Once again Jesus follows with words of encouragement and reassurance. The Father will send the Holy Spirit upon them. Jesus will continue to be present to them in a new way – through the Holy Spirit.
Thus, the departure of Jesus is not a departure. It will bring about a new and deeper kind of presence.
• Jesus was sent by God into this world. His visible presence within this world was temporary.
• The Holy Spirit is sent by God into this world to be with us, within us, as someone who is at our side, on our side (that’s what “Advocate/Paraclete: means.) This replaces Jesus’ physical presence. The Spirit does not become incarnate, but truly dwells within us. And this presence is not temporary. It lasts forever.
The presence of the Spirit is not a second-rate presence. It is the presence of God. It is a real presence. It is the way in which Jesus continues to be with us.
To get hold of this truth and let its implications sink in is a grand moment in the life of a Christian.
(Getting hold of this truth and letting its implications sink in is the whole purpose of the 50-dauy Easter Season.)
One hundred years ago today, one of the most famous artists of the 20th century, Salvador Dali, was born in Spain, near the French border.
The son of a public notary, Dali was educated by the Brothers of the Marist Order.
He was a colorful, volatile life of expulsions from schools as a youth, and romantic liaisons as well.
During World War II, Dali and his wife came to the United States. They went to Hollywood where he was a set designer, and worked with Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchcock. After World War II they returned to Spain. In 1958, Dali returned to the Catholic faith.
Among his famous works with a religious theme is his Last Supper which was exhibited at the National Gallery in Washington, D. C. in 1956. He was also well known for his 1931 painting, The Persistence of Memory, which featured a melting clock
Salvador Dali died of heart failure on January 23, 1989.