6th Sunday of Easter, May 29th Rdgs and Reflection

The Readings:
May 29, 2011
Liturgical Year A, Cycle I
Sixth Sunday of Easter
First Reading: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:15-18
Gospel: John 14:15-21


These readings can be viewed at http://www.usccb.org/nab/052911.shtml.


Summary of the Gospel



Ever find it difficult to know God’s will, and follow Him faithfully? We often struggle with what

it means to love Jesus. Many people think that loving Jesus is only a matter of the heart. They often think that if you are sinning, even gravely sinning, as long as you still love Jesus in your heart, you’re doing ok. For them God is a ‘laid-back’ God. Others think that there is nothing you can do to be ‘ok’ with Christ – we are so sinful and unworthy that even a quick bad thought makes us guilty of Christ’s wrath. For them God is the ‘cranky policeman’. Neither of these views represent the relationship Christ wants us to have with Him. In our Gospel passage, Jesus shows us that loving Him is connected to doing good and keeping His commandments. Therefore, we can never dismiss sin as something external to who we are: Our actions speak louder than words, and if we sin, we are saying by our actions that we are going against God. Sin, of course, can do minor or serious damage to our relationship with Christ. This Gospel also counteracts the viewpoint that says that we are too sinful and unworthy of Christ’s love. This is called scrupulosity, where we scrutinize our actions to the point of becoming guilt-ridden, even over the smallest fault. Christ does not want us to be guilt ridden, but to be free from guilt. He has given us a special gift to help us overcome sin and grow in the freedom that only He can bring. He loves us so much that He promises us an Advocate to be with us always. An advocate is one who stands up for us and defends us. An advocate is one who helps us. The Advocate Jesus is talking about is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that came to the Church at Pentecost. Jesus promises you and me that same Spirit, and the Spirit will literally bring Christ to us. We see in this reading that Jesus is not a God of distance, but a God of intimacy, a God who wants to be united with us in love and close to our hearts. Through our Baptism, God dwells in us as His Temples. The difficult part is our response to Him. Our challenge, then, is to allow God permission to lead us. Our relationship with Him is a two-way street, and the demands placed on us as His ‘Temple’ are great. The heart of these demands is love, and love is not weak. It demands that we are willing to love even to the point of sacrifice. It demands that we put others needs ahead of our own. It demands that we give of ourselves until God calls us home. It demands that we live a life of heroic virtue, even when no one else will. So what are we waiting for? Let’s turn our lives completely over to God, and with total confidence in His care for us, commit ourselves to loving Him above everyone and everything in our lives.



Discussion Questions for Use with Teens


1. Which of these two images of God do you tend to have: The laid-back God or the cranky policeman? Why?
2. Jesus says that our faith needs to be characterized by keeping His commandments. What commandments do people struggle keeping today? Why? What would it take to help those people grow in holiness? How can you reach out to them?
3. How can you, as a Christian, show Christ’s love through your actions to the people in your life? Give examples of what you can do to be a better Christian at home, school and work, etc