Catholic Meditation - Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C

By Martin Jumbam

The Universal Church celebrates Sunday, May 05, 2013 as the sixth Sunday of Easter – Year C. In the entrance antiphon we pray: ‘Proclaim a joyful sound and let it be heard; proclaim to the ends of the earth: The Lord has freed his people. Amen. Alleluia’  

The Holy Spirit is very much in evidence in the readings of this Sunday. He guides the decision of the first Council of Jerusalem which decided that the new Christians from paganism should not be subjected to the purity rites of the Jews, as we hear in the first reading. In the second reading, Saint John sees in a vision the Church in the plenitude of her glory like a city built on the foundations of the Apostles. The holy city of Jerusalem is the image for the community of the saints who live in communion with God. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals to us the Church in her glory. In the Gospel, Saint John talks about the continuing guidance of the Holy Spirit which Jesus promises to send to accompany and guide his disciples as they take his word of salvation to the ends of the earth. The Holy Spirit, who is to come from the Father, will stay with the disciples and help them live an authentic Christian life filled with joy, peace and happiness. 

First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 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 the 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 burdens 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.

V/ The word of the Lord.

R/ Thanks be to God.  

Comment 

The preaching of the Gospel to pagans met resistance from many of the early converts from Judaism, even twenty years after the resurrection. The decision to break from Judaism was a serious one and when Christianity began to take root among the Gentiles, the question as to whether or not they should also observe Jewish purity rites, especially circumcision, arose and the apostles had to deal with it once and for all. The Apostles and the elders meet in Jerusalem in what was to be the first Council of the Church. 

The community of Antioch commissions Paul and Barnabas to represent them at the Jerusalem Council. The hierarchy of the Church, consisting of the Apostles and the elders, meet to study and decide whether the Gentiles are obliged to be circumcised and to keep the Old Law of Moses. This is a question of the utmost importance for the young Church and that is why the answer to it must be guided by the Holy Spirit to ensure the unity of the Church.  

Under the leadership of Peter, the Council, with the help of the Holy Spirit, provides a correct interpretation of God’s promises and commandments regarding the salvation of mankind and the way in which the Gentiles an enter the New Israel.  

During this first Council of the Church, Peter plays a decisive role as the leader of the young Church. He is a decisive factor in Church unity. He brings together all the various legitimate views of those trying to reach the truth on this matter. He draws on his own personal experience when God directed him to go to Cornelius’ house and convert him, even though some disciples of Jewish origin thought it was unworthy for a Jew to visit a pagan (Acts 10), sums up the discussion and offers a solution that coincides with Paul’s view of the matter. It is grace that saves, not the Law of Moses itself. The Law and circumcision have been superseded by faith in Jesus Christ. The Law of Moses is therefore irrelevant because the Gospel has been proclaimed and it is only through the Gospel, not the works of the law that salvation comes (Gal 2: 15ff).  

The decree of the Council of Jerusalem makes it clear that the participants worked under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The solemnity of the apostolic decree is evident from the large delegation to carry it back to the Gentiles. Paul and Barnabas now see their mission to the pagans solemnly ratified by the leaders of the Church.  

We pray for the leaders of our Church, that they may learn to get together, as the disciples did in Jerusalem, to fairly rule on an issue that could hinder the smooth running of the Church. May the Hold Spirit continue to guide and protect our Church. Amen. Alleluia.  

Second Reading: Apocalypse 21: 10-14. 22-23.  

In the spirit, the angel took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond. The walls of it were of a great height, and had twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an angel, and over the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; on the east there were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. The city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of each of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. I saw that there was no temple in the city since the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were themselves the temple, and the city did not need the sun or the moon for light, since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and the Lamb was a lighted torch for it.

V/ The word of the Lord.

R/ Thanks be to God.  

Comment 

In his vision, John sees the Church in the plenitude of her glory like a city built on the foundations of the Apostles. The holy city of Jerusalem is the image of the community of saints who live in communion with God. In contrast with the punishment visited on the evil city of Babylon, which John saw on a previous vision (Ap 17), we now see the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, the spouse of the Lamb, coming down from heaven.  

