6 TH SUNDAY OF EASTER
First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 15:1-2, 22-29
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
Second Reading: Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23
Gospel Reading: John 14:23-29
Reflection: We are in the Easter Season as we celebrate the 6 th Sunday of Easter. As the people of the resurrection of Jesus, we continue singing Alleluia! Alleluia! As we celebrate his resurrection from the dead. In today’s Responsorial Psalm we responded, “O God, let all the nations praise you!” Praising God is our primary vocation. God has made so much wonderful things to us. Indeed, he is the one who has created us in his own image. He is the one who has redeemed us by the blood of his son Jesus Christ. Yes, he is the one who continues to sanctify us through the power of the Holy Spirit. If we are beneficiaries of all his goodness, then we need to acknowledge and thank him through the act and prayer of praise as we do so in our thoughts, words and actions. In today’s Gospel Reading, Jesus is commissioning his disciple to love. He says, “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.” When we love someone or something, that love becomes an action that allows us to deepen ourselves into that being and that being in turn transforms us. A person who loves medical sciences will search and enroll into the medical school. She will devote her time, energy, and finance to study medical sciences and know the ins and outs of the field. The medical science in turn will transform this person and make her a new creature altogether. After a number of years of devoting herself into the field of medical sciences, this person will end up being a competent medical doctor (MD) who is trusted to practice medicine and brings positive results to her clients. In today’s Gospel Reading, Jesus invites his disciples to devote themselves into loving him. The disciples’ love to Jesus will translate into delving into His words and His teaching. In doing so, the disciples will be transformed into greater beings since both Jesus and His Father will come and dwell in them. The love of Jesus guides the disciples in today’s First Reading to search for solutions in God as they encounter difficulties and challenges in the early church. The Church by its very nature is Christocentric, which means that it centers and revolves herself in Christ Jesus to craft her own identity. In his invitation to prepare for the Synod of Bishops 2023, Pope Francis invited the all the bishops of the whole church to reach out to their flocks and engage in genuine conversations as they listen and know the life stories of their people. He wanted them to know the joys and pains, the ups and downs of their flocks so that they identify with them and bring them the love of God who heals and comforts. As Jesus lowered himself from heaven to earth by the act of incarnation, we too need to do the same by denying ourselves, carrying our crosses and follow Jesus by reaching to all our sisters and brothers who surround us regardless of their socio-economic status or any other affiliation. We need just to love them. Loving Jesus will always show us the way even in the times of great darkness since Jesus is the light of world. Yes we can do so as we truly become Easter people. Yes indeed! Amen! Fr. Severine.