SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – YEAR C
FROM THE GOSPEL, THE SPIRIT ALWAYS DRAWS NEW THINGS
In the face of ‘rampant religious ignorance,’ someone proposes reviving the Catechism of Christian Doctrine, published by Pius X in 1913, with 433 questions and answers- a synthesis of all the themes of theology and morality. This booklet certainly marked an epoch, but we wonder whether it makes sense to present the truths of faith using language and images that are now outdated and belong to an era so distant from our own.
In his opening address to the Council, Pope John XXIII recalled a fundamental principle: ‘The truths of the faith are one thing, but how they are formulated is quite another.’ The mission of the Church is to translate and make these same truths intelligible to people of all times and places, using their language, culture, images, and way of thinking. This is an arduous and delicate task because tensions and misunderstandings inevitably accompany it. Still, it is indispensable and can be accomplished because the Spirit of truth that animates Christ is present in the Church.
A retreat into the past, a fear of what is new, a pessimistic view of the present, and gloomy predictions are not expressions of love and fidelity to Tradition but rather symptoms of a lack of faith in the work of the Spirit.
Pope John XXIII dissented from the ‘prophets of doom.’ He invited us to reflect on ‘the fruit of the Spirit’ present in the Church and wherever "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control" flourish (Gal 5:19-22).
"I believe in the work of the Spirit that renews the entire earth."
First Reading: Acts 15:1-2,22-29
Tensions between traditionalists and innovators are not new in the post-conciliar period;they have existed in the Church since its origins. Although painful, these tensions are inevitable and can lead to growth if managed with wisdom, respect, and charity. The passagerefers to the tensions that emerged in the first-century church. Within the communities, Jews and pagans were often distinguished and pitted against each other. Relations between these two groups were far from smooth, to the extent that in some places, they even celebrated the Eucharist separately.
The reason for the disagreements is easily explained: the Jews who had embraced the faith demanded that Christians of pagan origin strictly observe all provisions of the Old Testament law and the rabbis. The pagans did not want to hear about these complicated precepts and argued that faith in Jesus was sufficient for their salvation. They believed that every person had the right to live according to their traditions and culture. If the Jews wanted to be circumcised, they could do so; if they thought it was terrible to eat pork, they could abstain from it without bothering those who were not troubled by such issues.
Discussions on these topics were never calm or peaceful; tempers quickly flared, words grew increasingly harsh, leading to insults, and some hot-headed individuals even resorted to violence.
The friction was exacerbated by the fact that the Jews could rely on the favor of the ‘hierarchy’: Peter, the apostles, and especially James, the ‘brother of the Lord,’ were regarded as ‘traditionalists.’ The situation threatened to become explosive. What should be done? A meeting was convened to discuss the problem, and an agreement was reached: the pagans could be free from all the traditions of the Jews; however, in mixed communities, they needed to avoid eating meat sacrificed to idols, blood, suffocated animals, and marryingpeople linked by kinship (v. 29). These four actions were very repugnant to the Jews, and to respect their sensibilities, the pagans were asked to refrain from them. Even today, we would consider it improper to celebrate the conversion of a Muslim with a banquet of cold cuts and whiskey. Particular customs are deeply rooted and deserve respect.
The message of the reading is both necessary and timely: it is easy to confuse the Gospel with the cultural context in which it is presented, and distinguishing between the two is not always straightforward, as the history of evangelization in mission countries illustrates. Cultural conditioning leads people to perceive what is customary, reasonable, and proper intheir community as evangelical.
In such a complicated matter, a straightforward rule may help: a baptized person is obliged to abandon what is contrary to the Gospel (revenge, polygamy, adultery, abortion, etc.). On the other hand, what conforms to or is neutral can be retained, even if it may seem illogical to people from different cultures. Finally, one must be very careful not to judge as anti-evangelical, which is incomprehensible to one's culture.
