NOTES for Joh 15:26-16:4
Everything in our world is interconnected: every event inevitably brings something else after it, and we cannot always say what that will be. For example, a smile to a neighbor can lift his spirits, or even help him understand that joy and love exist and restore his desire to live. The infamous oil spilled by Annushka can become the cause of death... Everything is connected, and the consequences can be very serious. This places on us the duty to be extremely attentive in our relationships with the world and with those around us, understanding that only Love always brings good in its wake.
In today's reading from the Gospel of John, Jesus also speaks about the connection of everything that happens. He proclaims the testimony of the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter sent to us (see John 15:26). And the Spirit of the Lord, who comes to fill the hearts of those who believe in Him, is a gift from God. The words "And you also will bear witness" (John 15:27) tell us that our work follows the gift: using it for service to God and passing the Spirit on to others, as the Apostles did. If we do not share what God gives us, what we have appropriated will simply perish, like a flower tightly clutched in the hand. Therefore, if something is given from above, it must be used, because nothing is given for no reason.