6th SUNDAY OF EASTER A. My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it’s six weeks already since the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. Ascension is a few days away, yet today’s readings talk about the Spirit already. Jesus tells his disciples that they know this Spirit, for He dwells in them already, yet He will ask the Father to send them this Counsellor, the Spirit of truth. We are the disciples of Jesus and the Apostles of our time. What are we doing for the salvation of the world in the light of the Spirit that dwells in us— the Spirit that we have received. Obedience to the commandments of the Lord, is the proof of our love for him. That is what the Liturgy of today reminds us. First Reading (Acts 8: 5-8, 14-17) In the last few weeks, the readings from the Acts of the Apostles presented to us a description of how the seed of the new faith was planted and the role of the Apostles in this enterprise. Today’s passage tells us of the exploits of one of the seven deacons named Philip in Samaria. The Jews and the Samaritans had been torn apart for various reasons, yet they shared some things in common. They both had faith in God and believed in a common ancestry. They believed in the coming of the Messiah and looked forward to it as the solution to their problems. The story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob and the parable of the Good Samaritan, opens a window into this. The animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans dates back to the period after the death of Solomon when the Northern tribes of Israel withdrew their allegiance from the southern Judaean monarchy. Samaria became the capital city of this kingdom. This animosity was further fuelled when those who returned from the exile in Babylon, refused an offer from the Samaritans, to join hands with them in rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem, as the Samaritans were not seen as pure Jews because of inter-marriage with other tribes. In this passage, the Samaritans put aside whatever differences they had with the Jews and whole-heartedly welcomed the message from Philip in Samaria. The miracles worked by Philip must have convinced them of the trustworthiness of his message. The Apostles then immediately on hearing of this sent down Peter and John to pray that the Holy Spirit might descend on these newly converted people. Second Reading (1 Peter 3: 15-18) Peter in this passage encourages the early Christians on how to bear the sufferings they had to undergo in the course of doing the will of Christ. Bearing patiently their own sufferings will definitely enhance their mission of preaching the Gospel to all. This passage opens with an exhortation on the need to reverence the Lord, they need to show courtesy and respect, they must not be arrogant, but to do all things with a clear conscience. This is what they need, to prove wrong those who accuse them. Peter also encourage them to have their explanation ready for the motivation behind the holiness of their lives. A disciple is expected to live an exemplary life and not fight his way out. A Christian must live beyond the suspicion of doubt. They will need above all to accept the sufferings that may come following the good they have done. It is better to suffer for doing what is right than to suffer for doing something wrong. According to him, “…keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God’s will, than for doing wrong.” To further encourage them, Peter turns to the example of Christ who suffered innocently—His death is seen as a sin-offering, a sacrifice for the sins of others; His death was inclusive, it was for all, righteous and unrighteous alike; His death is definitive as it provides access to God— it is once and for all. This clearly shows the true nature of Christ who remains alive in the Spirit after he had been put to death in the flesh. This is the reason for our hope in Christ—whoever believes in him will never die. Gospel (John 14:15-21) The Gospel today takes up a few theological themes that are very important. It talks about obedience as a sign of love; it gives a window into the internal working and relationship of the Trinity; and it speaks of the presence of God in those who love. These things were all revealed to the disciples while Jesus talked about the parting that must come concerning his return to the Father just as he revealed to them the Spirit as the driving force of the future mission of the Church. The disciples of Jesus had to accept his parting though his departure will leave them feeling abandoned. Jesus told his disciples that “he was going to the father. The disciples actually understood this to mean that he was leaving them. Every parting comes with some pains as often a void is created waiting to be filled and in some cases impossible to fill. Even at this time of departure, the fundamental message of Jesus to the disciples was that of love. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Obedience to the Lord is key to salvation. At the wedding feast of Cana, where Jesus had worked his first miracle at the promptings of the Mother, the message of Mary to the servants was, “do whatever he tells you.” Obedience is the key to understanding the Lord and his will for us. If the disciples obey the Lord, he says, “and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth… for he dwells with you and will be in you.” In this saying of Jesus, we find a promise which is the price of obedience. It is the outpouring of the Spirit on those who believe and who obey the Lord. There are various forms of parting in life. There is a parting which implies abandonment. You might think of babies abandoned at birth. This is a damaging thing in the life of anyone. You can also imagine a man abandoning the spouse to marry someone else or the woman doing the same. Think of aged people abandoned in the home by their children who have found save havens abroad or in the cities and do not care about what becomes of their parents at home or in the village. Jesus was not going to abandon his disciples. There is another type of parting which is necessary because it is for the good of the one that is leaving. Consider someone who is on transfer to resume at a new location as a senior officer or man in charge. It is for good and even though we cherish such people we are still happy that they are leaving for a greater opportunities in life. This may be true of Jesus, but that is not all since Jesus was not just leaving for his own good. There is yet another parting which is not just for the good of the one leaving but also for the good of those he is leaving behind. Consider the case of a master who bows out of office to allow his junior ones or students to have a chance while he sits back to watch them do what he had taught them. This is true also of Jesus. His leaving to the father is also a challenge to his disciples to rise to the occasion. The greatest consolation of all is that he will remain with them and will send his spirit to teach them anew and to give them the courage they need to carry on the work he is entrusting to them. In talking about the Holy Spirit, Jesus described the Spirit as “Counsellor” and then “the spirit of truth”. These qualifies what the spirit will be doing in the believers. A counsellor is someone who gives counsel; an adviser; could be an attorney or trial lawyer or better still an advocate as we find in some other translations. An “advocate” – is a title mainly used in the court of law and it means the one who stands next to the accused or beside the accused. In some ancient cultures, if one was accused and was facing prosecution for some offence, it could happen that a respected person in the community will come to stand beside the accused without ever even uttering a word. In such a case the prosecution will stop. This noble man who stands beside the one in trouble was called the “Advocate or Paraclete”. In talking of the Counsellor, the Spirit of truth, Jesus means that the Holy Spirit will be the protector of the believers. They need not be afraid of the persecutions that will come. The season of Pentecost, for the fresh outpouring of the Spirit on the community of believers beckons again. From Friday this week following the celebration of Ascension on thursday, we will begin the novena to the Holy Spirit at every Mass for nine days as we await again the promised Counsellor. Do not allow this opportunity to pass you bye. Lord Jesus, with the whole Church in prayer we await the Spirit. Send Him now to renew us in faith and fill us afresh with your love. Amen. Have a wonderful week.
Posted on: Sat, 24 May 2014 19:43:28 +0000
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