VI Sunday of Easter:[A]:Acts 8:5-17; 1 Pet 3:15-18; Jn. 14:15-21

VI Sunday of Easter:[A]:Acts 8:5-17; 1 Pet 3:15-18; Jn. 14:15-21

Introduction: We are at the end period of Easter Season and today is the 6^th Sunday. The Gospel Reading of today from St. John continues the Farewell Discourse of Jesus. Ideally situated in the Liturgical Year to anticipate the coming feasts of Ascension and Pentecost, the reading tells both of Jesus’ immanent departure and his promise of the Holy Spirit.

Exegesis: The theme of today’s Scripture Readings is the proclamation of “The Divine Presence of the Holy Spirit” and they refer to the missionary age of the Christians and the presence and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit to be given to them. In the Gospel Reading Jesus calls him the Advocate, the Spirit of truth who will live in the hearts of Christians to console and to guide them. While the presence of the Holy Spirit is a free gift of God’s love, it is only received by those who want and prepare themselves for it. The First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles begins with the persecution of the early Church in Jerusalem and yet speaks of the spread of the Church to the surrounding places. Deacon Philip preaches successfully in Samaria and the Apostles are called to lay their hands on them so that the community receives the Holy Spirit. In the Second Reading from his first Letter to the scattered Christian communities, St. Peter urges them to be ready to engage others in order to explain Christian expectations. He implies that suffering is a likely consequence of preaching. It is interesting that St. Peter characterizes Christianity by its hope, its expectations of what is to happen because of Christ.

Explanation: And he promises them that even afterward he will remain with them but in a very different way from now. The context once again is the Last Supper. The reading picks up where last Sunday we left off. But whereas last Sunday’s passage centered on believing in Jesus, this week’s passage centers on loving him. Those who love Jesus keep his commandments. In other words, covenant fidelity is an outpouring of love. Jesus is about to leave the world and return to his Father and when he is no longer physically present, he promises to send them another Advocate, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth to be with them always. 'Advocate' is a translation of the Greek word 'Paraclete' and it carries a range of meanings – Counselor, Comforter, Helper, Intercessor, Strengthener. It literally means 'one called alongside to help' whenever necessary. In other words, the disciples need not be troubled or afraid because they will never be alone. The Holy Spirit, the Advocate, will always be with them to defend them, to intercede for them, and to comfort them.

Joke:  Three buddies die in a car crash, and they go to heaven to an orientation.
They are all asked, "When you are in your casket and friends and family are mourning upon you, what would you like to hear them say about you? The first guy says, "I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor of my time, and a great family man."
The second guy says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher which made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow."
The last guy replies, "I would like to hear them say, "Look! He's moving!"

Practical: Do we earnestly and genuinely wish for the Spirit of truth to enter into our hearts and stay with us always? If we are at all uncertain about any of our answers to these questions, then let us pray - pray that we might truly be open to the scriptures, open to God, open to Jesus and what he asks of us in love. And pray that as Pentecost approaches we too might become filled with “The Divine presence of the Holy Spirit” and completely open to the love and freedom in Christ that is promised to us as a result.

Introduction:  Sixth Sunday of Easter

Message: The people of Samaria come to worship the Lord and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  It is this same Spirit that leads us into the truth.  In the body, Jesus was put to death; in the Spirit, he was raised to life.  We are called to this same glory.

Saints and Events in this week: 26-TwentySixth-Monday-Saint Philip Neri, priest; 27-TwentySeventh-Tuesday-Saint Augustine of Canterbury; 31-ThirtyFirst-Saturday-The Visitation of the Blessed virgin Mary; June-First-The Ascension of Our Lord;