Study and Meditations on this Sunday's Scripture Readings: May 29, 2011

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To help us prepare for this coming Sunday, here are the readings, studies and reflections for this coming Sunday’s Scripture readings. This Sunday is the 6th Sunday of Easter, and we will hear Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit-- the Advocate, which will lead his Church into all truth. He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Here are the Scripture readings from the U.S. Catholic bishops website.

My own weekly study can be found here under “Current Study.”

Here are three audio reflections on the readings by Sister Ann Shields, Dr. Scott Hahn and Fr. Robert Barron.

Here are a pair of Catholic Bible study podcasts on the Gospel Reading, each about an hour long:

–Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother
–St. Martha’s Adult Faith Formation

The Navarre Bible Commentary for each reading can be viewed here.

Further study resources for the Readings: St. Charles Borromeo Bible Study can be found here, and Catholic Matters can be found here.

Please consider supporting those who provide these free resources. I’d like to thank a generous donor who recently helped me cover the cost of the internet server for the Sunday Scripture Study for Catholics website for this year. God is good!

Discussion, questions and charitable comments are always welcome. Have a blessed week!

http://itsourblog.typepad.com/.a/6a00e5512b13618833011571ae8963970b-800wi

 

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1st Reading - Acts 8:5-8, 14-17

Last week we heard of the ordination of seven men as “assistants”: those who are to serve. In the intervening chapter (chapter 7) which comes between last week’s reading and this one, one of these assistants, Stephen by name, is martyred. The charges against him resemble those leveled against Jesus: (1) he has uttered blasphemies against Moses and God; (2) he has spoken against the Jerusalem temple and the Law; (3) he has maintained that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the temple and change Mosaic customs.

In his speech to the Sanhedrin, the longest speech in the book of Acts, Stephen doesn’t directly answer the charges against him but instead delivers a sermon in which the history of Israel from Abraham to Solomon is recast in terms of opposition to Jesus-- the history of the Jewish people has always been one of opposition to God’s appointed guides and of idolatry. The result is that Stephen is dragged outside the city and stoned; with those who are doing the stoning having their garments watched by a young Pharisee named Saul.

Thus began the persecution of the Church in Jerusalem; this leads to the spread of the Word from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria under the influence of the Hellenists. Although the twelve are still the nerve center of Christianity in Jerusalem, others are now also spreading the Word. Today we hear the story of Philip, another of the seven assistants.

Here is the 1st Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.

Now when the apostles in Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,
they sent them Peter and John,
who went down and prayed for them,
that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
for it had not yet fallen upon any of them;
they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then they laid hands on them
and they received the Holy Spirit.

 

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From the Navarre Bible commentary:

**
Philip’s Preaching in Samaria
-----------------------------**
*[5] Philip went down to a city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ. *

**5. **This is not Philip the Apostle (1:13) but one of the seven deacons appointed to look after Christians in need (6:5). The Gospel is proclaimed to the Samaritans–who also were awaiting the Messiah. This means that it now spreads beyond the borders of Judea once and for all, and our Lord’s promise (Acts 1:8) is fulfilled: “You shall by My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria.”

The despised Samaritans became the first to benefit from the Gospel’s determination to spread all over the world. We can sense St. Luke’s pleasure in reporting its proclamation to the Samaritans; earlier he had already showed them in a favorable light: he is the only Evangelist to recount the parable of the Good Samaritan (cf. Luke 10:30-37) and to mention that the leper who came back to thank Jesus after being cured was a Samaritan (cf. Luke 17:16). On the Samaritans in general, see the note on John 4:20.

[6] And the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what wassaid by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs which he did. [7] For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice; and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. [8] So there was much joy in that city.
**
Peter and John in Samaria
-------------------------**
[14] Now when the Apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, [15] who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; [16] for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. [17] Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
**
14-17. **Here we see the Apostles exercising through Peter and John the authority they have over the entire Church. The two Apostles proceed to confirm the disciples recently baptized by Philip: we may presume that in addition to laying their hands on them to communicate the Holy Spirit, the Apostles made sure that they had a correct grasp of the central points of the Gospel message. At this time the Apostles constituted the spiritual center of the Church and took an active interest in ensuring that the new communities were conscious of the links–doctrinal and affective—that united them to the mother community in Jerusalem.

This passage bears witness to the existence of Baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit (or Confirmation) as two distinct sacramental rites. The most important effects Christian Baptism has are the infusion of initial grace and the remission of Original Sin and any personal sin; it is the first sacrament a person receives, which is why it is called the “door of the Church”.

