Christ In You
[Jesus said to his disciples,] “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” John 14:18-20
On a recent Sunday, we, and many Christians heard this passage proclaimed within the Eucharist. It speaks of a spiritual connection, of a continuing presence, emphasizing the word “in”. Jesus said, “…you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Just before this Jesus told the Eleven, still at the table with him during his final discourse to them, that he would ask, and the Father would send another Advocate or Helper (Paraclete) who would come alongside to give aid. This Helper, the Spirit of truth, he said, would be with them forever. We get the strong message that by the work of the Spirit, we can experience the Savior Jesus Christ in us forever. Christ the Son of God is in the Father, you are in Christ, and Christ is in you. This description of layered connection is beyond comprehension. It is a mystical union promised and delivered by Jesus.
We are now in the part of the Great Fifty Days of Easter when we underscore the mystery of the Ascension of our Savior Jesus Christ far above all heavens that he might fill all things. We also highlight the mystery of the empowering Spirit poured out upon the disciples at Pentecost. In these wonders of God’s power, we embrace the gift each believer has—the indwelling presence of God.
When the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus, born in Bethlehem, Christ was present to others from the space the human Jesus occupied. This changes after his ascension. We say that Jesus ascended, but was it really a rising, up to a physical place above called heaven? Was it not rather an entrance into another realm with no restrictions on the dimensions of space and time? The disciples experienced Jesus as being lifted up, a cloud then taking him out of their sight. Just as Jesus promised, this departure led at length to him being more present to them than ever.
And so, today, Christ is present and active not simply where a single human dwells, but everywhere that a Christian, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, represents Christ. As St. Paul puts it, you are an ambassador of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) He wrote that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ and gave us, as Christians, the ministry of reconciliation.
Your faith is not an external religious set of principles or practices, but an experience of God. Christ in you allows you to share openly, inviting others to the experience and relationship with God. Christ, in you, spreads the love of God, further and further through the human community.