Second Reading: Revelation 21:10-14,22-23
The book of Revelation addresses Christians facing difficulties due to persecution. To instill courage, the author shares his vision of the end of time. In last Sunday's passage, he depicted God's people as a beautiful bride. Today, he compares them to a stunning city, Jerusalem (vv. 10-11), describing all its details: the walls, the foundations, and the twelve gates, which are distributed on four sides. This last detail is significant: the number four in the Bible indicates universalism, and the gates refer to the opportunity for entry.
The value of the image is clear: the people of God are open to the world in all directions—north and south, east and west. They welcome everyone, abolish all separations, andreject anything that divides or discriminates. Significantly, the temple is absent in this city. In heaven, there will be no more rites, ceremonies, or religious practices; humanity will no longer need intermediaries; we will meet God face to face.
Evil, pain, and darkness will be eliminated. Even our temples, liturgies, and solemn,sacred gestures will disappear. Let us not forget this so we do not absolutize them and fully recognize their call to us about our temporariness. They remind us of our status as pilgrims in this world, our situation as strangers still far from our definitive abode.
Gospel: Jn 14:23-29
A quick reading of today's Gospel might suggest that we are confronted with a series of unrelated sentences and life challenges. However, the passage is neither confused nor abstract; it is very dense. Let's attempt to express it in more precise terms.
Let's clarify the phrase in v. 25: “These things I told you when I was still among you.” We find ourselves during the Last Supper, and it is at least surprising to hear Jesus say: ‘When I was among you.’ It is not the historical Jesus speaking, but the Risen One, the Lord. Headdresses the Christian communities of John's time, who are enduring a hard test due topersecution, troubled by defections, infidelities, incipient heresies, and, above all, disappointed by the delayed, anticipated return of the Lord. With this in mind, let us now examine the passage.
The initial statement, "If anyone loves me..." must be placed in context. One of the disciples—Judas (not Iscariot)—asked Jesus a question: "Lord, how is it that you manifest yourself to us and not to the world?" (v. 22). In Israel, everyone expected a Messiah who, by performing spectacular wonders, would amaze the entire world. Faced with the humble attitude with which Jesus always presented himself—he did not shout, nor did he make his voice heard in the public squares (Mt 12:19), and he did not seek to have his miracles publicized—the apostles often pondered the question that Judas asked on behalf of allduring the Last Supper.
Even Jesus' family members who lived in Nazareth never understood his strange quest for concealment. One day, they said to him, "Don’t stay here; go instead to Judea and let your disciples see the works you are doing. Anyone who wants to be known doesn’t work in secret. Since you can do these things, show yourself to the world" (Jn 7:3-4). Even the Christians of the communities in Asia Minor at the end of the first century did not understand why the Lord did not return on the clouds of heaven to demonstrate, in a striking way, who he was and what he could do.
In response to these doubts and uncertainties, Jesus states: "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (vv. 23-24). Jesus desires to reveal himself, along with the Father, not through miraculous signs but by dwelling among the disciples. We must be cautious not to interpretthis statement too literally. To fully grasp its meaning, we need to refer to another statementmade by Jesus during the Last Supper. Answering Philip, he says: "The Father who is in me does his works. Believe me: I am in the Father, and the Father is in me; if nothing else, believe it for the works themselves" (Jn 14:10-11).
Jesus presents as evidence of his oneness with the Father the works he performs. He does not refer to miracles, as we might be led to think. He never appeals to wonders to demonstrate that he is ‘one’ with the Father; instead, he refers to everything he does. His gestures are always and solely acts of love; they aim to liberate people from all the forms ofslavery to which they are subjected: sin, sickness, superstition, and religious and social discrimination. Yet, this work of liberation is the same as that the Lord accomplished on behalf of his people. Israel recognized its God as the protector of the marginalized, the weak, the foreigners, and the orphans and widows. If Jesus performs these same actions, it signifies that God is in him, and he is in God.
What does it mean, then, that Jesus and the Father dwell in us? It means that after hearing the word of the Gospel, we receive God's life and His Spirit and are led to do the same works as Jesus and the Father, becoming, in turn, liberators of humanity. Therefore, it is not difficult to recognize when Jesus and the Father are present and working in people.