There is a close connection between Baptism and Confirmation, so much so that in the early centuries of Christianity, Confirmation was administered immediately after Baptism. There is a clear distinction between these two sacraments of Christian initiation, which helps us understand the different effects they have. A useful comparison is the difference, in natural life, between conception and later growth (cf. “St. Pius V Catechism”, II, 3, 5). “As nature intends that all her children should grow and attain full maturity …], so the Catholic Church, the common mother of all, earnestly wishes that, in those whom she has regenerated by Baptism, the perfection of Christian manhood be completed” (“ibid.”, II, 3, 7).

“The nature of the Sacrament of Confirmation,” [Pope] John Paul II explains, “grows out of this endowment of strength which the Holy Spirit communicates to each baptized person, to make him or her–as the well-known language of the Catechism puts it–a perfect Christian and soldier of Christ, ready to witness boldly to His resurrection and its redemptive power: ‘You shall be My witnesses’ (Acts 1:8)” (“Homily”, 25 May 1980). “All Christians, incorporated into Christ and His Church by Baptism, are consecrated to God. They are called to profess the faith which they have received. By the Sacrament of Confirmation they are further endowed by the Holy Spirit with special strength to be witnesses of Christ and sharers in His mission of salvation” (“Homily in Limerick”, 1 October 1979). “This is a sacrament which in a special way associates us with the mission of the Apostles, in that it inserts each baptized person into the apostolate of the Church” (“Homily in Cracow”, 10 June 1979). In the Sacrament of Confirmation divine grace anticipates the aggressive and demoralizing temptations a young Christian man or woman is likely to experience, and reminds them of the fact that they have a vocation to holiness; it makes them feel more identified with the Church, their Mother, and helps them live in accordance with their Catholic beliefs and convictions. From their formative years Christ makes them defenders of the faith.

 

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From the 1859 Haydock Commentary:

Philip converts the Samaritans…

*5 And Philip going down to the city of Samaria, preached Christ to them.

6 And the people were attentive to those things which were said by Philip, with one accord hearing, and seeing the miracles which he did.

7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, went out of many who were possessed.

8 And many taken with the palsy, and that were lame, were healed.

14 Now when the apostles, who were in Jerusalem, had heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John.

15 Who when they were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:*

Ver. 15. The Holy Ghost, which the apostles came to give the Samaritan Neophytes, was not the spirit of grace, of justice, and of sanctity, for that they had received at baptism; but the spirit of strength, to confess with confidence and freedom the name of Jesus, and the supernatural and miraculous graces, usually at that time granted to the faithful, by the imposition of hands. Philip did not administer the sacrament, because he could not; he was not a bishop. Hence now in the Church, we see only the chief pastors do it, præcipuos et non alios videmus hoc facere. See St. Chrysostom, hom. xviii. in Acta. — There is no mention here, it is true, of unction, but the most venerable antiquity clearly specifies it. St. Cyprian, in the third age [third century], says: “it is moreover necessary, that he who has been baptized, should be anointed, that having received the chrism, that is, the unction, he may be the anointed of God.” (Ep. lxx.) — In the next age [fourth century], St. Pacianus writes: “Do you say that this (the power of remitting sins) was granted only to the apostles? Then I say, that they alone could baptize, and give the Holy Spirit, for to them alone was the command of doing it given. If, therefore, the right of conferring baptism, and of anointing, descended to their successors, to them also has come the power of binding and loosing.” (Ep. i. ad Sym. Bibl. Max. T. iv. p. 307)
*
16 For he was not yet come upon any one of them, but they were only baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

17 Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost.*

Ver. 17. They received the Holy Ghost. Not but that they had received the grace of the Holy Ghost at their baptism; but not that plentitude of grace, and those gifts, which they received from bishops in the sacrament of confirmation. This sacrament, as St. Chrysostom observes, St. Philip, the deacon, had not power to give. (Witham)

 

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The Cross Reference-Catechism search website that I usually use has been down since last night, so I am unable to post the Catechism citations for the 1st Reading at this time. I’ll keep checking and, if it comes back up this weekend, I’ll post those references at that time.

Here is a meditation on the 1st Reading for practical application from Catholic Matters:

**APPLICATION: **Although the convert Samaritans did not receive the Holy Spirit with his visible supernatural gifts immediately, nothing but the power of the Holy Spirit, in Philip and in the Christian message he brought to them, could explain the readiness with which they accepted the Christian truth. They were natural enemies of the Jews for centuries and the enmity was returned heartily. They would have no dealings truck with Jerusalem or with any teacher who came from there, yet they listened to Philip and in “multitudes gave heed with one accord” to what he had to tell them. Nothing but the grace of the Holy Spirit can explain their change of attitude.

When the two Apostles came down from Jerusalem and bestowed the Holy Spirit on them his presence in them was made manifest to all, because of the special gifts that accompanied his bestowal in almost all cases of conversion in the early Church.

