Readings:

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17; Ps. 66; 1 Pt. 3:15-18; Jn. 14:15-21

Today is the Sixth Sunday of Easter and it’s hard to believe how quickly the time has passed. Pretty soon, we will be celebrating our Blessed Lord’s Ascension and Pentecost. These upcoming feast days are quite significant, and our readings set the stage for these miraculous events. Something I have always found funny about the way the readings are arranged during Easter is how they are out of order. If we were to visualize and piece together the events described in today’s readings, it would be something like watching a flashback in a movie. We begin with the Acts of the Apostles, which chronicles what happened in the Early Church after Jesus’ Ascension, and then the letter from St. Peter, which is written many years later to encourage the Church, and finally the Gospel, which is this beautiful flashback to Jesus on the night of the Last Supper, who not only tells the apostles they will do greater works than he has (which was last week’s passage), but that he will be with them always in the Spirit (as he reminds his disciples today).

The common thread through our readings today is the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of Christ that keeps us connected today—not just for today, but for all time. One of the great mysteries St. John accentuates in his Gospel is the reality that the Logos, i.e. Reason, rational thought, the Word of God, existed from the beginning. He was in the beginning with God and he was God. This Divine Word became flesh and dwelt among us. At one and the same time there was the Word and the manifestation of the Word in the Person of Jesus Christ; eternity entered into time, the infinite into the finite. This great mystery we call the Incarnation is how the Word of God chose to show us the way to the Father. He did so not by force, but rather by speaking; not by beating his disciples into submission, but by teaching them; not by giving up on their lack of faith, but by giving them signs of faith. And the primary sign Jesus gave them was his love.

The love of Jesus is manifest in his teaching, his prayers, his miracles, his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. He, himself, was a living, breathing Sacrament; a living, breathing sign of God’s grace and humanity’s share in the Divine life. He made that possible when he took upon himself our human flesh. And his becoming human was no easy task; he would have to reason with some of the toughest negotiators on Earth: his own people, the people of Israel. In fact, Israel means “wrestles with God,” and wrestle they did, as should we. It is possible that we may need to wrestle a bit more now than we did even a couple months ago, but take courage, he is with us always in the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in the life of the Church. It is in the Spirit we live and move and have our being (see Acts 17:28). The Spirit strengthens our faith, makes straight our paths, and leads us to all truth. Jesus promised the Spirit to his disciples and they not only received the Spirit, but they shared Him with others. We heard of this in the Acts of the Apostles as Philip cast our demons, healed the sick, and baptized the believers in Samaria. We then see Peter and John come from Jerusalem to lay hands on the new Christians, confirming them in their faith. This is truly what the Spirit desires.

The Spirit is not meant to be locked inside, but to be set free and set us free in the process. As I have said before, the Spirit knows no bounds, He comes to dwell within us, and is made manifest through holiness. St. Peter encourages us to be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks for a reason for our hope. Perhaps today we might spend some time, each of us, quietly reflecting on the Reason for our hope—that’s “Reason” with a capital “R.” Because as far as the Christian is concerned, there is only one Reason for our hope: Jesus Christ, the Word of God, the Only Begotten Son of the Father. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Whoever loves him will be loved by the Father, and to whoever loves him, he will reveal himself. I can’t think of a better reason for my hope. How about you?

So, on this Sixth Sunday of Easter, as we begin to focus on the indwelling of the Spirit, let us look to the Reason for our hope; let us look to Christ. And as we set our hearts on him, he will send us the Advocate, the Spirit of truth, to dwell with us, comfort us, and give us life. May the Lord give you His peace.

Given during the COVID-19 pandemic.