Fr. Rick’s Homily – 6th Sunday of Easter

1 Peter 3:15-18; John 14:15-21

…Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope (1 Peter 3:16)…

This is a very timely directive from St. Peter in these days of so many unknowns and drastic change for many.  So many of us have learned to expect a level of prosperity, safety and predictability that would be envied by most people in the world.  In whom or in what do we really depend?  In the stock and bond traders? The diplomatic and legislative skills of our politicians?  Corporate executives?  Professors and scholars?  Family and neighbors?  Factory farms? Colt or Smith & Wesson?  In whom and in what do we hope?

In the gospel today Jesus is promising to send us an Advocate who will be for us the Spirit of Truth.  However, Jesus reminds us that IF we love Him, we will obey His commandments and THEN He says He will ask the Father to send this Advocate.  He promises to not leave us as orphans to figure out everything for ourselves.

Jesus warns us that the world cannot accept the Spirit of Truth because they (we?) neither see nor know Him.  The ‘world’ refers to those who live by merely human prowess and ingenuity, but not the Spirit of God.

From a spiritual perspective we are at a good place in human history because we will be able to better evaluate who is trustworthy and who is truthful.  As we begin to recover socially, psychologically and economically, we will know what type of adjustments need to be made to improve the lives of all God’s children.  We are frightfully interdependent whether we like it or not.  All of us have the responsibility to obey the commandments and to be ready to confidently proclaim a true justice for our communities and world.

This is an especially good time to get out our Catechism of the Catholic Church (which can also be found online) and review the 10 Commandments.  We should also review the Commandments of the Church that come from the Spirit through our teaching magisterium.  If we believe the Scriptures from today’s Mass, the world depends on our faithful witness to HOPE.