For the sixth Sunday of the Easter season, the scriptures remind us of the encouragement that Jesus offered to his disciples, and of the hope that makes it possible for all of us to continue the work of sharing the good news that we have heard.
Account for the
hope within you
Laurel and Denise Birch have been married for fifty
years. This weekend, they celebrated this milestone along with their family members, their friends and
with this parish community. Over the
past five decades, they have experienced many moments of joy, moments worthy of
celebration, but along with life’s joys there have also been moments of trial. Such are the times that we would rather
avoid if possible, but difficulties faced together can be overcome. Anniversaries of marriage, birthdays and
other such significant moments in life provide an opportunity for us to look
back with gratitude, to celebrate the present, and to look forward to the
future with hope.
As Jesus taught his disciples all the wisdom that he had
learned from his Father, he knew that the bond that was created between them
would endure because it was based on love.
Love is the result of the free gift of self. It takes courage to offer love to someone
else because the person who is offering it never knows whether his or her gift
will be welcomed or not, yet we must take the risk to offer it, and if it is
indeed accepted, it forms a bond that has the strength to withstand any storm that
life can bring. When we love someone
else, our greatest happiness is his/her happiness, and we want to give of
ourselves in order to make the other person happy. 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 forever (Jn 14:15).
The Advocate that Jesus spoke about is the Holy
Spirit. God our Father sent the Holy
Spirit as his gift at Pentecost, and since that time, it is this Spirit that
continues to live among us, reminding us of God’s love for us, filling us with
the gifts of God’s grace.
Strengthened by God’s grace and filled with the Holy
Spirit, the Apostles went out into the world to tell others about Jesus. Today’s first reading tells us that Philip –
one of the disciples – went to Samaria.
This was the same land that Jesus had traveled through, the place where
he had met the woman at the well. That
woman experienced the warmth of God’s love as she spoke with Jesus that
day, and she shared the joy of her encounter with others of her
village. Philip continued the work that
she had begun when he returned to proclaim Christ to them, and the crowds ... listened eagerly to what
Philip said (Acts 8:6).
This work of proclaiming Christ, which Philip continued
in the land of Samaria, is the work that we too continue even today. In our families, among our friends, with our
co-workers, at all moments of our lives, we should always be ready to share
with others the gift of hope that is within us (cf 1 Peter 3:15).
Hope and love are God’s gifts, freely offered to his
beloved people. If we welcome them and
find a place for them in our hearts, we will always be able to give thanks for
what we have received, we will celebrate the present with gratitude and we will
look forward to a future that is bright with promise.
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