People may ask why it is that today, when people receive the sacraments of baptism and confirmation the Holy Spirit does not prove his presence in them by any external signs or miracles. St. Augustine answered that very question centuries ago. He said: When one plants a young tree one waters it regularly and stakes it firmly, but as soon as the tree has taken firm root it needs no further care. So it is with the Church, he said. In its infancy it needed miracles and signs to convince those who believed and to convert those who had not yet believed. But when the Church had taken firm root in the Roman Empire which was the known world of that time, there was no further need for the special intervention of God. The ordinary graces of the Holy Spirit were sufficient.

And so it is with each one of us. We have received the Holy Spirit with what we call his seven gifts and these are sufficient without any miraculous signs to make us soldiers of Christ. As such. we should be active members of his Church ready to do our duty each day, to live the faith, defend the faith when called on, and even if necessary, to die for it.

But to live our faith to the full and to be able to defend it if called on, we need to learn more and more about the truths of our faith. We need to know first and foremost what it promises us, what it means for our true life. A Christian is still a human being but he is no longer a mere human being—he has been made a brother of Christ and an adopted son of God. He is therefore made a citizen of heaven and his earthly life is but a journey to his native home—to a home which he will never have to leave again. When we look on our earthly life from this heavenly point of view most if not all of what we call the trials and troubles of life cease to be impassable mountain ranges and appear as little hillocks over which we can skip lightly. The true Christian who lets this truth be the guiding light of his life, will be well equipped to answer the questionings and hesitations of those who have not yet received the light of faith, or who, having once had it, lost it or let it die through inertia. The illiterate street sweeper who lives his faith devoutly—who never forgets that God loved him so dearly that he sent his only-begotten Son as man on earth in order to bring him to heaven, is a more convincing theologian than the lukewarm author of learned writings. Every devout Christian is an apostle. His very way of living, as well as his daily conversation in the home and outside of it, are lights which radiate all around him. He is a living furnace of divine love which warms and softens the heart of the sinners and the unbelievers with whom he comes into contact.

 

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2nd Reading - 1 Peter 3:15-18

Having heard in the introduction to our first reading about the start of the persecutions of the Christian Church, we now hear Saint Peter tell us the Christian approach to persecution.

Here is the 2nd Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

Beloved:
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
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 that, when you are maligned,
those who defame your good conduct in Christ
may themselves be put to shame.
For it is better to suffer for doing good,
if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.

For Christ also suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.

 

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From the *Navarre Bible *commentary:

**
3:13-4:19. **The sacred writer now makes a series of appeals designed to give hope to Christians suffering unjustly on account of Jesus’ name: he reminds them that every baptized person is called to share in the paschal mystery of Christ, that is, in his sufferings and in his glorification; just as he, after suffering unjustly, was glorified (3:18-22), so too those who now suffer for Christ will have a part in his glorious triumph (4:13-14).

The section begins and ends speaking about the Christian meaning of tribulation (3:13-17 and 4:12-19): trials should not make them feel cowed or ashamed, nor should they come as a surprise; on the contrary, they should fill them with joy and lead them to glorify God for letting them partake in our Lord’s suffering.

The Apostle also points to one of the reasons for the misunderstandings they experience: after Baptism they have broken with their previous sinful life and that is something pagans cannot understand (4:1-6). Also, Christians should remember that life is something very transient, and therefore they should practice prayer and charity (4:7-11).

**13-17. **These verses act as an introduction to the central theme of this section (3:13-4:19). They seem to be directed to people who are surprised to encounter persecution despite doing good (v. 13). Opposition should not dismay them; their calumniators will come to realize their mistake (v. 16).

St Peter’s words of advice have a very positive ring about them; they are really an application of the beatitude in which our Lord says, “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Mt 5:11-12).

St Peter’s teachings have a perennial value for disciples of Christ, for (as history clearly shows) fidelity to the Master brings with it persecution (cf. Jn 15:18-22; 2 Tim 3:12), sometimes open and violent persecution, sometimes persecution of a more subtle type, in the form of calumny, humiliation and other hazards.

The counsel St Peter gives is very positive in tone–a kind of application of the Beatitude which says, “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Mt 15:11-12).

Concluded on the next post…

 

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Undeserved Suffering is a Blessing
----------------------------------
*[15] But in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence; *

15. “Reverence Christ as Lord”: literally, “Hallow”, as in the Our Father. The words imply recognition of the divinity of Jesus Christ: he is called Lord (“Kyrios”), a name proper to God; and they are told to “glorify” or “reverence” him, that is, render him the worship that is due to God alone. Even in the midst of difficulties the entire Christian life should be a hymn of praise to God; by acting in this way, Christians are living out their holy, royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:4-10; cf. Vatican II, “Presbyterorum Ordinis”, 1).

