Sixth Sunday of Easter (May 17, 2020)

We have just heard Jesus preparing his disciples for the time when he will no longer walk with them.

He promises: “I will not leave you orphans.” The Father will send them and us another Advocate (the Spirit) who will be with us always.When the Spirit comes to us, we will realize that we have a most intimate relationship with our God: Jesus is in the Father and we are in Jesus and he is in us.

We are loved to the point of sharing in the life and love of God through Jesus’ death and resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is telling us such good news!

We heard Jesus ask us to learn from him that love and obedience are one. The person who loves Jesus is the person who observes the commandments given by the Father. Knowing that we are loved so greatly leads us to trust in the one who commands us to love.

Peter tells us: “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.” Let Jesus live in us and fill us with his love. Jesus is the foundation of our hope. Knowing who lives in us makes us ready to explain the reason for our hope with gentleness and reverence.

Sometimes we may be misunderstood and have to suffer for our trust in Jesus – suffer for doing good. When that happens, we must willingly join our suffering to that of Jesus who suffered for our sins so that he could lead us to our God.

As we continue to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and look forward to celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit, let us remember how closely we are united to Jesus. Let us renew our commitment to letting Jesus live more fully in us. Then let us gently and reverently share with others the reason for our hope.