The seer gives this city the titles of Bride and Spouse, images that are usually used to describe the Church. The city therefore represents the Church, the community of believers viewed in its complete, indissoluble union with the risen Lord, the Lamb. This vision is similar to the one the prophet Ezekiel had when he saw the New Jerusalem and the temple of the future (Ez 40-42). The difference with John’s vision is that John sees the city coming down from heaven, an indication that the long desired establishment of the messianic kingdom will come about by the power of God almighty.

John pictures the Church of the final age that is illuminating the Church of his own day. She has the unity and variety of a city, perfectly protected by God, with entry gained through the Apostles of Jesus. The names of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve Apostles show the continuity between the ancient chosen people and the Church of Christ, the Church of the New Covenant, It is a church that has no need of a temple because the presence of God fills her every corner, and the risen Christ enlightens her with the knowledge of God and the unity of love for which she longs.

 The universal nature of the Church is seen in the way the gates of the city are arranged. They are in threes, facing the four points of the compass, indicating that the Church is universal and that all nations must come to it to gain salvation. We pray for the Catholic Church that she may continue to gather people from the four corners of the earth to Christ's salvific grace. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen. 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 all 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 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.

V/ The Gospel of the Lord.

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.  

Comment 

In today’s Gospel Jesus is aware of the worries his disciples have as they face the reality of his final departure. Jesus therefore prepares them for the day of his ascension to his Father.  Before his return to his Father, he takes the time to carefully prepare his disciples and counsels them not to be afraid for he will be sending an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to guide them.

 They needed such reassurance because shortly before the text of this day’s meditation, Jude Thaddeus, one of the Twelve, had asked Jesus if he would only manifest himself to them and not to the whole world. His question is understandable since the Jews commonly held that when the Messiah came he would reveal himself to the world as King and Saviour. So when Jesus tells them that he is to go to his Father but that he would not be leaving them orphans, they are truly puzzled and that is why Jude Thaddeus wants to know why Christ would not be revealing himself to the whole people of Israel. 

Jesus’ reply is that he reveals himself to whoever loves him and keeps his commandments, especially the commandment of love of God and of neighbour. Observance of his commandment of love will assure us of the presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit: “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him,” we hear in this day’s Gospel.  

The Holy Spirit whom the Father will send will stay with his disciples and prompt them to live an authentic Christian life filled with peace, joy and happiness. The Holy Spirit is at work in the hearts of men and women; He makes his home in us when we get rid of those worries and concerns that deprive us of peace. What takes away our peace cannot come from God. The Holy Spirit is always there to impel us to do good and spread love that binds us with God and with one another.    

Jesus knows that his disciples will face many difficulties, endure many hardships if left on their own. That is why they need a lawyer, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. As we heard in the first reading, it was not long after Christ’s departure that the Holy Spirit stepped in to settle a conflict in the early Church. Paul and Barnabas had brought many pagans into the new faith but their success sparked off a conflict in the community when members of the Jerusalem community wanted the converts to be subjected to the Mosaic Law, especially the practice of circumcision. The Holy Spirit brings peace where there is conflict.  

In a homily he preached on the 30^th of September 1979 (Homily at Knock Shrine), Blessed John Paul II said, among other things, that “Christ has not left his followers without guidance in the task of understanding and living the Gospel. Before returning to his Father, he promised to send his Holy Spirit to the Church: ‘But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all I have said to you’ (Jn 14: 26).  

“This same Spirit,” continues the Holy Father, “guides the successors of the Apostles, your bishops, united with the Bishop of Rome, to whom it was entrusted to preserve the faith and to ‘preach the Gospel to the whole creation’ (Mk 16:5). “Listen to their voices for they bring you the word of the Lord”.  

Christ imparts his peace on his disciples. ‘Peace I leave you, my peace I give to you. Christ is our peace (Eph 2:14).  What takes away our peace cannot come from God. Let us therefore pray for peace, especially peace within us, peace in our hearts, peace in our souls and peace in our minds.  May the Holy Spirit, the Advocate from the Father, strengthen our faith and help us to follow Christ more closely, this day and forever. Amen. Alleluia.  

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