Sixth Sunday of Easter
Intro: In today's Gospel, Jesus is warning His disciples of His imminent departure, while at the same promising them the Spirit Who will guide them in their mission of spreading the word. We evangelise others by what we say and do, not just by the way we say our prayers.
Readings: in Acts, we hear how the Gospel message continues to spread among the Samaritan people, who receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands.
Writing during a period of persecution, Peter advises his readers to reverence and witness to Jesus with courtesy. If they have to suffer, it's better to suffer for what's right rather than for what's wrong.
Acts 8: 5-8, 14-17;
1 Peter 3: 15-18;
John 14: 15-21;
One of our deepest fears and nightmares as human beings is that of being abandoned - left alone with no one to care for us. It's the night of the Last Supper, and Jesus' heart is filled with foreboding and fear of His gruesome fate, as He says farewell to His disciples, knowing their need of comfort and reassurance; knowing that when He does eventually leave, they'll be uncertain, afraid, devastated. So He promises them that they won't be left alone - He will send His Spirit to comfort them, advise them and help them through, reminding them that the most important message He's tried to get across was to live in love, to love one another as they themselves have been loved.
There are loads of times when it's hard to be aware of God's presence in our lives, whether it's in Asda or Tesco's and the queue's a mile long, the till roll needs changing or the checkout operator comes off just as you reach the till. It's equally hard to be aware of the Spirit's presence as you try to get the children ready for school, or when you're trying to feed them, bath them and get them to bed only to face a mountain of ironing which is not just spilling out of the basket, but nearly out of the kitchen; it's hard to remember that the Spirit is with you when the report (or the accounts) you promised isn't even begun, when you're facing redundancy and the money trickling in doesn't equal the money haemorrhaging out.
Many years ago, Pope Paul VI was asked what was the greatest need of the Church today. Unhesitatingly, he replied, "the Holy Spirit." While He's been in our hearts since Baptism, we need to pray for hearts which are more open to Him, with His gifts of love, joy, power and gentleness.
This week, spend a little time in prayer, asking yourself how your life compares with that of Jesus, (go compare!) and it's there that we'll find our answer to truly Christian living - and loving!
We judge someone from the way they live, not the way they say their prayers (e.g. the Pharisees). Do we care for those who are old, or sick or poor? Or is it just all words. It's in the way that we conduct ourselves, and in what we do that the Christian message is preached and conveyed and put across really effectively. Love isn't just about saying the right things but about doing the right thing. We can preach all we like, but if we lead our lives in a way which shows others that we don't really believe what we preach, then our words are completely wasted. We can talk about our faith all day, but no one will listen if the way we live shows us up! So we should never be discouraged, even when we think that we might not have said or done the right thing, not been great models of Christian living. The coming Holy Spirit is given to us, precisely to help us overcome our everyday difficulties and frailties.
Intercessions
We bring to our Father our own needs, and those of our world, as we pray:-
1. For the Church and its leaders. Guide and strengthen them with Your Holy Spirit, that the example of their lives may bring others to love You - Lord, hear us.
2. For world leaders. May everything they say and do become a practical demonstration of their commitment to the poor and the dispossessed - Lord, hear us.
3. For those who have wandered away from their faith. Inspire them once more with the gift of Your Spirit and bring them back home - Lord, hear us.
4. For our young people - those who have just received You for the first time - those who are completing exams in school, college or university. Instil in them the Spirit of calmness so that they may grow in the love and knowledge of You - Lord, hear us.
5. Through that same Spirit of love, inspire us to preach the faith by our words, and even more by our actions - Lord, hear us.
6. We pray for Fr. Herbert Herrity, Margaret Gallacher and Cathie Dowds, whose anniversaries occur about this time: . May they share in Your Son's victory over death for all eternity - Lord, hear us.
God our Father, may we use fully the gifts we have received from You, in order to evangelise those around us, and strive for a world where justice and peace reign.