jesus now wants to discuss with the disciples to prepare them for the time when they can no longer rely on his physical presence. At this crucial moment, four disciples ask Jesus questions, sharing their doubts and confusion with him. The number four, as we know, symbolizes multitude, the whole of humanity; and specifically, through these four disciples, we hear the questions we ask ourselves today, because we are like them and, at some point, the Master’s physical presence is no longer there. 

The first to ask the question is Peter. He says, ‘Lord, where are you going? I want to follow you. And you say I can’t follow you now… why can’t I follow you?’ Jesus tells him, ‘No, you will follow me later.’ Peter insists, and Jesus responds, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” That is: ‘Peter, I understand you. You are weak. One day you will follow me, but let me first accomplish my purpose, the goal of my life. Then you will also follow me.’ This is our question. We want to follow Jesus, but we know our weaknesses. And Jesus understands us in our weaknesses. 

The second question is the one Thomas asked (Thomas is a very concrete person). Jesus had said: “Where I am going, you know the way.” Thomas responds, “We don’t know where you are going; how shall we know the way?” The question is exactly about the path of our life; many options lie before us, as many as the proposals life presents, from friends, from people we admire, from the media… There are many paths available; which one is the right one that leads us to the joy and peace we seek? In the face of all these choices, we often feel confused. Jesus says: ‘I am the way; seek no other way; you will not be happy.’ We are made for this way, the only path leading to the Father. 

Now Philip intervenes and says to Jesus, “Master, show us the Father.” Jesus replies, “Have I been with you for so long and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” This is another question we ask Jesus. You can see that the questions on these disciples’ lips are our questions, too. How do we see the Father? The only way is to look at and contemplate Jesus, and we will see the Father. Today, we contemplate Jesus in the Gospel. The four Gospels, from four different perspectives, help us see Jesus, the Son of God, whom we must resemble; we must align our lives with His to become like the heavenly Father. 

Now Judas steps in, the fourth one; he is not Iscariot, who had left the upper room. He is the other Judas. Judas was a common name in Israel. He says to him: ‘Lord, why are you about to reveal yourself to us and not to the world? We want you to show yourself to the world with extraordinary signs and wonders, meaning we want to see a revelation of yourself sparked by the noise of the crowd.’ This is also what even Jesus’ relatives desired. In Judas’s words, the disappointment of the eleven is clear. They seem to say, ‘We have been with you for three years, believed in you, had a wonderful journey, and now you’re leaving. It’s all over, and we’re returning to our previous lives—nothing has changed. You announced the kingdom of God, the kingdom of justice, of love, and of peace. But, in truth, the world remains the same as before.’ 

The moment of discouragement these eleven experienced is the same as what we feel today, when we don’t see our dreams and hopes come true and are tempted to give up on goodness. I think of many young people in the early years of their lives who held on to their hopes and wanted to see a new world and a more evangelical Church emerge; they even worked hard to make this happen. At one point, disappointment overtook them, and they concluded, ‘Patience; we believed in a beautiful dream, but the kingdom of God will never come true.’ 

This is the context in which we need to consider the words of Jesus we are about to hear. They provide answers to these questions. Let’s listen to what Jesus says: 

Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him. We will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. Yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. 

The words of Jesus we have heard are his answer to the question asked by Judas Thaddaeus: ‘Why do you manifest yourself to us and not to the world?’ Jesus says: ‘If anyone loves me…’ The revelation I offer is one of love, and the world isn’t interested in it; the world cares about the manifestation of power, dominion, glory, and riches. The world values, admires, and immediately understands these revelations. My revelation isn’t of that kind; I don’t perform miracles; prodigies happen because of the faith you place in my word. Whoever believes in my Gospel is a witness to wonders; wonders happen in the world; I don’t do miracles. 

Nowhere in the Gospel does it say that Jesus performed miracles. The word θαύμα (miracle) does not appear in the Greek text when describing what Jesus does. The world expects these displays, but this is not the revelation Jesus offers. Jesus says, ‘I am speaking of giving one’s life, of forgetting oneself, of humble service to the poor, of putting one’s own goods at the service of the needy. I am speaking of the gift of life even to the enemy.’ 

