6th Sunday of Easter (Cycle C, Year I)
Community Word: The Holy Spirit empowers all those who keep the word of God.
Theme: The Holy Spirit empowers us to share the peace of God.
Promise: “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit…will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” (Jn 14:26)
Reflection:
“Anyone who loves me will keep my word,” (Jn 14:23). By keeping His word and by following it, we are secure in Christ. God’s word lifts our vision beyond the immediate present, to life’s journey. Cultures may change, styles may evolve, but nobody can ever destroy the truth.
People may deny, even distort the word, but they will not destroy it. They may ignore it but they cannot eliminate it. The word of Christ is the rock of truth that abides in all circumstances, and it is there for everyone of us.
Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will dwell within us and make His home in us. It is always there for everyone and works in the life of every believer to guide us to the right path, convict us when we err, and remind us of Christ’s truth when we need reminding. In addition to His word and His Holy Spirit, the Lord gives His peace. “My peace is my gift to you”, the peace that goes beyond anything that the world can offer. It is a peace that is able to rise above turmoil and even violence, a peace that is rooted in faith and reinforced by hope and made clear in love.
The peace that Christ gives is the calmness, the serenity of order within, no matter what is happening outside. None of us knows what lies ahead, but we do know the provisions Jesus gives us to face any future. These belong not only to a few but to all of us. On this 6th Sunday of Easter, God exhorts us to be bearers of good news and to love as Jesus loved. We rise to Christ’s command to keep God’s word of truth, to share the love of God, and to walk untroubled and unafraid through all the days of our life.
Jesus give us his own peace, saying: “whoever holds to my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me,” (Jn 14:23). In other words obedience and love go together, obedience is both a proof, a fruit. and an effect of love. There can be no obedience without love and there can be no love without obedience. Bear in mind that without the Spirit of God we can never love as Jesus loves, but with the help of the Spirit, we are able to do so, because “with God nothing is impossible”. It is now up to us the receive His peace and step out in faith in living out His promise.
God wants us to have an abundance of peace, an abundance of joy, an abundance of victory, abundance of finances. But He wants us to do our part, to make the first move, and do something out of the norm, beyond our comfort zone.
God is a God of new beginnings. He does not want us to be smug, stuck where we are. He wants us to do something extraordinary. Rather than wait on God to do everything for us, we should make the first move. The truth is God is waiting on us. If we take the first step, God will always make the next move.
Rather than make excuses and talk ourselves out doing what we know God wants us to do, just because we’re set in our ways, we should take care not to become stagnant. Let us begin by doing simple things like:
-Making every effort to come on time for prayer meetings and WSCs
-Eliminating our critical attitude
-Making a decision to treat everyone better
-Praying more for our enemies
-Spending 15 minutes more with God in prayer
If we dare to break out of our mold to do what is right, and what we know God calls us to do, He will pour out His power, His favor, His blessings and His grace in a greater way that we have ever seen before.
PRAYER:
We praise you, our all-loving, ever-living God for your Word, which is the light unto our path, the lamp unto our feet. Your Holy Spirit lives among us day by day. Your peace is planted in our hearts, and your love will always show us the way. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1.How open and eager are you in knowing more about the gifts of the Holy Spirit
who empowers us to up build others and our community?
2.Is the fruit of peace being sustained in your life after your LSS?
Reflect on the reasons if you no longer experience peace of the Holy Spirit.
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
May 5, 2013 (Sun) Acts 15:1,2,22-29?:Ps 67:2,3,5,6,8/Rv 21:10-14,22,23/Jn 14:23-29
May 6, 2013 (Mon) Acts 16:11-15/Ps 149:1-6,9/Jn 15:26-16:4
May 7, 2013 (Tues) Acts 16:22-34/Ps 138:1-3,7,8/Jn 16:5-11
May 8, 2013 (Wed) Acts 17:15,22-18:1/Ps 148:1,2,11-14/Jn 16:12-15
May 9, 2013 (Thur) Acts 18:1-8/Ps 98:1-4/Jn 16:16-20
May 10, 2013 (Fri) Acts 18:9-18/Ps 47:2-7/Jn 16:20-23
May 11, 2013 (Sat) Acts 18:23-28/Ps 47:2,3,8-10/Jn 16:23-28
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
