6th Sunday of Easter - Cycle A
1st Reading: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Philip's Preaching in Samaria
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[5] Philip went down to a city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ.
[6] And the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what was said by Philip,
when they heard him and saw the signs which he did. [7] For unclean spirits
came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice; and many
who were paralyzed or lame were healed. [8] So there was much joy in that city.
Peter and John in Samaria
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[14] Now when the Apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the
Word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, [15] who came down and prayed
for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; [16] for it had not yet fallen on any
of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. [17] Then
they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
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Commentary:
5. This is not Philip the Apostle (1:13) but one of the seven deacons appointed to
look after Christians in need (6:5). The Gospel is proclaimed to the Samaritans
--who also were awaiting the Messiah. This means that it now spreads beyond
the borders of Judea once and for all, and our Lord's promise (Acts 1:8) is fulfilled:
"You shall by My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria."
The despised Samaritans became the first to benefit from the Gospel's determi-
nation to spread all over the world. We can sense St. Luke's pleasure in reporting
its proclamation to the Samaritans; earlier he had already showed them in a favo-
rable light: he is the only Evangelist to recount the parable of the Good Samaritan
(cf. Luke 10:30-37) and to mention that the leper who came back to thank Jesus
after being cured was a Samaritan (cf. Luke 17:16). On the Samaritans in general,
see the note on John 4:20.
14-17. Here we see the Apostles exercising through Peter and John the authority
they have over the entire Church. The two Apostles proceed to confirm the dis-
ciples recently baptized by Philip: we may presume that in addition to laying their
hands on them to communicate the Holy Spirit, the Apostles made sure that they
had a correct grasp of the central points of the Gospel message. At this time the
Apostles constituted the spiritual center of the Church and took an active interest
in ensuring that the new communities were conscious of the links--doctrinal and
affective--that united them to the mother community in Jerusalem.
This passage bears witness to the existence of Baptism and the gift of the Holy
Spirit (or Confirmation) as two distinct sacramental rites. The most important
effects Christian Baptism has are the infusion of initial grace and the remission
of Original Sin and any personal sin; it is the first sacrament a person receives,
which is why it is called the "door of the Church".
There is a close connection between Baptism and Confirmation, so much so that
in the early centuries of Christianity, Confirmation was administered immediately
after Baptism. There is a clear distinction between these two sacraments of
Christian initiation, which helps us understand the different effects they have.
A useful comparison is the difference, in natural life, between conception and
later growth (cf. "St. Pius V Catechism", II, 3, 5). "As nature intends that all her
children should grow and attain full maturity [...], so the Catholic Church, the
common mother of all, earnestly wishes that, in those whom she has regenerated
by Baptism, the perfection of Christian manhood be completed" ("ibid.", II, 3, 7).
"The nature of the Sacrament of Confirmation," John Paul II explains, "grows out
of this endowment of strength which the Holy Spirit communicates to each bap-
tized person, to make him or her--as the well-known language of the Catechism
puts it--a perfect Christian and soldier of Christ, ready to witness boldly to His
resurrection and its redemptive power: 'You shall be My witnesses' (Acts 1:8)"
("Homily", 25 May
1980). "All Christians, incorporated into Christ and His Church
by Baptism, are consecrated to God. They are called to profess the faith which
they have received. By the Sacrament of Confirmation they are further endowed
by the Holy Spirit with special strength to be witnesses of Christ and sharers in
His mission of salvation" ("Homily in Limerick", 1 October
1979). "This is a
sacrament which in a special way associates us with the mission of the Apostles,
in that it inserts each baptized person into the apostolate of the Church" ("Homily
in Cracow", 10 June 1979).
In the Sacrament of Confirmation divine grace anticipates the aggressive and
demoralizing temptations a young Christian man or
woman is likely to experience,
and reminds them of the fact that they have a
vocation to holiness; it makes
them feel more identified with the Church, their
Mother, and helps them live in
accordance with their Catholic beliefs and convictions. From their formative
years Christ makes them defenders of the faith.
2nd Reading: 1 Peter 3:15-18
Undeserved Suffering is a Blessing
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[15] But in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a
defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do
it with gentleness and reverence; [16] and keep your conscience clear, so that,
when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put
to shame. [17] For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God's
will, than for doing wrong.
