A Little While – Reflection on John 16:16-20
Hearing Jesus say “in a little while” helps represent a fractional resonating and sharing of Jesus’s pain, weeping, mourning, and joy in your journey. This continuous cycling is necessary to internalize and influence our thoughts before, during, and after deep prayer. With time, experience, and spiritual practice, we will come to understand more deeply how our triune God can rise within us. As faith increases, the greater we can know the grace of joy that fills us. We will gain spiritual strengths as more grace becomes available for others. There are significant obstacles to learning how to cope with the world’s efforts to defeat us. As we become less available to the onslaught of evil, the strength of our vices decreases. For some, this is a relentless hammering for long periods and even throughout life. Those who resist the pounding battles can turn to Saint John of the Cross or other saintly people as exemplars. We can trust that Jesus’ glorious rise within us offsets the challenges of these times, making us stronger. Like Jesus’ disciples, we can understand how even a willingness to try yields a range of personal victories. The result is rejoicing with Christ in the receiving and giving of unconditional love.
My Soul is Sorrowful unto Death by James Tissot (full resolution image of painting).
More details are available on the Brooklyn Museum website.
Additional Eastertide Reflections
John 16:16-20 – Scripture*
Sorrow Will Turn into Joy
16 “A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying to us, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They said, “What does he mean by this ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’? 20 Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy.
Additional Thoughts
Thank you for meditating on this Gospel and reading this Lectio Divina on John 16:16-20 Reflection – A Little While.
Would you like to contribute related thoughts to these Lectio reflections on the Gospel readings? Since Lectio is not the only contemplative prayer style, others might appreciate these expressions in this ministry. Do you see God’s grandeur everywhere and unconditionally enjoy sharing the love of Christ that you have inside? Are you willing to be anonymous in what you would share? If so, email me.
Prayer for young families:
Lord, let the young families of our communities experience your joy, peace, comfort, and love despite the world’s distractions.
Attributions
*This site has permission to use the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) Bible John 16 passage.
The Immersive Prayer website follows the guidelines for image web use at the Brooklyn Museum and the Jewish Museum websites.
Prayer for young families:
Lord, let the young families of our communities experience your joy, peace, comfort, and love despite worldly distractions.
Attributions
Primary Lectio Divina word or phrase: A Little While
Page and discussion group on these Lectio Divina daily Gospel Readings.
Discussion group on St. John of the Cross.