“To account for the hope that is in you”: he is not referring to defending oneself before the courts, for official persecution had not yet become widespread in Asia Minor (cf. note on 2:11-12). He seems, rather, to be referring to the obligation to bear witness to their faith and hope, for all baptized persons should always, by word and example, make known their faith known to others.

[16] and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. [17] For it is better
to suffer for doing right, if that should be God’s will, than for doing wrong.
**
Christ’s Suffering and Glorification
------------------------------------**
**
18-22. **This passage may include parts of a Creed used in early Christian baptismal instruction. It very clearly expresses the essence of faith in Jesus Christ, as preached from the beginning by the Apostles (cf. Acts 2:14-36; 1 Cor 15:1ff) and as articulated in the Apostles’ Creed “He was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.”

Jesus Christ, who suffers for the sins of mankind–“the righteous for the unrighteous”–and then is glorified, gives meaning to the sufferings of Christians. “Oh, how great thanks am I bound to return to you for having shown me and all the faithful the right and good way to your everlasting kingdom! For your life is our life; and by holy patience we walk on to you, who are our crown. If you had not gone before and taught us, who would care to follow? Alas, how many would have stayed afar off and a great way behind if they had not had before their eyes your wonderful example!” (“The Imitation of Christ”, 3, 18).

[18] For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.

18. “Christ has died for sins once for all”: our Lord’s sacrifice is unrepeatable (cf. Heb 9:12-28; 10:10) and superabundantly sufficient to obtain the remission of all sins. The fruits of the Cross are applied to man, in a special way, by means of the sacraments, particularly by taking part in the Mass, the unbloody renewal of the sacrifice of Calvary.

“Being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit”: there is disagreement among commentators as to what “flesh” and “spirit” mean here. Some identify them with our concepts of body and soul–“dead as regards the body, alive as regards the soul”. Others see them as equivalent to the humanity-divinity of our Lord: “dead as far as his human nature is concerned, alive (continues to live) as far as his divinity is concerned”. Finally, having regard to the meaning these terms have in the Old Testament the phrase may refer to the earthly condition of our Lord compared with the glorious condition he had after his resurrection; in which case it would be an early form of words used to convey the idea that Jesus Christ, on dying, left his mortal condition behind for ever in order to move into his glorious, immortal state through his resurrection (cf. 1 Cor 15:35-49).

 

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From the 1859 Haydock Commentary:

Exhortation to divers virtues.

15 But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being always ready to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you.

Ver. 15. Always ready to satisfy, &c. St. Peter would have every Christian, according to his circumstances and capacity, ready to give general reasons of his faith and hope of salvation, both to infidels and heretics that refuse to believe. (Witham)

*16 But with modesty and fear, having a good conscience: that whereas they speak evil of you, they may be ashamed who falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

17 For it is better doing well (if such be the will of God) to suffer, than doing ill.

18 Because Christ also died once for our sins, the just for the unjust, that he might offer us to God, being put to death indeed in the flesh, but brought to life by the spirit.*
**
Ver. 18. **Christ…being put to death indeed in the flesh, dying on the cross for our sins, but brought to life by the spirit. By the spirit here some understand Christ’s divine spirit, and power of his divinity, by which he soon raised himself again from death to an immortal life by his glorious resurrection. But others by the spirit rather understand Christ’s soul, by which he never died, which always remained united to his divine person, and which the third day he again reunited to his body. (Witham)

 

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Here is a meditation on the 2nd Reading for practical application from Catholic Matters:

**APPLICATION:**These first converts to Christianity to whom St. Peter wrote this letter lived in a world which was very similar in many respect to our world of today. There were the self-styled intellectuals who thought they had the solution to all human problems because they had picked up scrips and pieces of the pagan Greek philosophy. There were others whose only thought was to get all they could out of this earthly life and whose motto was., “eat, drink, sleep and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” There were the agnostics whose life was one big question-mark, and who refused to accept any answers. There were the “practical” ones, so busy making a good living for themselves that they had no time to question the real meaning of life.

Who can fail to see the similarity between their world and the world in which we live today? While it is true that the number of Christians in our world today is away above that of St. Peter’s day, it is true also that the number of the opponents of Christianity has increased accordingly. And what is worse, most of these opponents come from Christian parentage and live in countries that are still called Christian.

Add to this, that many, very many of those we number as Christians are so only in name. Unlike the early Christians whose exemplary lives spread the faith very quickly to their pagan neighbors, our nominal Christians spread disrespect for the very name of Christ and for all he did for mankind.

