Sixth Sunday of Easter (Cycle C)

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary: 57

Reading 1 - Acts 15:1-2, 22-29

Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8

Reading 2 - Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23

Alleluia - John 14:23

Gospel - John 14:23-29

During these last days of Eastertide before the Feat of the Ascension, we liturgically “re-live” the end of the forty-day period the Apostles spent with Jesus as he prepared them for his departure.  We have no direct record of Jesus’ teachings during this time, either in Acts or the Gospels.  So the Church turns to Jesus’ discourse in John during the Last Supper ... which suits very well, because in it, Jesus speaks extensively about His imminent departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit.  It is also a reminder that, as they later “remembered” what He had said, and what had been written about Him, and had been done to Him, the original inability of the disciples to understand the words and deeds of Jesus would be overcome … This “remembering” will be the fruit of the presence of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, with the disciples in the in-between-time.

As might be expected, a central theme of His farewell discourse is Love … we should keep in mind that the goal of love is always intimacy … and we were created for intimacy with God. We usually make the mistake of seeing love as merely a subject feeling and obedience as merely an objective performance. But Jesus tells us that these two things are really one thing … that love is not just a subjective feeling but a life, a choice, a deed; and that obedience to His word, His commandments, is not just performance … it is moved by love, its life is love and its soul is love.

God’s commands are given for own own good, to show us the path to love and enable us to flourish in this world … and we learn from these verses that our obedience shows that we both love Him and trust Him … and that we want Him to Abide, or Dwell, in us. Indeed, these terms … abide, believe and love - seem at times to simply be different ways of saying the same thing … and they all seem to be part of the idea of Christian unity which we profess to believe in our Creed when we say the Church is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic …

The Gospel reading from John focuses on Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit, whom He calls “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” Therefore, the Holy Spirit is our teacher, our guide, and our reminder of Christ’s teachings … Jesus also offers His disciples a gift of peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” This is not merely the absence of conflict, but a deep, abiding peace that comes from knowing and trusting in God’s love and presence ...

… We see this played out in our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, where we are told about the measures that were necessary to keep peace in the early Church. This reading is very important because it demonstrates the manner in which the Church should be governed with the help of the Holy Spirit. In this case, we have St Paul and Barnabas preaching the Gospel to anyone who would listen, often converting Gentiles when they saw Jews rejecting the Truth. With this, a debate (which is a polite way of saying argument) arose about how Jewish these new Gentile converts needed to be … and this debate was centered on the adherence to Mosaic Law and the requirement to be circumcised. In other words … Gentiles needed to become Jewish first. St James seems to have supported this idea while St Paul argued against this interpretation … and both positions claimed to be following God’s will.

How did the Church resolve this issue? A Church council was called in Jerusalem to discuss the matter, a decision was made, and a letter was drafted to communicate that “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities …” where those necessities roughly conformed to requirements that were already in place for sojourners in Israel (Lev 17:8-9; 18:26-30; 17:13-14; 17:10-12).

In other words, Gentiles would remain Holy Gentiles and need not become Jews. It is important to note that the apostles did not say that they had decided this on their own, but that it was the decision of the Holy Spirit. It is also important to note that the pro-circumcision group did not run off and start a new “Church of Jerusalem” under the leadership of “Pastor James.” The whole Church, even those whose theological positions were rejected, accepted the conciliar decision and maintained christian unity.

In this way, the peace of the Church was preserved through the action of, and trust in, the Holy Spirit … and we see in the Gospel reading that the Holy Spirit will continue to help the Church, through her shepherds, remain faithful throughout the ages to the Word of the Lord.

Today, the teaching authority of the Church is called “the magisterium,” and it is exercised most solemnly by an ecumenical council under the leadership of (the successor of) Peter. In total, the Church has held 21 such councils, with the first being the Council of Jerusalem found in Acts and the latest being the Second Vatican Council held in the early 1960’s.

So much for the view at 10,000 ft. I would like to bring this concept a little closer to home … to the family, or as St Augustine calls it, the domestic church. The idea of the domestic church or ‘little church,’ dates back to the early Church, where Christians made their own homes sanctioned places to grow in holiness and discipleship. Still today, Catholic families make their homes ‘churches in miniature,’ imitating the actions of the larger Church in family life.” … And like the larger Church, there are sometimes disagreements within the family. Hopefully when this happens, we can come together, talk it out and come to a solution that works for everyone … but there is one additional element that should be considered if we want the solution to last … is that solution aligned with the will of God … and to ensure that, we need to come to that decision with the help of the Holy Spirit.

How do we do that? How can we live more fully in the peace of the Holy Spirit? First, we must cultivate a habit of prayer. Take time each day to quiet your mind, open your heart, and listen for God’s voice. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, to teach you, and to fill you with His peace.

Second, immerse yourself in the Word of God. Read the Scriptures regularly and reflect on their meaning in your life. The Holy Spirit will use the Word to speak to you, to challenge you, and to comfort you.

Third, practice forgiveness. Holding onto anger and resentment only fosters bitterness and strife. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you forgive those who have wronged you, and to release the burdens of the past.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, I invite you to open your hearts to the Holy Spirit. Do not be afraid to trust in God’s guidance, even when the path ahead seems uncertain. The Spirit will lead you to the truth, and He will fill you with peace that surpasses all understanding. Share that peace with others, and be a beacon of hope in a world that so desperately needs it.