Compasses not Maps

“Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’" Jn 16:5

Transitions are always difficult. We become accustomed to living in a particular way. We eat at the same time. sleep at the same time, and go to work at the same time. We are, as it were, slaves to our schedules. Then everything changes. A baby is born and though there is great joy, there is also a terrible shock to the system. New parents don't eat, sleep or do anything without first thinking about the baby. And then, all of a sudden, the child is ready for school, and they are faced with another transition. How to let go of their child into a much bigger world.

The gospel today is all about transitions. When Jesus first called his apostles he told them: Follow me. They followed him, like slaves, and were at peace. Now he is readying them to hear a new commandment. Go, as my friends, into the whole world without me in the flesh. The transition the apostles are challenged to make is daunting. In the beginning of their ministry, Jesus gave them a map. Here is where we are going. Watch me and do the same. Now he offers them a compass and tells them not to be afraid, they no longer have to be slaves to what they have learned. They are his friends and his compass, the Holy Spirit, will guide them.

Living in a world that shifts from maps to compasses is unnerving. There is much less security in discerning how best to get where the compass directs us. It might be across mountains or oceans. We don't know, but we have to go, and the Lord promises us only one thing, that His Spirit, our compass, will direct us, and help us to find the right words to proclaim his mission when we get wherever he send us.

Today, trust that the compass the Lord offers us is sufficient for the community of faith.

Who or what has been a compass in your life?