Let us admit it, this is the kind of world in which we live, but it need not remain so. Each one of us, who is convinced of the truth of his faith, must realize that he has a solemn duty to help bring about this necessary change.

St. Peter tells us in a few words today how this can be done. He reminds us of the basic truth of our Christian religion: God created us for heaven. He sent his Son on earth to earn heaven for us. Our real purpose in this life is to work our passage to our true and everlasting home. This we shall do if we keep ever before our minds that Christ was God who came on earth as a man and suffered torments and death in our name and in our stead, so that we too could rise with him after our lives had ended. If we grasp this basic truth—the only true and satisfactory explanation of our sojourn on this earth—our daily actions will be truly Christian; we will gladly “keep our conscience clear” by following the rules of conduct that Christ has laid down for us.

By so doing we will also be prepared always to give an account, an explanation, to those who ask us why we are Christians. Our very lives will be of themselves an explanation and an answer to those who are curious about us, and even to those who while openly opposing and maybe deriding us, are gravely doubting in their hearts, whether it is we or they who are wrong. We can change our world, and in the innermost hearts of the vast majority of our “intellectuals,” our “agnostics” and our “practical men of the world” there is a desire for change. Christ is calling on us today, through his Apostle St. Peter, to help him call home the prodigal sons and the lost sheep. He suffered for them too. Would we turn a deaf ear to his call for help? Not if we reverence him as our Lord, our God. Not if we love our neighbor whom he has made our brother and co-heir with himself to heaven.

 

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Gospel Reading: John 14:15-21

* This Sunday’s reading takes place at the Last Supper (John chapters 13-17), and is a continuation of last week’s reading.

* Now that Jesus is about “to pass from this world to the Father” (John 13:1), he explains to his own how he will continue to reveal himself to them. He promises them that he will send the Holy Spirit, “another Advocate,” or Paraclete. The Greek word, paracletos, means one who stands beside and defends. It can also mean consoler, comforter, intercessor, mediator or spokesman.

* Jesus had often promised to send the Spirit (John 14:26; 15:36; 16:7-14; Matthew 10:20), and he does so in a limited way on the evening of Easter (John 20:22).

* The fullness of the Holy Spirit, however, will be sent by Jesus to his disciples 50 days after his Resurrection on Pentecost. Through the Holy Spirit Jesus will be with his Church always until he comes again in glory (verse 18).

Here is the Gospel Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

Jesus said to his disciples:
“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 always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

 

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From the *Navarre Bible *commentary:

The Promise of the Holy Spirit
------------------------------
(Jesus said to His disciples,)* [15] "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. *

15. Genuine love must express itself in deeds. “This indeed is love: obeying and believing in the loved one” (St. John Chrysostom, “Hom. on St. John”, 74). Therefore, Jesus wants us to understand that love of God, if it is to be authentic, must be reflected in a life of generous and faithful self-giving obedient to the Will of God: he who accepts God’s commandments and obeys them, he it is who loves Him (cf. John 14:21). St. John himself exhorts us in another passage not to “love in word or speech but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18), and he teaches us that “this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3).

[16] And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever. [17] even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; you know Him, for He dwells with you, and will be in you.

**16-17. **On a number of occasions the Lord promises the Apostles that He will send them the Holy Spirit (cf. 14:26; 15:36; 16:7-14; Matthew 10:20). Here He tells them that one result of His mediation with the Father will be the coming of the Paraclete. The Holy Spirit in fact does come down on the disciples after our Lord’s ascension (cf. Acts 2:1-13), sent by the Father and by the Son. In promising here that through Him the father will send them the Holy Spirit, Jesus is revealing the mystery of the Blessed Trinity.

“Consoler”: the Greek word sometimes anglicized as “paraclete” means etymologically “called to be beside one” to accompany, to console, protect, defend. Hence the word is translated as Consoler, Advocate, etc. Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as “another Consoler”, because He will be given them in Christ’s place as Advocate or Defender to help them, since Jesus is going to ascend to Heaven. In 1 John 2:1 Jesus Christ is described as a Paraclete: “We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous”. Jesus Christ, then, also is our Advocate and Mediator in Heaven where He is with the Father (cf. Hebrews 7:25). It is now the role of the Holy Spirit to guide, protect and vivify the Church, “for there are, as we know, two factors which Christ has promised and arranged in different ways to continue His mission …]: the apostolate and the Spirit. The apostolate is the external and objective factor, it forms the material body, so to speak, of the Church and is the source of her visible and social structures. The Holy Spirit acts internally within each person, as well as on the whole community, animating, vivifying, sanctifying” ([Pope] Paul VI, “Opening Address at the Third Session of Vatican II”, 14 September1964).

