SUNDAY MAY 17TH 2020
SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 8:5-8,14-17, Psalm
65:1-7,16,20, I Peter 3:15-18, John 14:15-21
It is already the sixth Sunday
since the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since Easter, we have been
reading how the resurrection of Jesus has injected new life and zeal in the
Apostles. Nevertheless, it was not just the experience of the resurrection of
Jesus, but the action of the Holy Spirit that gave them new life. The gospel
reading of today is part of the last supper discussion of Jesus with his
Apostles. He had told them that he will not stay with them for a long time
anymore, that he will leave and go back to his father. At the same time, he
promised to send them another advocate. Though we shall be celebrating the
coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost two sundays from now, the
Holy Spirit has been at work in the Church from the very beginning.
In the first reading of today, we
see how the Holy Spirit came down on the Samaritans when Peter and John laid
hands on them and prayed for them. The Holy Spirit is truly a strong propelling
force in human activity. We see this very clearly in the second reading, as
Peter tells us that only those who have received the Holy Spirit will know what
it means to suffer with Jesus. If the Holy Spirit is in you, you will see
blessings where others see suffering, you will no longer have time to quarrel
and fight as we see how the Apostles started preaching to the Samaritans who
were their enemies. The Holy Spirit helps us to outgrow some irrelevant human
activities and propel us to love.
We shall be celebrating the
ascension of Jesus to his father on Thursday this week, and he has promised us
the Holy Spirit. Do you have the Holy Spirit in you? Has sin made you feel that
the Spirit of God has left you? Are you prepared spiritually for the Holy
Spirit to fall afresh on you on the day of Pentecost? Jesus will always direct
us on what to do, but we all need the Holy Spirit to direct our minds to
achieve it and stay connected to God. God help us. Amen.
Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie MSP
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