Sixth Sunday of Easter

Catechism Links [1]
 
CCC 2746-2751: Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper
CCC 243, 388, 692, 729, 1433, 1848: the Holy Spirit as Advocate/Consoler
CCC 1965-1974: the New Law fulfills the Old
CCC 865, 869, 1045, 1090, 1198, 2016: the heavenly Jerusalem

“The Holy Spirit”
by Corrado Giaquinto, 1750s

 
Readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
 
Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,
“Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved.”
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders
about this question.
 
The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
 
“The apostles and the elders, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’”
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Commentary on Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
 
The two sections of this selection from Acts begin and end the discussion about whether the Gentile converts to Christianity should have to follow all of Mosaic Law, including circumcision. The first Council of Jerusalem concludes that all that is necessary for the Gentiles is to follow some of the dietary laws, not circumcision. The Church finds unity in consensus between the various members, keeping core Jewish values.
 
"This chapter is the center of Acts, not just because it comes right in the middle of the book but also because it covers the key event as far as concerns the universality of the Gospel and its unrestricted spread among the Gentiles. It is directly linked to the conversion of the pagan Cornelius; here, with the help of the Holy Spirit, all the consequences of that event are drawn out." [5]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
 
R. (4) O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
 
Psalm 67 is a blessing and has elements of the ancient blessing of Aaron from Numbers 6:22ff. This blessing has more of a plaintive tone (a group lament), or petition asking for a bountiful harvest, the selection points to the universal salvation promised by God to all the peoples.
 
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Reading II: Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23
 
The angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain
and showed me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God.
It gleamed with the splendor of God.
Its radiance was like that of a precious stone,
like jasper, clear as crystal.
It had a massive, high wall,
 
with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed
and on which names were inscribed,
the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites.
There were three gates facing east,
three north, three south, and three west.
The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
 
I saw no temple in the city
for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.
The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it,
for the glory of God gave it light,
and its lamp was the Lamb.
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Commentary on Rv 21:10-14, 22-23
 
God shows St. John the New Jerusalem, Christ’s heavenly kingdom. The evangelist has borrowed much of his description from Ezekiel (Chapters 40-48). He is taken to a high mountain (Ezekiel 40 2-3) and sees the heavenly vision as God’s presence transforms his kingdom into a radiant fortress. St. John’s description supports images of evangelization (see 2 Corinthians 4:6). The repeating number twelve (twelve angels, twelve tribes, twelve names) alludes to the perfect continuity between God’s relationship with the Old Testament peoples (Ezekiel 48:30-35 and Exodus 28:17-21) and the Church (Matthew 19:28 and Luke 22:29-30). He concludes his vision of the city by providing an analogy; the preaching of the Apostles (and prophets) is to the Church as a foundation is to an edifice (see Ephesians 2:20).
 
The final verses of this passage differentiate the heavenly Jerusalem from the city on earth.  There is no temple.  God himself, and the Lamb of God, Jesus, are the Holy of Holies, they are the light of the world that illuminates the hearts of the faithful.
 
CCC: Rv 21:1-22:5 117; Rv 21:10-11 865; Rv 21:12-14 765; Rv 21:14 857, 865, 869; Rv 21:22 586
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Gospel: John 14:23-29
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.
 
“I have told you this while I am with you.
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.
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.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.”
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Commentary on Jn 14:23-29
 
The farewell speech of the Lord continues with the promise of the Holy Spirit – the Paraclete. This promise is made because the disciples are becoming worried and are afraid of being left without Jesus’ guidance. In addition to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he leaves his peace, not just the greeting “Shalom” but an inner peace that conquers fear.
 
This passage concludes with the Lord telling the disciples he is going to be with the Father and they should rejoice with him. He tells them this in advance so their faith may be strengthened when the events come to pass.
 
CCC: Jn 14:23-26 2615; Jn 14:23 260; Jn 14:26 243, 244, 263, 692, 729, 1099, 2466, 2623
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Reflection:
 
It has been six weeks since we celebrated the resurrection of the Lord.  Since that Easter day we have, in our liturgies, journeyed with the disciples as they first fearfully cowered in locked rooms in Jerusalem, and now spread the Good News throughout the known world.  In the weeks immediately following our celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, the Gospels reminded us of how, in his life among us, he worked to show us by word and action what the Law of God, handed on to Moses, meant.  He showed us, through his actions, what the prophets of the Old Testament had long ago envisioned.  Indeed, he revealed God’s will and showed us how God’s great plan for his adopted children was to unfold.
 