The Holy Spirit is our Consoler as we make our way in this world amid difficulties and the temptation to feel depressed. “In spite of our great limitations, we can look up to Heaven with confidence and joy: God loves us and frees us from our sins. The presence and the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church are a foretaste of eternal happiness, of the joy and peace for which we are destined by God” ([St] J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 128).

[18] “I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. [19] Yet a little while, and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. [20] In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. [21] He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and manifest Myself to him.”

**18-20. **At various points in the Supper we can see the Apostles growing sad when the Lord bid them farewell (cf. John 15:16; 16:22). Jesus speaks to them with great tenderness, calling them “little children” (John 13:33) and “friends” (John 15:15), and He promises that He will not leave them alone, for He will send the Holy Spirit, and He Himself will return to be with them again. And in fact He will see them again after the Resurrection when He appears to them over a period of forty days to tell them about the Kingdom of God (cf. Acts 1:3). When He ascends into Heaven they will see Him no longer; yet Jesus still continues to be in the midst of His disciples as He promised He would (cf. Matthew 28:20), and we will see Him face to face in Heaven. "Then it shall be that we will be able to see that which we believe. For even now He is with us, and we in Him …]; but now we know by believing, whereas then we shall know by beholding.

 

[Fidelis]

From the 1859 Haydock Commentary:

Christ’s discourse after his last supper.
*
15 If you love me, keep my commandments.*
**
Ver. 15.** Instead of afflicting yourselves at our separation, and my going to the Father, you ought, if you truly love me, to testify your affection, by a faithful observance of my commandments. Behold, this is the best proof you can give me of your attachment: better far than any exterior sign of grief and tenderness. (St. Chrysostom)

16 And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever,

Ver. 16. Paraclete. This is a comforter: or also an advocate: inasmuch as by inspiring prayer, he prays, as it were, in us, and pleads for us. — For ever. Hence it is evident, that this spirit of truth was not only promised to the persons of the apostles, but also to their successors, through all generations. (Challoner) — I have not changed the word Paraclete, which signifies, both and advocate and a comforter. He shall remain with you, and in you, for ever. What greater happiness, what greater security for the faithful, than to have this divine promise, the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, remaining with the Church for ever, to protect her, and preserve her from all errors and heresies? (Witham) — If the Holy Ghost had been promised only to the apostles, their successors could not have challenged the promise. But the promises and privileges were not merely personal, but attached to their office perpetually. Hence, the Holy Ghost, in every age and clime, perpetually watches over the Catholic Church, and preserves her from both open and secret attacks of her enemies.

*17 The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, nor knoweth him: but you shall know him; because he shall abide with you, and shall be in you.

18 I will not leave you orphans: I will come to you.

19 Yet a little while: and the world seeth me no more. But you see me: because I live, and you shall live.*

*Ver. 19. The world seeth me no more, after my death; but you shall see me, conversing with you for forty days, after my resurrection. (Witham)
*
20 In that day, you shall know, that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
**
Ver. 20. In that day, when I am risen again, or when the Holy Ghost is come, you shall know that I am in the Father, and how, and in what manner: as also, how I am in you, and you in me. Our Saviour Christ, on several occasions, speaks of different ways of being united, or of being one; as first, of being one in nature and substance, and by such an union, as agrees only with the divine persons, who are one in all things. 2ndly, Persons may be one, or united in affection and love, which also, as to its most perfect manner, agrees only with the three divine persons; but a similitude, and an imitation of this union of love, is found among creatures, both when they love God, and when for God’s sake, they love one another: yet these unions are as different as God, and his creatures. The Arians and Socinians lay hold on these expressions, and of the words, (chap. xvii. ver. 21.) when Christ prays, that his disciples may be one, as he and his Father are one, which words imply no more than a similitude, and an imitation of that union of love (with which the three divine persons love one another) though at an infinite distance. If the old or new Arians examined, with a sincere desire of finding the truth (which they ought to seek from many passages in the New Testament, as well as from the sense and tradition of the Church, guided by the promised Spirit of Truth) they might certainly find how different is the union of nature and substance of the eternal Son with his eternal Father, and of that union of the three divine persons, when they are said to be one, from that inferior and lesser union of love and affection, by which either God loves his adoptive children, his faithful servants, or they love one another: they would easily discover, that many things are said of the unity and union of the divine persons, which could not be true, unless they were one and the same God, coeternal and consubstantial, which by no means can be said of God and his creatures, nor of the union of affection only, by which the creatures love one another. (Witham)

21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them: he it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father: and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Ver. 21. Now that Christ in this place speaks only of this imperfect union of affection, appears by the following words:* he that keepeth my commandments, loveth me: and he that loveth me, shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and I will manifest myself to him: *that is, by particular graces and favours, and by a recompense of glory in the next life. (Witham)

 

[Fidelis]

Here is a meditation on the Gospel Reading for practical application from Catholic Matters:

APPLICATION: In this discourse at the Last Supper, which was his last will and testament, our divine Lord promised his Church, through the Apostles, that the Holy Spirit would be with it until the end of time. The Spirit of truth will be directing it and effectively aiding it to preserve the faith, the doctrine, and the morals which Christ taught his Apostles.