The world does not understand this revelation; it values those with many servants, not those who serve. An episode in Luke’s Gospel clearly illustrates why the world cannot understand Jesus’ revelation. During a trial, Pilate struggles because he sees that Jesus has done nothing wrong, yet he cannot upset Annas and Caiaphas. Unsure how to escape this dilemma, he sends Jesus to Herod Antipas, who is in Jerusalem for Passover. When Herod sees Jesus, he rejoices because he has long wanted to see Him. He hoped for a revelation of Jesus, a display of His glory; he had heard about His miracles and wanted to witness them. He believed these signs would convince him to follow Jesus. 

The evangelist Luke states that Jesus didn’t even speak a word to him, so what did Herod do? He despised him. The Greek verb used is ἐξουθενήσας (exouthenesas), meaning he *destroyed* him, saying to him: ‘You are nobody, you are worthless, your revelation counts for nothing, go away, you are a freak.’ I believe many disciples today are also victims of Judas Thaddeus’s misunderstanding. The same applies to Jesus’ relatives, who expected these manifestations. Many disciples today expect miracles and wonders. Wonders are produced by faith; if we follow the Gospel, miracles happen in the world. Let us not expect these miracles to fall from heaven. 

Nowhere in the Gospels does it say that Jesus performed miracles. But σεμείον (semeion) means signs and wonders when faith is given to his word. Indeed, Jesus calls those who expect these glorious manifestations wicked and perverse. Jesus says: “Whoever loves me will keep my word.” He explains what it means to ‘love.’ It means being in tune with his life, just as a wife joins her life to her husband’s. This is love, not a vague feeling. To love Jesus means to carry him in one’s heart. 

What happens to those who allow themselves to be involved in this love? Jesus says, “My Father will love him.” It is not a reward you receive at the end of your life; no, you immediately enter into communion with God. In you, the life that is the life of God is manifested because you love. And Jesus continues: “We shall come to him and make our dwelling with him.” God dwells in the one who loves. Jesus is now saying something extraordinary. When one loves, God is present in him. Jesus was God with us because he was completely moved by the Spirit, by the divine life, which is love. Now this love, this Spirit, has been given to each of us. 

When this love is shown through us, it is given to each of us; the glory of God is revealed—an unveiling that, unfortunately, the world does not understand. This is one of the true signs of Jesus among us. Jesus is present in the broken and shared Eucharistic bread; he is present among the poor and wherever two or more gather in his name. He is present in the words of the Gospel and in every loving disciple; in them, the Son of God, who is present in the world, is revealed. 

Jesus says, “Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.” If you do not love or accept His Word, you still belong to the world, which cannot grasp the true revelation Jesus offers. “Yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.” The authorities often separated Jesus from the Father; they refused to accept this face of God because the religious leaders—the scribes, Pharisees, and temple priests—still belonged to the world that rejected the Father’s revelation Jesus came to reveal. 

Jesus insists, saying, ‘The word I proclaim, my revelation, is not mine; it is the revelation of the heavenly Father.’ Jesus knows that the disciples are afraid at this moment. They fear the gift of life and are scared of this love, and what frightens them most is being left alone; the Master will no longer be with them. To encourage them, Jesus makes a promise. Let us listen: 

I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. 

Just before Judas Thaddaeus asked his question, which we discussed earlier, Jesus made a promise to the disciples in the upper room. He said, “I will not leave you orphans; the Father will send you another Paraclete.” What does Jesus mean? In ancient tradition, the word ‘paraclete’ was translated as ‘comforter.’ Later, they realized that the Greek word παράκλητος (parakletos) did not translate well, so they kept the transliteration of the Greek term ‘parakletos.’ It means the one who is near, the helper, and the protector. 

Jesus made this promise to the disciples in the upper room, but it also applies to us. We need someone to be with us. One of the most difficult tests of our faith is feeling isolated in a world that thinks, reasons, and acts according to standards very different from those of the Gospel. 

