Readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible at Universalis
Commentary:
Reading 1 Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
The two sections of this selection from Acts, both heard earlier in the week, 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.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
Psalm 87 is a song of thanksgiving. In this selection we find support of the universal invitation by God to all peoples of all nations.
Reading II Rev 21:10-14, 22-23
In John’s Revelation we are given a vision of the New Jerusalem, God’s Kingdom in Heaven. Here he describes the foundation supported by the twelve Apostles and the lack of a need for a temple – God the Father and His Son, the Lamb of God furnish there own presence and the light as well.
Gospel 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.
Homily:
If you go out to the internet and search on "farewell addresses" you will find a tremendous amount of material. You will find George Washington saying farewell after his term as president, you will find Douglas MacArthur’s farewell to West Point, you will find Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech at Yankee Stadium. All of these speeches by individuals have a common thread. They all express a sense of sorrow at leaving and a hope for the future.
We join Jesus’ farewell speech in John’s Gospel today as he speaks to his closest friends also with that sense of sorrow at leaving and hope for the future. This of course is just a small part of that speech but it carries within it a critically important message.
We start off by hearing him tell his disciples that if they love him, they will keep his word. His word, we hear it many times in the longer form of this speech, love one another as I have loved you he tells us. It is hard what he asks, but he reminds them it is not just his word, it is the Father’s word.
He continues his farewell now seeing his disciples very worried. He has already told them he is leaving and reads the fear they must be feeling. He has led them for three years. They have seen him perform great signs, feeding thousands with just a few loaves, healing the sick with just a touch, raising Lazarus from the dead. Now he is leaving them and what will they do without this teacher upon whom they depend?
His tone calming, he tells them that there will be a new Advocate, the Holy Spirit sent to them by the Father to help them, guide them and teach them. He tells them it will remind them of everything he has told them. He must see that this has not completely convinced them. They must still be in doubt so he gives them one further help in their time of fear – he leaves them his peace.
Hear the words used; “Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” This was no simple greeting like “Shalom”. This was something much more. The Lord offered His peace, the peace that wipes away fear and replaces it with sublime calm. This is the peace of a child asleep in her mother’s arms. She sleeps knowing that no harm can come to her.
The Lord then says something that must amaze them a little. He says I am going away but I will be back. He is going to the Father (They know what that means; it means he is going to die.) and they should rejoice. Finally he closes by telling them that he has given them this foreknowledge so that when it happens they may believe.
The words of his speech are not lost on us as we celebrate his sacrifice today. He did indeed go to the Father and he did indeed return as he promised. We have known the ending to this sorry since we were old enough to understand about the Virgin Birth and how Jesus was crucified died and was raised. We still celebrate our Easter season. We hear in his farewell words and like the disciples we worry. Yes, the Holy Spirit was left for us and given to us in the Baptismal bath but still, the world is harsh and we hear and see what goes on and fear.
Out of that fear and worry we come to this place and hear the words again; “Peace be with you.” We understand that peace because we have known it before. Perhaps long ago or perhaps recently, we have felt that peace in the love and support of our own mothers without whose protecting and loving embrace we could never have grown to understand a loving and merciful Father who sent his Son to give us his peace.
Today we celebrate the secular holiday of Mother’s Day. While it is not a Church holiday, the things that we recognize about mothers on this day are the characteristics that Jesus showed us and by doing so gave us an example.
Remember, at the beginning of the Gospel Jesus said;” Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him” The love that Jesus speaks of is that intense, intimate and selfless love. It is the kind of love that we were probably first shown by our mother. That kind of love looks past our faults and blemishes and accepts us completely and without reservation in spite of them. That kind of love accepts injury from us when we say and do things we know are hurtful or wrong and comes back to us even so. It is that kind of love that calms even our foolish fears and wipes away silly tears without condescension.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible at Universalis
Commentary:
Reading 1 Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
The two sections of this selection from Acts, both heard earlier in the week, 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.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
Psalm 87 is a song of thanksgiving. In this selection we find support of the universal invitation by God to all peoples of all nations.