Looking back now over almost 2,000 years of the Church’s history we can see how this promise has been fulfilled. There were heretics and schismatics who threatened the very continuance of the Church as God’s faithful people on earth. There were crises and near catastrophes caused by the human weaknesses of its heads and its members, yet the Church survived and spread and continued to send saints to heaven because of the direct and active aid of the Holy Spirit.

During those two thousand years great empires have risen and fallen. They had large armies and vast wealth and earthly resources at their disposal, yet they disintegrated like all things human. The names of one-time mighty men who ruled over millions are now nothing more than a nuisance for children in their history classes. The large tracts of our globe which they ruled are now divided and known by other names. This was, is, and will be the lot of all merely human enterprises. Today’s despots, where they rule with iron hand, will share the same fate.

In the midst of all these upheavals the Church of Christ has continued to flourish because it was directed and sustained by the Holy Spirit, who abides within it. How can we ever show enough gratitude to the three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity who planned so lovingly and so efficaciously for our safe journey to heaven? The Father sent his Son as man among us so that we men could become his brothers, and adopted sons of the Father. The Son suffered hardships, insults and misunderstanding during his temporary stay on earth, and ended like a crucified malefactor because of the sins of mankind. But he rose triumphantly from the dead and set up the Church as a society which would bring to men of all races, ages and colors the salvation and exaltation of mankind, which his life and death had won for us.

Knowing only too well the weaknesses and waywardness of human nature, he and the Father sent the Holy Spirit to remain with his Church as its infallible guide until the last man has entered heaven.

This is a very brief summary of what the Blessed Trinity has done, and is continuing to do for us, through the Church. We, the people of God, the chosen race of the New Testament are God’s Church on earth. It is for you and me that the Holy Spirit is at work this very day. When he guides the steps of Peter’s successor, the Pope, or the deliberations of the bishops, the heirs of the apostolic college, it is for us and for our salvation that he is acting. While we are faithful members of the Church, and of Christ’s mystical body, while we remain live branches safely attached to the vine who is Christ, we have nothing to fear; we are on the sure road to heaven, to enjoy eternal happiness with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit whom we shall thank and glorify forever.

 

[Fidelis]

Some questions on the Readings for personal study and reflection:

* In the 1st Reading, how do we see the Holy Spirit acting in the lives of the early believers? What Sacrament is anticipated in verses 14-17 (see CCC 1287-1288)?

* In the 1st Reading, how do we see the Holy Spirit acting in the lives of the early believers? What Sacrament is anticipated in verses 14-17 (see CCC 1287-1288)?

* In the Gospel Reading, how are the disciples to show love to each other (John 13:34)? To Jesus (John 14:15)? Why is this idea repeated four times (verses 15:21, 23-24)?

* What do you learn about the Holy Spirit in verses 16-17 and 25-27? What is the relationship of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to the Christian? To each other? How has the Holy Spirit revealed Jesus in your life?

* What is the difference between how Jesus gives peace and how the world does?

* Where do you need Jesus’ peace? How can you find peace in this reading?

* How at home are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in your life? Are they more like owners or temporary guests?

* Of all the promise made here (verses 16-18, 21, 23, 26-27), which means the most to you? Why?

 

[Fidelis]

From the Daily Scripture Reading & Meditation website:

"Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid"
**
Scripture:** John 14:15-21

**Meditation: **What makes us both truly human and truly like God? Love which is unselfish, undying, and wholly directed to the good of others. It is love that unites us in an unbreakable bond of fidelity and fellowship with others. Jesus loved his own until the very end of his passion and death on the cross (John 13:1). From the very beginning of creation God said: it is not good that man should be alone (Genesis 2:18). We were created in love for love – to be a community of loving persons, just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united in love. John Henry Newman said: We love because it is our nature to love, and it is our nature because God the Holy Spirit has made it our nature. Jesus speaks to his disciples of the inseparable bound of love between himself and the Father, and of their love for humankind. In Jesus we see the fulness of God’s love and how God’s love is directed to our well-being. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might have life through him (1 John 4:9).