If we speak of forgiveness, love for the enemy, meekness, chastity, self-control, and unconditional conjugal love; if we speak of eternal life, we will be seen as people of the Gospel who speak from a different world, not trendy. Those who act according to the standards of evangelical morality are considered rare, and I would say somewhat outdated, because they behave in ways that are hard to understand for those who think by the standards of this world. They might also be seen as medieval, backward, and obscure. The types of families built today are not those proposed by the Gospel; the family of the future will be an extended, free family. 

The Paraclete is called to support those who choose to live according to the Gospel because the Paraclete makes you feel not alone. If you hear a voice telling you that you have made evangelical choices, that what you are doing is right, and that these are life choices that will bring you joy, then it is the voice of the Paraclete at your side. Listen to it. 

But the Paraclete also means defender. What does He defend us from? It is enough to think of our own experiences. He defends us from many voices we hear, including reasoning that invites you to conform to what everybody does, to enjoy the present moment, and to think only about yourself. Or to be disinterested in others. Then, inside, you hear a voice that tells you that things are not like that; it tells you that those are speeches of death that you should not listen to. That is the Spirit who defends you and your life from the poison that spreads worldliness, from the pagan logic that so many media preach. 

When you listen to those who say the Beatitudes preached by Jesus are just a dream, that the kingdom of God is a dream; that you can forget about the new world because it will never happen; that you should live like everyone else; that for two thousand years the Church has been preaching the Gospel, and what has changed? Resign yourself, live like everyone else. But then you hear a voice inside you saying, ‘Look, that’s not the way things are. It pays to live by the Gospel. The kingdom of God will come.’ When you hear this voice, it is the Spirit defending your life so you don’t lose it; but when someone dismisses this world’s life as if it were the only one and encourages you to do the same—’enjoy it, don’t give it away’—then you hear a voice telling you, ‘donate your life if you want to keep it.’ That is the Spirit speaking to you. 

Now, Jesus identifies this Paraclete as “The Holy Spirit that the Father will send.” He assigns it two tasks: first, “he will teach you everything.” This means teaching all that Jesus said; he adds nothing but teaches them to you. The Spirit guides us in understanding Jesus’ message. It is a promise that we see fulfilled in the life of the Church and in our personal lives. Today, we understand the Gospel more clearly than we did yesterday, or even a few centuries ago. In the past, we lacked the studies and depth of biblical knowledge that we have today. Many times, I hear people say when I explain the Gospel: ‘Here everything is changed’; no, nothing has changed—the Gospel itself remains the same. What changes is our understanding of it; today, we understand it better than we did yesterday. 

Rejecting this new light is a sin against the Spirit. Sometimes I also hear the question, ‘Why weren’t these things said before?’ Because we hadn’t understood them then. It was wrong within the Church to shut the heart to the Spirit’s light and voice. And the Spirit teaches us something else: not only does he help us better understand what Jesus said, but he also guides us to rephrase the Gospel so it can be understood by every culture and age. 

The Spirit is not a theoretical teacher; He does not give us external instructions; the Spirit acts in our hearts and brings new life. If we listen to the Spirit, we live as Jesus lived, always obedient to His divine life. This is our new nature: the grape produces grapes not because it receives external instructions but because of its nature. Similarly, the Christian has the divine nature given to him, and when he loves, he demonstrates this nature, which is the Spirit. Therefore, the norm we must follow comes from within; it is the voice of the Spirit. 

Then, “and remind you of all that I told you.” Beyond teaching, he helps you remember; he keeps the memory alive. The verb remember is very important in the Bible. God does not want his people to forget the works he did for them. It is easy to lose memory of one’s identity as a son or daughter of God and to revert to reasoning, speaking, and living like everybody else. The Spirit constantly reminds us that Jesus is right. 

And now, the promise of a gift that Jesus gives us. Let’s listen to it: 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. 

Today, we understand that Jesus’ promise was fulfilled at Passover because the heavenly Father sent His Spirit, who guides us, continually reminds us of what Jesus said, and tells us, ‘He is right when he makes his proposals of life, which is the true life.’ But is it possible to verify the presence of this Spirit within us? 

