He Will Convict the World!

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Acts 16:22-34; Jn 16:5-11

Today’s Gospel highlights the three important works of the Holy Spirit. 

The passage begins with Jesus hinting at his worldly departure in order to send the Holy Spirit. 

Though Jesus talks of his departure, which troubles the hearts of his disciples, he assures them of his more intimate and pervasive presence through the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

While Jesus has shown that his physical absence should not be equated with abandonment and that his presence will more fully be felt by the presence of the Advocate, he underscores the triple mission of the Holy Spirit. 

The word ‘convict’ that Jesus employs to describe the mission of the Holy Spirit is a legal term whose meaning could be ‘exposing, correcting, or persuading with authority.’ 

The Holy Spirit will expose people’s rejection of the Son of Man, which led to their sin. While the Spirit would thus expose their unbelief, He will call them to repentance and faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit will help us come back to Christ. 

The Holy Spirit will correct people’s opinion regarding Jesus, that he is the fullness of righteousness who has been glorified by the Father for carrying out His will. The Spirit will point to Jesus as the true standard of righteousness and as the model for our moral life. 

The Holy Spirit will persuade us to return to the light of God’s truth, having shown the defeat of evil by Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit will help us examine our allegiance and inspire our return to Christ, our Light, if we have strayed from him. 

Let us pray that we may allow ourselves to be guided by the Spirit to remain in Christ.

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar