Sunday 5 May
2013
The 6th Sunday of Easter C
Acts 15:1-2. 22-29. Psalm
66:2-3.5-6.8. Rv.4.Apoc. 21:10-14. 22-23. John 14:23-29
The Holy Spirit and we have
decided not to saddle you beyond the essentials.
Let the peoples praise you O
God. Let all the people praise you.
The Lord God and the Lamb were
the Temple
We shall come to him and make
our home with him.
First reading
Acts
15:1-2,22-29
Some men came down from Judaea and
taught the brothers, ‘Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition
of Moses you cannot be saved.’ This led to disagreement, and after Paul and
Barnabas had had a long argument with these men it was arranged that Paul and
Barnabas and others of the church should go up to Jerusalem and discuss the
problem with the apostles and elders.
Then
the apostles and elders decided to choose delegates to send to Antioch with
Paul and Barnabas; the whole church concurred with this. They chose Judas known
as Barsabbas and Silas, both leading men in the brotherhood, and gave them this
letter to take with them:
‘The
apostles and elders, your brothers, send greetings to the brothers of pagan
birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. We hear that some of our members have
disturbed you with their demands and have unsettled your minds. They acted
without any authority from us; and so we have decided unanimously to elect
delegates and to send them to you with Barnabas and Paul, men we highly respect
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accordingly we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will confirm by word of
mouth what we have written in this letter. It has been decided by the Holy
Spirit and by ourselves not to saddle you with any burden beyond these
essentials: you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols; from blood, from
the meat of strangled animals and from fornication. Avoid these, and you will
do what is right. Farewell.’
The argument about the Law of
Moses, circumcision etc. was such that it could have split the Church in the
very beginning. However the apostles and the first Christians valued fellowship
and unity more than anything else. The community had to be one and live the law
od Jesus, which is the Law of Love. In later generations and today, Christians
do not value fellowship and unity as did the early Church. Christians are
divided into so many different groups. Rather than the Law of Love, we have
seen Christians torturing and killing each other. This is a travesty of the Gospel.
Psalm
Psalm
66:2-3,5-6,8
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let
all the peoples praise you.
or
Alleluia!
O God, be gracious and bless us
and let your face shed its light upon
us.
So will your ways be known upon earth
and all nations learn your saving help.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let
all the peoples praise you.
or
Alleluia!
Let the nations be glad and exult
for you rule the world with justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples,
you guide the nations on earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let
all the peoples praise you.
or
Alleluia!
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
May God still give us his blessing
till the ends of the earth revere him.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let
all the peoples praise you.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading
Apocalypse
22:12-14,16-17,20
I, John, heard a voice speaking to me: ‘Very
soon now, I shall be with you again, bringing the reward to be given to every
man according to what he deserves. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and
the Last, the Beginning and the End. Happy are those who will have washed their
robes clean, so that they will have the right to feed on the tree of life and
can come through the gates into the city.’
I,
Jesus, have sent my angel to make these revelations to you for the sake of the
churches. I am of David’s line, the root of David and the bright star of the
morning.
The
Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ Let everyone who listens answer, ‘Come.’ Then
let all who are thirsty come: all who want it may have the water of life, and
have it free.
The
one who guarantees these revelations repeats his promise: I shall indeed be
with you soon. Amen; come, Lord Jesus.
Jesus is the
centre of our religion and love for him in a personal relationship is the heart
of Christianity. There is no Christianity without that and everything in it
should be a manifestation of this love that we have for him. The true Christian
longs for the return of Jesus according to the plan of God either in his Second
Coming or in his coming to each person.
Gospel
Acclamation
Jn14:23
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus said: ‘If anyone loves me he will
keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.’
Alleluia!
Gospel
John
14:23-29
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘If anyone loves me he will keep my
word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him and make our
home with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my
words.
And my word is not my own:
it is the word of the one who sent me.
I have said these things to you while
still with you;
but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all I have said to
you.
Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I
give you,
a peace the world cannot give,
this is my gift to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or
afraid.
You heard me say: I am going away, and
shall return.
If you loved me you would have been glad
to know that I am going to the Father,
for the Father is greater than I.
I have told you this now before it
happens,
so that when it does happen you may
believe.’
The home of God
Jesus told his
disciples he was going away. They felt bewildered. How were they to manage
after he had gone? He was their life. Everything centred on him. He was their
strength. They were not afraid when he was there. The Jews were unable to
outwit him in an argument. He reduced them to silence with his answers. They
felt at peace when he was there. Now he tells them, he is going away. They feel
lost, afraid, and heading for a life of emptiness. However, Jesus tells them,
“Let not your hearts be troubled or afraid” In fact he says, “If you loved me
you would have been glad to know I am going.” He is going to his Father, he is
going to come back to them, and not only to them but also to all who love him.
It will be in a new way.
“God
so loved the world that he sent his only Son” (John 3:16). Now Jesus promises
that both the Father and he will come and live in each of his disciples. It
seems too good to be true. God, the Creator who lives in unapproachable light
will come and live in the heart of each of Jesus’ disciples. However, it is
true. There are however conditions for this to be fulfilled. We must love Jesus
and accept him into our lives. We do this by keeping his commandments. He has
given us ‘a new commandment’ – to love one another as he loves us and he has
given in the Gospel many examples of how to do this. Our heartfelt love for
Jesus overflows into action by our always doing what pleases him. The Father
loves us too and both he and Jesus come and live in our hearts. Our bodies
become the dwelling place of God. This promise is not only for mystics and
saints but also for each and everyone who loves Jesus. It is for you.
How
can I keep his word? I am weak and sinful. The Father will send the Advocate,
the Holy Spirit. After Jesus has gone away physically, the Holy Spirit will
come and he will be with us forever. He will teach us everything and remind us
of all that Jesus has taught. He will be our strength and the fruits of his
indwelling will be clear for all to see; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, generosity, humility and purity of heart. Furthermore, he will give
the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, courage, faith, and respect for
God.
We
have a treasure in our hands. We need to experience it. Do you take time daily
to sit quietly and open yourself consciously to God dwelling in your heart?
Have your family and neighbours ever mentioned that ‘there is something about
you’? If not, ask yourself, ‘Do I enjoy the fellowship of God, Father, Son, and
Spirit?’
Father grant me the grace to experience the fruits of your indwelling.
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