In the next verse, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, "the Comforter who will teach and remind" all that he has said (v. 26). There are two functions of the Spirit. We begin with the first, which is teaching. Jesus conveyed everything, leaving nothing out. However, there is a need for the Spirit to continue teaching. Jesus could not explicitly outline his message'sconsequences and practical applications. He knew that throughout the history of the Church, new situations would arise, and complex questions would emerge. For example, let us consider how many concrete problems today await guidance from the Gospel (bioethics, interreligious dialogue, difficult moral choices...).
Jesus assures us that his disciples will always find answers to their questions that alignwith his teachings if they know how to listen to his word and remain attuned to the impulses of the Spirit. They will need great courage to follow his guidance, as he will often requireunexpected and radical changes in direction. However, the Spirit will teach them nothing butthe Gospel of Jesus.
However, in light of other Scripture texts, the verb ‘to teach’ acquires a deeper meaning. The Spirit does not instruct as a professor does when explaining the lesson. He teaches dynamically, becoming an interior impulse that irresistibly guides in the right direction, stimulates the good, and leads to choices conforming with the Gospel. "He will guide you into all truth"—Jesus explains again during the Last Supper (Jn 16:13)—and, in his first letter, John clarifies: "The anointing you have received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you; but just as his anointing teaches you all things, is truthful and does not lie, so stand firm in him, as he teaches you" (1 Jn 2:27-28).
The second task of the Spirit is to remind us. Although present in the Gospels, many words of Jesus risk being overlooked or forgotten. This occurs mainly with evangelical proposals that are difficult to assimilate because they contrast with the ‘common sense’ of the world. For example, until recently, many Christians distinguished between just and unjust wars and even spoke of ‘holy wars.’ They approved the use of arms to defend their rights and supported the lawfulness of the death penalty for criminals. Fortunately, today, those who think this way are becoming less common.
How is it possible that Christ's disciples have forgotten for so long the clear words of the Master forbidding any form of violence against their brother? And yet, it has happened. Then, the Spirit intervened to remind the disciples of what Jesus said: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you... If anyone strikes you on the cheek..." (Luke 6:27-29). For many centuries, Christians have managed to close their ears to the calls of the Spirit. Still, today, those who attempt to justify the use of violence find themselves increasingly alone and more pressured by the voice of the Spirit who reminds them of the Master's words. I have insisted on non-violence, but the examples of ‘forgetting’ the words of Jesus could be multiplied, and it would be fitting that, in light of the Spirit, everyone should try to exercise their memory.
Jesus passed on to his disciples the commandment of love and bestowed upon them the gift of peace: "I leave you peace; I give you my peace. Not as the world gives it do I give it to you." (v. 27). Jesus speaks these words during a time when the Roman Empire is at peace; there are no wars, and all peoples are subject to Rome. Yet this is not the peace he promises. This is the world's peace, based on the strength of legions, not on justice. It is the peace that condones slavery, marginalization, the oppression of the defeated, and the hubris of the powerful. The peace promised by Jesus is realized when new relationships are established among people and when the desire to compete, dominate, and be first gives way to serviceand selfless love for the last. Christian communities are called to be where everyone can witness the beginning of this peace.
The last part of the passage (vv. 28-29) is somewhat enigmatic: it is not easy to understand why the disciples should rejoice at Jesus' departure and why he claims that the Father is more significant than he is. Let us begin to explain this joy. First, note that it is experienced only by those who ‘love’ Jesus. "If you loved me" means: ‘If you were attuned tomy feelings and shared my thoughts and plans, you would rejoice because I am about to fulfill the mission entrusted to me by the Father.’ The Master's death frightens the disciples because the Spirit has not yet enlightened them; they do not understand that his act of immense love will initiate a new world characterized by ‘his peace.’
The language used by the rabbis explains their affirmation regarding Jesus' inferiority about the Father. They spoke of superiority and inferiority to differentiate between the one sent and the one who sent him. While he is in the world and has not completed his mission,until he returns to the Father, Jesus is referred to as ‘the inferior,’ meaning the one sent by the Father.