Today, as we continue our Easter celebration, we sense the climax of the events that followed the empty tomb.  In the first reading, we can see how the truth of the Lord’s words comes about.  Recall, on several occasions, how the Lord said that God revealed himself, first to the Hebrew people but since they could not find faith that Jesus was the Messiah, others would be invited to God’s great wedding feast?  We hear how the early Church struggled to find its identity.  There was a debate about whether Christians were a Jewish sect and subject to all the rules in the Law of Moses, or were Christians something different.
 
The reading from Acts inverts the old understanding.  The Apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, understand that Jesus had transformed the Law and focused on the heart of the faith, not simply some of its trappings.  As a result, many of the elements of the Law of Moses were set aside (and we are glad of it, otherwise we would have to live a significantly different life style).  With wisdom provided by the divine advocate, the Christian faith became inclusive, universal, and catholic, excluding none of the Gentiles.
 
Next, at the very end of the New Testament, we hear St. John describing the New Jerusalem.  All that once was has passed away, and now the faithful followers of the Lord rejoice in the heavenly city, where there is no more pain or sorrow.  The Lamb has wiped away every tear, and the faithful enjoy an eternal reward.  It is God’s response to the prayer found in our psalm.
 
At last, we come to St. John’s Gospel.  At the very beginning of this section of the Lord’s farewell speech to the disciples Jesus tells them what is expected:
 
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.”
 
All that is necessary for us to reap the reward promised is to understand that short sentence and respond.  We need only ask the question: what does Jesus mean, “keep my word”?  We get a good sense of what that word is by listening to Jesus' own words when he was asked by the Pharisees to name the greatest commandment of the Law.  He tells us it is to love God, and the second is like it, to love one another.
 
That sounds fairly straightforward, right?  Except what does loving one another really mean?  Is it simply being nice to each other? Is that what Jesus did?  No, he truly cared for everyone he met.  He disregarded social conventions. (Remember how he reached out to lepers and tax collectors, in spite of being criticized by the religious authorities.)
 
Perhaps loving one another means accepting whatever another person does as being acceptable as long as it does not hurt anyone else, as secular society would have us believe.  We know the Lord did not have that understanding.  He told us directly that the Law of Moses (which includes the Ten Commandments) was important.  No, when we see another person behaving in an immoral way, it is not a victimless crime.  That person’s soul is in grave danger, and, if we love that person, we must speak to them, try to guide them by word and example.
 
Jesus defined what he meant by telling us to “love one another” by his actions.  He treated all people with respect, even those who hated him, even those who killed him.  We are called to do the same.  That is what the Lord meant by telling us: “Whoever loves me will keep my word.” 
 
What he asks is not easy.  We are challenged to keep his word each day.  There are many who rejoice in our failures.  We all know that when we leave this sacred space we will be invited, in myriad ways, to violate God’s commandments, to hate rather than love, to disrespect others rather than respect and honor them as we are enjoined to do.
 
It is enough to make us throw up our hands and say, “I give up.”  But fortunately, St. John’s Gospel also gives us hope.  Remember, this is the Lord saying goodbye to his disciples.  He tells them that he will not leave them alone.  He is good to his word. He will not leave them without his guidance, because he is sending the Holy Spirit to guide them through the difficult road they must follow.
 
That same Holy Spirit was passed on to us, given to us first in baptism.  In a special sacrament it was sealed in confirmation.  We have it!  What the Lord gave to the disciples, the gift that allowed them to fearlessly proclaim the Good News to a world that wanted nothing to do with it, is also ours.  And we too are asked to proclaim the Good News to a world that wants nothing to do with it.  In two weeks we will celebrate the fullness of that gift in the great Feast of Pentecost.  Today, almost as a sneak preview, we are reminded that we do not go into the world alone.  God is with us in spirit and in truth. We go forward thanking God for the gift of that Advocate and Guide as well as the peace we are offered, knowing we can depend upon him to help us as we strive to bring greater glory to God by faithfully following his word.
 
Pax
 
On May 25th in other years: Optional Memorials for:
Saint Bede The Venerable, Priest And Doctor of the Church
Saint Gregory Vii, Pope, Religious
Saint Mary Magdalene De' Pazzi, Virgin
 

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[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The Picture is “The Holy Spirit” by Corrado Giaquinto, 1750s.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 247.