Sixth Sunday of Easter
"‘I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you"
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The readings for this sixth week of Eastertide are full of joy! They celebrate the light and grace of the Holy Spirit who reveals God’s love to all of us.
In the First Reading, the apostles’ ministry to the Samaritans signals a new phase in the early Church where the gospel message is not just for the Jews but extended to everyone.
Joyful celebration is the theme of the Psalm too. We are reminded of the many wondrous works of God, his boundless mercy, and his responsiveness to our prayers.
Peter teaches the community what it means to be a Christan in the Second Reading: to honour the Christian message with gentleness and respect, even in the face of criticism and rebuke.
The Gospel reminds us of the unbreakable bond between us and Christ, expressed through love for God and for each other, and through obedience to his commandments.
During this special Easter period, may we be strengthened, comforted and inspired by the Holy Spirit to know what it is be called children of God.
Here’s a text if you’ve only a minute …
Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. First Reading
Blest be God, who did not reject my prayer. Psalm
It is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. Second Reading
Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them. Gospel
Further Reflection
Psalm 65 (66)
This psalm of praise and thanksgiving has two distinct sections, and it may be that the text is its current complete form results from two different psalms being joined together.
First, the psalmist gives praise for all the work God has done for all the earth, and for the nation of Israel; then he praises God for what he has done for him personally. This testimony of God’s intervention: ‘Come and see the works of God …’; ‘Come and hear ... I will tell what he did …’, addressed to all who see and hear, is typical of thanksgiving psalms.
The psalmist is not petitioning the Lord, or asking him for a favour; rather, he is praising him because of what he has done for us. He looks at present reality through the lens of what God has done for the people of Israel at crucial moments in their history, such as the crossing of the Red Sea at the time of the Exodus (Exodus 14): He turned the sea into dry land; and the crossing of the River Jordan: They passed through the river on foot (Joshua 3: 14–17).
Gospel John 14: 15–21 The Farewell Discourses
These verses follow on from last Sunday’s Gospel as a continuation of the Farewell Discourses. Jesus speaks to his disciples of love and in-dwelling, stressing the union between himself, the Father, and themselves.
another ‘Helper’ (Paraklētos) The Greek term paraklētos is difficult to translate accurately in English. It has taken on a number of meanings over time. The word has its origins in legal language and is understood to mean someone who is ‘called in’; perhaps ‘called’ to give witness in defence of someone in court, or as an advocate to plead for someone in times of trouble. It has often been interpreted as ‘Advocate’, ‘Comforter’, or ‘Mediator’.
John’s use of the word No single interpretation of the word paraklētos encompasses the meaning intended by John. For John, the Paraclete is a teacher; a witness to Jesus; one who represents the continued presence of Jesus on earth. He is the one who will guide the disciples in the difficult times ahead. The word appears only in Chapters 14, 15 and 16, and is also used as a title for the risen Christ as intercessor for Christians in 1 John 2: 1–2.
the spirit of truth Truth is one of the characteristics of the Spirit, as it was for the first paraclete, Jesus.
the world Those who live godless lives and who cannot accept the Spirit, just as they could not accept the Son, and through him, the Father.
‘I will not leave you as orphans’ ‘Orphanos’ means ‘without a father’, but in the case of students or disciples, it means without a teacher.
‘I will come to you’ This refers to Jesus’s in-dwelling presence (‘and you in me and I in you’: v. 20), rather than to Parousia (the second coming of Christ). The promises express the way Jesus will ‘return’ and so remain present to those who believe. They confirm the tradition that had developed in St John's community that the ‘divine presence' will only be visible to the eye of faith. Those who believe will experience the Father, the Son and the Spirit.
For further prayer and reflection see the 'Our Prayer Life' page.
To aid our reflection on the Sunday readings each week we are reproducing, with permission content from St Bueno's outreach.
if you would like to know more about them or access their guided prayer resources, 'prego', you can contact them via their website
Risen Lord,
come to us and transform us
so that we may reveal your love
in our world
by the way we live our lives.
Amen
Cafod