How do we know that God truly loves each of us? In the cross we see the proof of God’s love for us and the incredible price God was willing to pay for our redemption. Jesus gave up his life that we might have life – abundant, everlasting life with God – a life of love and unity with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit forever. Through the cross Jesus opened a new way of relationship for us as adopted sons and daughters of God – his beloved children (Romans 8:14-17). Jesus calls his disciples to walk in his way of love through obedience to the will of the Father. True love is more than sentiment or good intentions. As important as these may be they are not the proof of sincere love. True love for God is expressed in obedience and obedience is expressed in love.

Jesus promised to give his followers the best of gifts, the Holy Spirit as their Counselor and Helper. How does the Holy Spirit help us? Counselor is a legal term for one who defends someone against an adversary and who guides that person during the ordeal of trial. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Helper who brings us safely through the challenges and adversities we must face in this life. The Holy Spirit is also the Giver of life – the life of God – and the One who guides us in the way of truth. We can never stop learning because the Spirit leads us more and more into the knowledge of God’s love and truth. Jesus also promised his followers the gift of peace. Peace is more than the absence of conflict or trouble. Peace includes everything which makes for our highest good. Trust in God, faith in his promises, and obedience to his word lead us to peace and safety in God’s presence. That is why a Christian need not fear or be troubled by anything. What can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus?

*“O God, you are the unsearchable abyss of peace, the ineffable sea of love, the fountain of blessings and the bestower of affection, who sends peace to those who receive it. Open to us this day the sea of your love and water us with abundant streams from the riches of your grace and from the most sweet springs of your kindness. Make us children of quietness and heirs of peace; enkindle in us the fire of your love; sow in us your fear; strengthen our weakness by your power; bind us closely to you and to each other in our firm and indissoluble bond of unity.” *(ancient prayer from Syrian Clementine liturgy)

 

[Fidelis]

From Dr. Scott Hahn at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology:

Alive in the Spirit

Jesus will not leave us alone. He won’t make us children of God in Baptism only to leave us “orphans,” He assures us in today’s Gospel (see Romans 8:14-17) .

He asks the Father to give us His Spirit, to dwell with us and keep us united in the life He shares with the Father.

We see the promised gift of His Spirit being conferred in today’s First Reading.

The scene from Acts apparently depicts a primitive Confirmation rite. Philip, one of the first deacons (see Acts 6:5), proclaims the Gospel in the non-Jewish city of Samaria. The Samaritans accept the Word of God (see Acts 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 2:13) and are baptized.

It remains for the Apostles to send their representatives, Peter and John, to pray and lay hands on the newly baptized - that they might receive the Holy Spirit. This is the origin of our sacrament of Confirmation (see Acts 19:5-6), by which the grace of Baptism is completed and believers are sealed with the Spirit promised by the Lord.

We remain in this grace so long as we love Christ and keep His commandments. And strengthened in the Spirit whom Jesus said would be our Advocate, we are called to bear witness to our salvation - to the tremendous deeds that God has done for us in the name of His Son.

In today’s Psalm, we celebrate our liberation. As He changed the sea into dry land to free the captive Israelites, Christ suffered that He might lead us to God, as we hear in today’s Epistle.

This is the reason for our hope - the hope that sustains us in the face of a world that cannot accept His truth, the hope that sustains us when we are maligned and defamed for His name’s sake.

Put to death in the flesh, He was brought to life in the Spirit, Paul tells us today. And as He himself promises: “Because I live, you will live.”
**
Exodus and Easter**

Israel’s exodus from Egypt forms the background for many of the readings we hear in Easter.

On the Third Sunday, both the Gospel and Epistle describe Jesus “redeeming” or “ransoming” Israel (see Luke 24:21; 1 Peter 1:18). The Greek word in both is only used elsewhere to refer to Israel’s redemption from Egypt (see Exodus 6:6; Deuteronomy 7:8). In the First Reading, Jesus is said to work “mighty deeds, wonders and signs” (see Acts 2:22) - the same words used to describe Moses’ work (see Exodus 7:3; Deuteronomy 34:10-12).

Moses told the Israelites not to fear but to trust that God would go before and find them a place in the promised land (see Deuteronomy 1:29-32). Jesus uses the same words in the Fifth Sunday’s Gospel. He also quotes Moses to claim that His words are God’s words and His works are God’s works (see Deuteronomy 18:18; 34:10-12).

There is much more exodus imagery in this month’s readings. The point is to show us that Jesus’ death and resurrection marked a new exodus (see Luke 9:31). The Christian life is like the sojourning of the Israelites in the wilderness. We have passed through the waters of Baptism and are now fed with bread from heaven as we make our way to the promised land of eternal life (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-4; 1 Peter 1:4).

 

[kelvinf]

Thx Fidelis!

 

[Fidelis]

Thx Fidelis!

You’re welcome kelvinf!