There are two clear signs that this divine life is within us: peace and joy, because these qualities can only exist in those who love. If you lack love, you will always feel restless and upset; you might have pleasures, money, or success, but you will have no true joy because you are built to love. The ultimate sign that God is in us and that we are in harmony with the divine life given to us is peace and joy. 

And now Jesus explains what is meant by peace and what his peace consists of, which is different from the peace that the world offers. What does ‘world’ mean? It is used in three different senses. In the Gospel according to John, ‘world’ is sometimes understood as the creation, the earth. The Son of God was sent into the world, becoming one of us, when Jesus says that ‘God so loved the world so much that he gave his Son,’ or when he says, “I did not come into the world to condemn the world but to save the world.” In this case, ‘world’ means humanity—those to be saved and the humanity that the heavenly Father loves enough to offer his only Son. 

In our passage, when we talk about the world, we refer to worldliness—this way of thinking and living dictated by evil, which shapes a society driven by competition, domination, and the desire to impose oneself on others. Such a society is based on the principle that the strictest rule prevails, which can lead to enslavement. This is the world that society creates. The world guided by this evil logic also claims to offer peace, but what kind of peace is it? We see this logic in the ‘Pax Romana,’ which was well known during Jesus’ time, as the Roman Empire extended across the entire world and no one could oppose it because they were subjugated. It is the peace of dominance, of violence. The weakest cannot stand out and must be subdued. 

We see this logic of the ‘Pax Romana’ in Rome’s founding myth. Romulus, who traces a furrow with a plow, tells his brother Remus, ‘Don’t cross this border because I am stronger; I decide the boundaries where you can cross and where you must stay away from, and if you do, I will kill you.’ Peace lasts as long as the victor prevails and the defeated lack the strength to rebel, but when they gain strength, they rebel and overthrow the previous ruler. Therefore, the ‘Pax Romana’ is simply the period between two wars. It is during this ‘Pax Romana’ that slavery was justified. 

Jesus transforms the idea of peace. His peace is rooted in love that breaks down barriers; it doesn’t carve out divisions like Romulus did. Instead, it unites hearts, placing the strongest, most capable, and most gifted at the service of the weakest and most needy. The other is not merely a brother to be killed, as Romulus did to those who were not submissive or did not serve him, but rather one to be loved. The other is a brother, a son or daughter of the heavenly Father. The new world is no longer that of wolves offering a peace that is just the peace of cemeteries, where everyone must remain silent, but the peace of lambs, where all lay down their lives in service to their brothers. Only this is genuine peace. 

Jesus continues: “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” Do not be discouraged. The Greek verb used is ταρασσέσθω (tarassesstho), which conveys the agitation of the sea’s waves. Jesus also experienced this turmoil. It is mentioned three times in the Gospel of John. Jesus is troubled at Lazarus’s tomb; he is troubled and says to his disciples when his hour has come: “Now my spirit is troubled, and what shall I say? For this reason, I have come to this trance” (Jn 12:27). He is also agitated in the Cenacle when, at a certain moment, he says, “One of you will betray me” (Mt 26:20). 

The peace Jesus speaks of is also compatible with the moments of turmoil we must face in our lives. Jesus experienced turbulence too; we need to learn to find peace within ourselves—peace with our conscience, with what we believe, and peace that aligns with how we’ve shaped our lives in harmony with the Spirit. We can’t rely on external events to create peace. True peace comes from union with God and dialogue with the Spirit. In faith, we must learn to see things differently. The joys and sufferings are understood in the light of the Gospel and the Spirit. 

Then Jesus assures us of his presence with us. He says, “I am going away, and I will come back to you.” His first coming was to our world, limited by space and time. When Jesus was in Capernaum, he was not with his mother in Nazareth, and she felt the distance between them. Now, since Jesus has returned to the Father, all these limits have been lifted, and therefore he is always with us. That’s why he says, “You would rejoice that I am going to the Father,” because he enters into this new condition beyond all limits of space and time. Therefore, Jesus is always beside each one of us. 

And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it does, you may believe. This is the invitation he extends to us—to give him our full trust and confidence in his love, because only this trust, when truly lived, brings us into a world of peace and happiness. 

I wish you all a happy Easter.