Reading II Rev 21:10-14, 22-23
In John’s Revelation we are given a vision of the New Jerusalem, God’s Kingdom in Heaven. Here he describes the foundation supported by the twelve Apostles and the lack of a need for a temple – God the Father and His Son, the Lamb of God furnish there own presence and the light as well.
Gospel 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.
Homily:
If you go out to the internet and search on "farewell addresses" you will find a tremendous amount of material. You will find George Washington saying farewell after his term as president, you will find Douglas MacArthur’s farewell to West Point, you will find Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech at Yankee Stadium. All of these speeches by individuals have a common thread. They all express a sense of sorrow at leaving and a hope for the future.
We join Jesus’ farewell speech in John’s Gospel today as he speaks to his closest friends also with that sense of sorrow at leaving and hope for the future. This of course is just a small part of that speech but it carries within it a critically important message.
We start off by hearing him tell his disciples that if they love him, they will keep his word. His word, we hear it many times in the longer form of this speech, love one another as I have loved you he tells us. It is hard what he asks, but he reminds them it is not just his word, it is the Father’s word.
He continues his farewell now seeing his disciples very worried. He has already told them he is leaving and reads the fear they must be feeling. He has led them for three years. They have seen him perform great signs, feeding thousands with just a few loaves, healing the sick with just a touch, raising Lazarus from the dead. Now he is leaving them and what will they do without this teacher upon whom they depend?
His tone calming, he tells them that there will be a new Advocate, the Holy Spirit sent to them by the Father to help them, guide them and teach them. He tells them it will remind them of everything he has told them. He must see that this has not completely convinced them. They must still be in doubt so he gives them one further help in their time of fear – he leaves them his peace.
Hear the words used; “Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” This was no simple greeting like “Shalom”. This was something much more. The Lord offered His peace, the peace that wipes away fear and replaces it with sublime calm. This is the peace of a child asleep in her mother’s arms. She sleeps knowing that no harm can come to her.
The Lord then says something that must amaze them a little. He says I am going away but I will be back. He is going to the Father (They know what that means; it means he is going to die.) and they should rejoice. Finally he closes by telling them that he has given them this foreknowledge so that when it happens they may believe.
The words of his speech are not lost on us as we celebrate his sacrifice today. He did indeed go to the Father and he did indeed return as he promised. We have known the ending to this sorry since we were old enough to understand about the Virgin Birth and how Jesus was crucified died and was raised. We still celebrate our Easter season. We hear in his farewell words and like the disciples we worry. Yes, the Holy Spirit was left for us and given to us in the Baptismal bath but still, the world is harsh and we hear and see what goes on and fear.
Out of that fear and worry we come to this place and hear the words again; “Peace be with you.” We understand that peace because we have known it before. Perhaps long ago or perhaps recently, we have felt that peace in the love and support of our own mothers without whose protecting and loving embrace we could never have grown to understand a loving and merciful Father who sent his Son to give us his peace.
Today we celebrate the secular holiday of Mother’s Day. While it is not a Church holiday, the things that we recognize about mothers on this day are the characteristics that Jesus showed us and by doing so gave us an example.
Remember, at the beginning of the Gospel Jesus said;” Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him” The love that Jesus speaks of is that intense, intimate and selfless love. It is the kind of love that we were probably first shown by our mother. That kind of love looks past our faults and blemishes and accepts us completely and without reservation in spite of them. That kind of love accepts injury from us when we say and do things we know are hurtful or wrong and comes back to us even so. It is that kind of love that calms even our foolish fears and wipes away silly tears without condescension.
Today of this secular holiday we thank those who have fulfilled that role in our lives whether they are our biological mother or the person who stands in that place. We thank you for your example of selfless love that helps us to understand the love that flows from the Savior whose feast we celebrate.
Pax
[1] After Links Expire
[2] The image today is “Christ bidding farewell to his mother” by Gerard David, 1510
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