SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
22 MAY 2022
We
continue to hear from the Farewell Discourse of Jesus in the Gospel of John at
the Last Supper. It is so long that we
have been able to hear most of it during this Easter Season. Jesus gives the disciples a final gift – the
gift of peace. It will also be the first
gift he gives after he is raised from the dead.
It is a gift that the world cannot give.
Jesus knows that one of his closest friends will betray him. He knows that he will be submitted to an
unjust trial and be sentenced to a horrible and humiliating death. He also knows that most of those at the table
will abandon him in his darkest hour. Yet
he still gives his gift of peace, granting forgiveness and mercy to those who
have not earned it. This is certainly
not the peace that the world is interested in giving. The world prefers vengeance and retribution
instead.
The first
reading from the Acts of the Apostles shows Paul and Barnabas using this gift
of peace. Paul himself had experienced
the gift of peace when he encountered the risen Lord on the road to
Damascus. He had accepted the Lord’s
forgiveness for persecuting the Church. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul was
able to use the other promise made by Jesus at the Last Supper. Through the Holy Spirit, the Advocate,
promised by Jesus at the Last Supper, he had been teaching everything and been
reminded of the words of Jesus in his public ministry. Both Paul and Barnabas cooperate with the
power of the Holy Spirit in their mission.
Now, Paul
and Barnabas are engaged in the first major conflict in the history of the
Church. There is intense disagreement
about accepting Gentile converts. Are
they joining a sect within Judaism that acknowledges Jesus as the promised
Messiah? Or are they becoming part of a
completely new movement that does not require following Jewish dietary laws and
customs? Paul and Barnabas come from the
Church at Antioch, where they were first called Christians. They bring their opinion to the mother Church
in Jerusalem, rooted in their Jewish upbringing. In this Council, Paul and Barnabas make a
strong plea that Christianity is a new religion with its roots in the Jewish
tradition. Gentiles should not be
obliged to be circumcised and follow Jewish dietary laws. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, their
argument is accepted. The Apostles send Judas and Silas to convey the news to
the Church in Antioch.
Even though
participants have strong and opposing views on this matter, they recognize
their unity in the person of the risen Lord and follow the guidance of the Holy
Spirit. They also urge the Gentiles to
avoid practices that their Jewish brothers and sister find offensive. Those offensive practices include abstaining
from meat sacrificed to animals and available at a discount in the market,
along with blood and meats of strangled animals. They should avoid these practices out of
charity. They realize that charity
sometimes demands a willingness to restrict one’s freedom when its use might
have a hurtful effect on other people.
As we
continue to celebrate the resurrection during this Easter Season, we embrace
the gift of peace given to us at our Baptism.
Through the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, we continue to encounter the
presence of the risen Christ. As the
Advocate speaks to us in the Word proclaimed here, we are reminded of all that
Jesus told his disciples. As the
Advocate changes bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, we are
strengthened to love as the Lord has loved us.
The Advocate is also present to guide us in our disagreements and our
divisions, which have been festering since the pandemic began. The Advocate can teach us how to speak to one
another with respect and ask for guidance.
The Advocate can guide us to heal wounds and resentments that have been
festering for too long. We can be open
to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, because we have been given the gift of
peace, which the world cannot give.
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