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Dear Friend, Sometimes it seems
that memory is where we keep things out of sight and out of mind. Often we
tend to forget the things we do not like or don’t want to remember. On the
other hand our love for others is kept alive by remembering moments of love.
Do we remember the moments when we have been touched by God’s action? To
remember Jesus is to call upon his Spirit without whom we can neither love or
serve him. Have a weekend remembering Jesus! Fr. Jude Botelho |
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Today’s first reading from the Acts of the
Apostles speaks of the spread of the Gospel outside the Jewish community and
beyond Jerusalem. Persecution instead of diminishing the faith proved to be
the fertile ground for its growth, inspired by the presence and power of the
Holy Spirit. Philip, one of the deacons goes daringly to pagan territory,
Samaria, the enemy of the Jews and surprisingly these Samaritans listen to
Philip, welcome him and believe in the message he preaches. They believe
because of the miracles that accompanied Philip’s preaching. The power of God
was evidently felt by those who listened and believed. When the apostles
heard of the success of Philip’s preaching ministry, they sent the apostles
John and Peter who went there, prayed with the Samaritans, imposed their
hands on them and they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. In the second reading Peter
tells his listeners faced with hostile surroundings that persecutions which
they suffer should not frighten or deter them from practicing their faith for
they have seen that Christ though innocent was ready to accept suffering and
went to his death because he loved us. Christians when persecuted should
praise God that they are following in the footsteps of Christ. They must not
be afraid of proclaiming their faith and hope. Their hope gives meaning to
their life on earth. Christians must always be ready to give an account of
their faith, confronting a disbelieving culture with the witness of their
faith by words and example. This has to be done with gentleness, respect and
love. Be a living witness to the faith The context of today’s Gospel, is the human anxiety of the disciples about the absence of Jesus and ultimately about the absence of God that is caused by his eminent death and his foretelling of his departure from the world. Jesus had no intention of leaving his disciples behind him in a situation where they are left to hope without help. He does not deny the anxiety and distress, but offers a promise of presence and a sense of meaning embedded in sharing God’s life and participating in God’s action in the world. The power of the Spirit is the help of Christian hope. Without the Spirit, the followers of Jesus would be thrown back on their own resources which are clearly inadequate when the going gets rough. With the Spirit, however, the disciples can face the future with a power which is much larger than themselves. “I shall ask the Father and he will give you another advocate to be with you forever.” In this Gospel we are promised the gift of the Holy Spirit, who will come as our advocate, the Spirit of Truth. By giving us the Spirit as an advocate what does Jesus imply? He wishes us to know that the Holy Spirit, the best gift that God can give us, is the gift of his own presence in a new form in our lives. The Spirit will stand besides us, will comfort us when we ask, help us in difficult times, and speak on our behalf when we are in need. Although people with no religious faith comfort one another, our fellowship with the Spirit is deeper and more awesome. His power becomes real only if we let Him work in and through us. The force within There is an old fable about a changeling eagle. A tribal who
lived in a forest, one day found an egg of an eagle. He took the egg home and
hatched it along with the other chicken eggs. This eaglet started
growing up with the other chicks. It
started eating mud, pecking and hopping here and there like the other chicks.
But it never learned to fly like an eagle. One day as it was foraging for
food from the ground, it saw an eagle majestically soaring high in the sky.
As the eagle was admiring the grandeur of the soaring eagle, the other chicks
came and said to the eaglet, “Look that is the eagle –the king of the birds.
You are I are chickens. We cannot fly like the eagle. –Often we lead poor
lives without realizing the power inherent in us. We are like that eaglet
helplessly admiring the power in others when we ourselves possess that power.
Often, we end up in defeat, frustration and failure because we are ignorant
of the power God has given us through his spirit. We can do marvellous things
when we associate with God. St. Paul very confidently said, “I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me.” –(Phil: 4:13) John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’ We sometimes give the Holy Spirit a difficult time breaking
through and becoming real is us. But the Spirit’s coming will happen whenever
we love God enough to keep his commandments. “If you love me you will keep my
commandments.” Jesus makes it clear that the Spirit will be given not only to
the present disciples but to all those who love him and keep his
commandments. That promise is extended to each of us in our own struggle in
faith. Jesus assures us that he will not abandon us: “I will not leave you orphans,
I will come back to you.” The world may not believe nor see and experience
His presence but those who believe will see and experience Him. “Anyone who
receives my commandments and keeps them will be the one who loves me and I
shall love him and show myself to him.” Torch and Bucket There is a story of a person who saw an angel walking down
the street. The angel was carrying a torch in one hand and a bucket of water
in the other. “What are you going to do with that torch and that bucket of
water?” the person asked. The angel stopped abruptly, looked at the person
and said, “With the torch, I’m going to burn down the mansions of heaven, and
with the bucket of water, I’m going to put off the fires of hell. Then we’re
going to see who really loves God. The angel’s point is that many people obey
God’s commandments out of fear of punishment of hell or hope of reward in
heaven. They don’t obey him for the reason Jesus gives in today’s gospel.
They don’t obey them out of love: “If you love me,” Jesus says in today’s
reading, “you will obey my commandments.” Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’ “I don’t feel loving, what can I do?” A man said to a counsellor: “My wife and I just don’t have
the same feelings for each other we used to have. I guess I just don’t love
her anymore and she doesn’t love me anymore. What can I do? The counsellor
asked, “The feeling isn’t there anymore?”
“That’s right.” He affirmed. “And we have three children we are really
concerned about. What do you suggest?” “Love her,” the counsellor replied. “I
told you the feeling just isn’t there anymore.” “Love her.” “You don’t understand. The feeling of love just
isn’t there.” “Then love her. If the feeling isn’t there, that’s a good
reason to love her.” “But how do you love when you don’t love?” “My friend,
love is a verb. Love –the feeling – is the fruit of love, the verb. So love
her. Serve her. Sacrifice. Listen to her. Empathize. Appreciate. Affirm her.
Are you willing to do that?” -To quote Dostoevsky, love is “as hard as hell.”
If we love, we obey the commands and wishes of our beloved. This applies to
our relations with other people and with us and God. Though reasonable and
for our betterment, that sometimes goes against our grain. Harold Buetow in ‘God Still Speaks: Listen!’ May we discover the power of
His Spirit working in us and through us! Fr. Jude
Botelho |
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Other Sunday Homily Websites Daily Reflections Immaculate Heart Retreat Center Gospel Commentary from Ireland Daily Scripture |
Recent
Sunday Reflections Fifth Sunday of Easter 20-April. 2008 Fourth
Sunday of Easter 13-April. 2008 Third Sunday of Easter 06-April. 2008 Second Sunday of Easter 30-March. 2008 Maundy Thursday 20-March. 2008
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