Homily 6th Sunday Easter 2023

Franklin Fong, OFM

May 14, 2023

In this Sunday’s readings we hear about how our personal relationships depend very much on physical presence. Jesus knows this only too well. He is also aware that even during physical absence personal ties can be sustained by loving awareness while waiting for a reunion.   

In the first reading from Acts, Chapter 8 we have to remember that it was in Chapter 1 that Jesus gave the apostles instruction to spread the gospel “in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, yes even to the ends of the earth.” And so by Chapter 8 we hear the following points:

• proclaimed the Christ to them.
• saw the signs he was doing.
• people were cured.
• who went down and prayed for them,
• they laid hands on them
• and they received the Holy Spirit

So you can see all the different ways that Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit can be present to people. This reading asks us to review and think about what are the signs of the presence of God in our life? Do any of these signs fill you with joy?

The second reading from the First Letter of Peter invites us to “venerate the Lord in your hearts” and to be able to give out of personal conviction “the reason for this hope” of ours. Peter warns persecuted Christians to bear sufferings patiently, and , like Jesus, not to return evil for evil. So the key phrase here is:

“Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, “

So this second reading is about how to be present to not only nice people but not so nice people as well.

In the Gospel reading from John, we hear how for Christians facing rejection by others, Jesus speaks of various ways that God is with us, and how our ways differ from those of non-believers.  

“Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me.”

His spirit, he tells them, will be with them and they will witness to him in ever widening circles. The abiding spirit is rightly called Paraclete a word that means “one called alongside to help.” 

The main task here is for us not to forget that it is in observing the commandments;

it is about practicing them, and not simply reciting them or proclaiming them.  

It is about doing them !

The other key point of this reading is that to believe that the Holy Spirit named as the PARACLETE is at work in everyone! This means realizing that God seeks to penetrate every human situation and all social bonds: God’s love is for all of creation. It is not just for Me or my friends and associates. It is for ALL.  

Being able to give an explanation is a task and skill which only comes from our intellectual understanding of our faith. One of the important parts of our Franciscan ministries whether it be with retreatants, or parishioners, or formation students, or members of our Franciscan family is to be able to explain why we are hopeful or joyful in any situation.  

Putting the words and thoughts together in an understandable way is not something that just happens. It takes time, reading theological and spiritual literature, and most of all time to reflect, discuss and ponder the ways that such ideas take hold of our lives and the way we live our lives. Learning how to pull the words out from our hearts is not easy. This learning happens through special people who God brings into our lives to help us make sense of this.  

These intense personal relationships are sustained by more that mere emotions:

• Love calls for the observance of its commandments;
• Obedience is needed to temper the enthusiasm of love and to direct it towards noble ends;
• Believers “profess the truth in love.”

So you can see again how HEAD, HEART and HANDS are the key to life long journey of faith ! We are privileged to love and to love with the life and love of God himself – a life and a love of mutual self-giving which is characteristic of the Holy Trinity.

So as we prepare for Pentecost Sunday, let us pray daily “COME HOLY SPIRIT! Come into my head! Come into my heart! And especially Come into my hands !”

Brothers and Sisters of the 

Chinese Catholic Community of St Leander Parish

 that is the Good News for this 6th Sunday of Easter.  

Alleluia,

Alleluia.

(中文翻譯.原文以英文為準.)