SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A.
May 14, 2023
Acts of the Apostles 8:5-8,14-17; 1 Peter 3:15-18; John 14:15-21.
Today’s gospel states that loving God means keeping His commandments. The Holy Spirit is the advocate that will enable us to love God through keeping His commandments. The commandments of God are not contrary to human life. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit will enlighten our minds to understand that God’s commandments demand the fullness of our humanity. In our humanity lies the love for God. To love God is to be human.
The ministry and life of Jesus Christ was geared towards raising up our fallen humanity. We lost the innocence of life through our sins. He was like us in all things but sin. By His wounds, he healed our humanity. And now he demands that we approach Him through our humanity. In order to be holy, one must first be human. According to St. Theresa of the child Jesus, holiness lies in doing ordinary things in an extraordinary manner. Jesus Christ demands that us to be human in order to be holy.
Jesus Christ understands that there are obstacles and distractions in our world. Thus, He promises an advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will be with us forever. The presence of the Holy Spirit will drive out all distractions and obstacles in our way to be fully human. Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE, wrote that, Holiness keeps you faithful to your deepest self, free from every form of enslavement, and bearing fruit for our world. Holiness does not make you less human, since it is an encounter between your weakness and the power of God’s grace. The Holy Spirit is always with us and will guide us in the path to holiness which is keeping God’s commandments.
Fr Anthony Ekpunobi, CM.
