Sixth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 55
Reading 1
Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.
Now when the apostles in Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,
they sent them Peter and John,
who went down and prayed for them,
that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
for it had not yet fallen upon any of them;
they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then they laid hands on them
and they received the Holy Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
R. (1) Let all
the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to
God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to
God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to
God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to
God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2
Beloved:
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
Always be ready to give an explanation
to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,
but do it with gentleness and reverence,
keeping your conscience clear,
so that, when you are maligned,
those who defame your good conduct in Christ
may themselves be put to shame.
For it is better to suffer for doing good,
if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.
For Christ also suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,
and my Father will love him and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 55
Reading 1
Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.
Now when the apostles in Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,
they sent them Peter and John,
who went down and prayed for them,
that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
for it had not yet fallen upon any of them;
they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then they laid hands on them
and they received the Holy Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
R. (1) Let all
the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to
God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to
God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to
God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to
God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2
Beloved:
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
Always be ready to give an explanation
to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,
but do it with gentleness and reverence,
keeping your conscience clear,
so that, when you are maligned,
those who defame your good conduct in Christ
may themselves be put to shame.
For it is better to suffer for doing good,
if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.
For Christ also suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,
and my Father will love him and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
Have you ever had what is called a “Discovery Moment,” in a relationship that you have or had? This is a description of an interaction with a person that brings about a sudden awareness or understanding through conversation and action. The feeling is so powerful, so intense that there can be a moment that we just pause, trying to process what just happened or what we just discovered. Many times, the feeling of awe is present, rendering us speechless. These can happen at the most unexpected times and, when the moment passes, the relationship can be fundamentally changed as a result. What remains is a deeper understanding between the people involved and a bond that can be remembered for a real long time. Masks are then removed and honestly can prevail in the relationship, since you both have been moved emotionally and spiritually and now both of you remain.
In the Gospel of Luke, when Jesus was resurrected, two of His disciples experienced this when they realized who Jesus was through the breaking of the bread. The Apostles and disciples experienced one when Jesus revealed to them that He was going to be arrested and crucified. Paul had one of many while on road to Damascus, falling off his horse and becoming blind.
These do not have to be rare occurrences; ones that do not happen very often. To have them and to have the closeness that comes with it, takes a process of truth and honesty. Jesus already knows our thoughts and mind. He knows what we are feeling, but He wants us to live the interactions that come with them anyway. Those moments then become a part of us and are capable of developing us mentally and spiritually. They can also reveal to us who we are and who we are in relation to other people we are interacting with. Sometimes actions are not enough. It takes tremendous effort to be open and honest with someone. Trust and love are necessary to do so: trust and love for that person and for ourselves. This is the way to clean up our mess, sweep our side of the street, all the while keeping ourselves accountable.
When we are in a proper relationship with God, we will have many of these with Him and those around us. The Holy Spirit, the Love of God, will move us in the direction of these experiences and will then participate with us when we are having them. Honest human interaction and an honest relationship with our God are necessary for a healthy life and a joyous experience that brings us closer to God. When Jesus said to His disciples,
“ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them,"
He is indicating that He is with us in these circumstances and is actively influencing and participating in the interactions we are having. This is why our conduct is so important. On a daily basis, we can communicate with hundreds of people. The challenge for us is to value each of these conversations and invite God in to participate. With His presence, it is impossible for things within the relationship to go badly, as long as we are aware of Him and invite Him in.
When I was younger, I always questioned why Jesus said “two or three.” I felt bad, first thinking that Jesus would not be there if I was alone and needed help. Then I realized the beauty of the Trinity at work within our lives and God’s creation: Jesus the Son would be with us when two or three gathered. The Holy Spirit and the Father can be counted in the gathering. One person alone starts with himself, the Holy Spirit Advocate, God the Father, and then enters into that relationship and its influences: Jesus Christ is revealed through this process. The Holy Spirit moves us towards God the Father where we are welcomed tenderly and lovingly by Jesus. We gather together to make our contributions to the Christian Way and, through that, we become a part of the God Experience.
In the Gospel Reading today, Jesus tells His disciples that He will always be with them, along with the Holy Spirit and God the Father. He describes the inner workings of the Trinity and how we all will be invited into that relationship. When something is inside of you, it means that it is a part of you. The Holy Spirit, as willed by God the Father, and guided by Jesus Christ the Son become participators in our lives. IF WE ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN. Explicitly Jesus says,
“But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you.”
This came after He said,
“Remain in me and I will remain in you.”
He further promises that He will not leave us and that He will always be with us, not leaving us orphans.
These are all things that we can look forward to in a relationship with Jesus Christ, as long as we put Him first, follow His commandments, and be guided by His will instead of ours.
“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
The Apostle Peter writes in his letter,
“Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.”
This requires putting Him first. From there, these other things will fall into place as we begin to be guided by the Holy Spirit, who is waiting to burst through the barriers of resistance that we have erected over long periods of time, running on self-will. This is what happened to the Samarians who accepted Jesus Christ: they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. They sanctified their hearts and became ready.
There is nothing stopping us from becoming ready. We only have to be ready and willing, opening our hearts, minds, and soul to the Living Word of Jesus Christ. What happens next is nothing short of a transformative experience.
Deacon Tom
