The Sixth Sunday of Easter, a significant point in the liturgical calendar, celebrates the ongoing joy of the Lord's Resurrection while focusing on His teachings regarding the Holy Spirit and the commandment of love, preparing believers for the full outpouring of grace at Pentecost within salvation history.
The Sixth Sunday of Easter is a pivotal celebration within the fifty-day Easter season, which commemorates the Lord's Resurrection and its profound implications. This particular Sunday serves as a crucial transition point in the liturgical calendar, deeply rooted in salvation history as it anticipates the Lord's Ascension into heaven and the subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The readings often highlight the Lord's farewell discourse to His disciples, emphasizing His promise to send the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, who will guide and comfort them after His physical departure. This feast reinforces the enduring presence of the Lord through His Spirit among His followers and underscores the new commandment of love, which is central to the life of the community. It reminds believers that while the Lord's physical presence on Earth concluded with the Ascension, His spiritual presence continues to empower and lead them, fulfilling His divine plan for humanity's redemption and sanctification.
The Sixth Sunday of Easter marks a significant point within the fifty-day liturgical season that follows the glorious Resurrection of the Lord. It serves as a bridge, continuing the celebration of Easter joy while simultaneously preparing the faithful for the solemnity of the Ascension and the subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This Sunday encapsulates a profound theological richness, focusing on the Lord's farewell discourse to His disciples, particularly His promises concerning the Advocate and the enduring power of divine love. It reminds believers that the Resurrection is not merely a past event but a living reality that continues to shape their lives and the life of the Church, leading them deeper into the Paschal Mystery.
In the bustling city of Philippi, nestled amidst the Roman Empire's vastness, a small band of believers gathered in the quiet of a hidden home. It was the Sixth Sunday of Easter, a time when the echoes of the Lord's Resurrection still resonated in their hearts, yet a subtle anxiety lingered. Just days before, they had witnessed His glorious Ascension, a moment of triumph, yet also a profound departure. A young woman named Lydia, her spirit fervent but her heart heavy, listened intently as the elder, Barnabas, read from the scroll. His voice, steady and resonant, brought forth the very words of the Lord: 'If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth.'
A hush fell over the room. Lydia's gaze drifted to the flickering oil lamp, its light dancing on the faces of her fellow believers. She remembered the fear that had gripped them when the Lord was crucified, the joy that had burst forth with His Resurrection, and now, this new, quiet sense of longing for His physical presence. How could they, a small, often persecuted community, truly live out His demanding commandments of love and forgiveness without Him physically by their side? The world outside was harsh, full of suspicion and hostility.
Barnabas continued, 'I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.' As these words were spoken, a profound peace began to settle upon Lydia's heart, and indeed, upon all those present. It wasn't a sudden, dramatic outburst, but a gentle, pervasive warmth, like the first rays of dawn breaking through the night. The promise of the 'Advocate,' the 'Paraclete' – one who would be called to their side, to comfort, guide, and empower – began to take root, not as an abstract theological concept, but as a living, tangible hope. They had felt abandoned, like children left without a parent, but now, the Lord's words, spoken from the depths of His love, reassured them of an enduring, spiritual presence.
Then came the words that spoke directly to their communal life: 'Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.' Lydia looked around at the faces in the room – the merchant, the seamstress, the freed slave, the soldier – all bound by a common faith, yet often struggling with their own human frailties and disagreements. In that moment, the seemingly impossible commandment to 'love one another as I have loved you' became illuminated by the promise of the indwelling Spirit. It was not by their own strength alone, but by the grace of the Advocate, that they would be able to truly live out this transformative love.
As the gathering concluded, there was a quiet transformation. The fear that had clouded their eyes had lessened, replaced by a nascent courage. The uncertainty about their future, as a fragile community in a hostile world, was tempered by a deep conviction that they were not alone. The Lord had not abandoned them; rather, He had promised to send His very Spirit to dwell within them, to be their constant companion, their teacher, and their strength. They walked out into the streets of Philippi, not with the weight of an impossible task, but with the quiet resolve of those who had received a profound and living promise.
From that day forward, the community in Philippi, and countless others like it, learned to lean not on what they could see or touch, but on the unseen, yet powerfully present, Spirit. The Sixth Sunday of Easter became for them a yearly reminder that the Lord’s departure was not an end, but a new beginning – an invitation to live fully in the reality of His abiding presence through the Holy Spirit, empowering them to love, to witness, and to build the Kingdom of God, even in the face of adversity. It was a testament to their faith that the Lord's promises were not mere words, but living realities that shaped their very existence.
May 17, 2020
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today, the Sixth Sunday of Easter, the Gospel passage (Jn 14:15-21) presents us with a part of Jesus’ farewell discourse to his disciples, which takes place during the Last Supper. Jesus expresses three commandments to his disciples, three invitations: to observe his word, to remain in his love and to believe in him.
The first invitation: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (v. 15). Jesus insists on the observance of the commandments. It is not a question of a mere formal observance, but of an observance that stems from love. To observe the commandments out of love is not slavery, but freedom, because it is the encounter with him. Because the commandments are taken from the love of God, from the love of Jesus, and they lead you to that love. When one observes the commandments without love, it is like washing a glass, but not washing the inside. It’s like washing the soul without love. No, this is not good. To observe the commandments with love, to observe the commandments from love.
The second invitation: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love” (v. 9). To remain in the love of Jesus means to be united to him, like branches to the vine (cf. Jn 15:1-11). And how does this happen? Through listening to his word, through participation in the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, and through prayer. And this abiding in love is not passive, it is not a “siesta” in the Lord, no. It is an active abiding, and it is also manifested in evangelical witness: the charity that knows how to welcome and forgive, the tenderness that knows how to share and sacrifice itself.
The third invitation: “Believe in me” (v. 12). Jesus says: “Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and greater ones than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” (v. 12). These words express the continuity of Jesus’ mission in the work of the disciples. It is a question of believing in him, because he is the Father’s love who has given himself for us. The fruit of this belief is the ability to perform the same works of Jesus, and even greater ones, as he says, because he goes to the Father and from the Father he will send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who will perform these works in us. It is not a question of performing marvellous works, but of performing works of love to the glory of the Father, and this thanks to the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. The great work that we all must do as Christians is to love each other, to love each other as the Lord loved us. And this is not easy. And it is only possible with the Holy Spirit.
Indeed, at the end of this passage, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit: “And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth” (vv. 16-17). The Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, makes the presence of Jesus permanent in us, a presence that is active and dynamic. The Spirit is the Helper, the Paraclete, who is near us, is with us. The Spirit is the one who sustains us in difficulties, the one who reminds us of the Lord’s words, and the one who gives us courage to live the Gospel.
May the Virgin Mary help us to live these three invitations – to observe the commandments, to abide in the love of Jesus, and to believe in him – in full openness to the Holy Spirit, to be joyful witnesses of the Risen Lord.