Sunday Sermon: When Jesus forewarned his disciples of his departure he showed them the way to his Father’s house

The liturgy of the fifth Sunday of Easter is based on the following readings: Acts 6:1-7; Psalm 33; 1 Peter 2:4-9; John 14:1-12. Our liturgy presents a very interesting shift of emphasis from Jesus’ resurrection to the activity and organization of the first Christians. In the Gospel Jesus forewarns his disciples of his departure and as if doing it for the last time, he reminds them of how they are to reach their Heavenly Father’s house: Jesus himself though away from them, remains their way of life, the light on the way and the sustaining spirit within them. He assures them of his cooperation in the times ahead when his followers will be doing even greater works. There is a distinct emphasis on trust as we see it more pronounced in Psalm 33, which is echoed in Jesus’ appeal to trust in God. He does this in a phrase that was very significant for Jews, asking his disciples to trust in ‘God and in him’. With these words, Jesus meant that He and the God of revelation are the same. The First Letter of St. Peter; inspired by the words of Prophet Isaiah, encourages us Christians to be aware of our being “living stones,” with Christ as cornerstone, to form a “spiritual building” . St. Peter explains that such a relationship or unity will always depend on the free and active cooperation of all those who come to believe. From a doctrinal point of view, our liturgy points out what should be the essential characteristics of the Church: the place where God abides and the experience of every individual Christian of the spiritual presence of God in the human heart. It is from this experience characteristic of an authentic Christian, that each Christian may be moved to establish a relation of brotherhood with all others. That inner experience of God’s presence in an individual Christian is able to transform the life of the Christian and move him or her to live as Jesus did. The Christian style of life certainly obliges one to believe the Christian faith and to live that faith in his or her daily life. But in the last analysis, it is a personal choice and a commitment that must be made consciously and willingly. What makes us worthy to be called Christian is that willingness to receive the truth, which in turn enables us to express in our actions what we experience in our hearts everyday of our life. It is from our daily practice that those who see us will distinguish Christianity from a mere theory on faith or from a morality of obligations. In fact, God’s intervention in human lives is not a casual invitation. It is rather a serious invitation; always free and necessitating a personal decision. To live is to choose. Life itself helped by various events presents to us occasions in which we stumble over God’s invitation to decide freely what we prefer to do and not to do. And every time we make a decision, however small it might be, including those decisions made in the sanctuary of our conscience, we always make a difference in terms of our destiny. It is very interesting for every Christian to know that in our decision making, we can always be enlightened by the Gospel, and the Church which offers to each person’s life the opportunity to respond to the call of God. With the above understanding, we can talk of a Christian style of life in which the individual finds out that God is present in his or her life and at different times; in difficult decisions, during periods of anxiety, of successes, the time of failures, etc…. It is from this inner experience of Christianity that we all discover our Christian vocation. We are all called to help others in their process of discernment and decision. Our vocation is to enlighten people, in all circumstances, offering to explain from within our own daily experience, the true meaning of life according to the Gospel and the kind of way forward proposed by it. An authentic Christian therefore must respectfully, take each person as he or she is, and offer to shed light on their lives and decisions especially by way of examples which shed light on the Christian meaning of life and its ultimate purpose of reaching the house of our Heavenly Father. Ends