Sixth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 57
Reading I
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.’”
Responsorial Psalm
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.
Reading II
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.
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:
“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.”
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
There will always be those who claim that there are preconditions to receiving salvation. There will be those that will claim that there are certain rules and regulations that need to be followed to achieve salvation through Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. These things all come from institutions and from individual people who just might not have our best interests at heart. We must constantly be on watch for those who come forward professing that they are representing Jesus Christ and are receivers of some particular instruction which they can provide which will bring us closer to Jesus Christ. This is very far from the truth. Usually, these preconditions and rules are rooted in the human condition and have nothing to do with what Jesus Christ wants us to do and what God The Father wants us to do. God is beyond anything which we can demand. Anything that is rooted in a human reaction or in grounded in physical demonstrations of our faith are limited. God does not want us to be limited. God has no need of sacrifice or displays of our faith through rituals or decrees. Our salvation does not lay in the hands of other people, and it is not based on the judgement of those in position of power.
The First Reading today emphasizes this point. There were those in the Christian Community that claimed that it was necessary to be circumcised to receive salvation. Did this decree come from God? Did it come through the teachings of Jesus Christ? It was from a ritual that emphasized the Covenant established between God and Abraham, which we have also received through Jesus Christ. The coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ brought all covenants established beforehand to perfection all the while presenting a New Covenant which is stands above and beyond anything that was presented beforehand. In other words, Jesus brings all other covenants to perfection through the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Because of this, nothing else matters. As Jesus Himself said
“I am the gate, whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”
We are guaranteed that if we approach Jesus Christ and receive what He is offering, then we will be guided to the Father. We will then receive eternal life. This is what our God has said. Whatever else is presented or demanded by our human counterparts is lacking in comparison to what our God has said. Unfortunately, through our human condition, we tend to be swept up in details and intricacies that can delude what God Himself has said. This can lead to anxiety and an overemphasis on what is unimportant in comparison to the bigger picture. God wants us to love Him. God wants us to accept His Son. God wants us to live a transformative experience through a relationship with Him.
In the Gospel Reading today, Jesus says that “Whoever loves me will keep my word.” Our actions will display what is in our heart. If we truly love Jesus Christ and are willing to enter into a relationship with God, then we will want to do the right thing. There will be no need to follow rules and regulations because these are given to us. We will follow these with a willingness to do the right thing because we love our God. We won’t even have to know all the rules and laws. We will do the right thing because it makes us feel good. There is right and wrong in this world. We already know what is right and wrong. If God is the Perfect Good, then we don’t have to know the exact specifications of what we must follow. These things will be revealed through a relationship with Our God.
Jesus guarantees that we will receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit. That is the Love of God. We will never be lacking in anything if we just listen to Him and let ourselves be loved. When it comes to love, there are no preconditions. We love our children because they are our children. We love our family because they are our family. We love our friends because they are our friends. This is just the way it is and the way it should be. Should we not love our God because of the same thing? He created us, He guides us, and He looks out for us. What more can we ask for? This is something that we should pursue and look for every day: The love of God to influence our lives. What more do we really need than our God to love us completely and to love Him back?
Deacon Tom
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