Christ's Suffering and Glorification
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[18] For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous,
that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in
the spirit.
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Commentary:
3:13 - 4:19. The sacred writer now makes a series of appeals designed to give
hope to Christians suffering unjustly on account of Jesus' name: he reminds them
that every baptized person is called to share in the paschal mystery of Christ, that
is, in his sufferings and in his glorification; just as he, after suffering unjustly, was
glorified (3:18-22), so too those who now suffer for Christ will have a part in his
glorious triumph (4:13-14).
The section begins and ends speaking about the Christian meaning of tribulation
(3:13-17 and 4:12-19): trials should not make them feel cowed or ashamed, nor
should they come as a surprise; on the contrary, they should fill them with joy
and lead them to glorify God for letting them partake in our Lord's suffering.
The Apostle also points to one of the reasons for the misunderstandings they
experience: after Baptism they have broken with their previous sinful life and that
is something pagans cannot understand (4:1-6). Also, Christians should remember
that life is something very transient, and therefore they should practice prayer and
charity (4:7-11).
13-17. These verses act as an introduction to the central theme of this section
(3:13-4:19). They seem to be directed to people who are surprised to encounter
persecution despite doing good (v. 13). Opposition should not dismay them; their
calumniators will come to realize their mistake (v. 16).
St Peter's words of advice have a very positive ring about them; they are really an
application of the beatitude in which our Lord says, "Blessed are you when men
revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my
account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven" (Mt 5:11-12).
St Peter's teachings have a perennial value for disciples of Christ, for (as history
clearly shows) fidelity to the Master brings with it persecution (cf. Jn 15:18-22; 2
Tim 3:12), sometimes open and violent persecution, sometimes persecution of a
more subtle type, in the form of calumny, humiliation and other hazards.
The counsel St Peter gives is very positive in tone--a kind of application of the
Beatitude which says, "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you
and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward is great in heaven" (Mt 15:11-12).
15. "Reverence Christ as Lord": literally, "Hallow", as in the Our Father. The
words imply recognition of the divinity of Jesus Christ: he is called Lord ("Kyrios"),
a name proper to God; and they are told to "glorify" or "reverence" him, that is,
render him the worship that is due to God alone. Even in the midst of difficulties
the entire Christian life should be a hymn of praise to God; by acting in this way,
Christians are living out their holy, royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:4-10; cf. Vatican II,
"Presbyterorum Ordinis", 1).
"To account for the hope that is in you": he is not referring to defending oneself
before the courts, for official persecution had not yet become widespread in Asia
Minor (cf. note on 2:11-12). He seems, rather, to be referring to the obligation to
bear witness to their faith and hope, for all baptized persons should always, by
word and example, make known their faith known to others.
18-22. This passage may include parts of a Creed used in early Christian baptis-
mal instruction. It very clearly expresses the essence of faith in Jesus Christ, as
preached from the beginning by the Apostles (cf. Acts 2:14-36; 1 Cor 15:1ff) and
as articulated in the Apostles' Creed "He was crucified, died and was buried. He
descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into
heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty."
Jesus Christ, who suffers for the sins of mankind--"the righteous for the
unrighteous"--and then is glorified, gives meaning to the sufferings of Christians.
"Oh, how great thanks am I bound to return to you for having shown me and all
the faithful the right and good way to your everlasting kingdom! For your life is our
life; and by holy patience we walk on to you, who are our crown. If you had not
gone before and taught us, who would care to follow? Alas, how many would have
stayed afar off and a great way behind if they had not had before their eyes your
wonderful example!" ("The Imitation of Christ", 3, 18).
18. "Christ has died for sins once for all": our Lord's sacrifice is unrepeatable (cf.
Heb 9:12-28; 10:10) and superabundantly sufficient to obtain the remission of all
sins. The fruits of the Cross are applied to man, in a special way, by means of
the sacraments, particularly by taking part in the Mass, the unbloody renewal of
the sacrifice of Calvary.
"Being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit": there is disagreement
among commentators as to what "flesh" and "spirit" mean here. Some identify
them with our concepts of body and soul--"dead as regards the body, alive as
regards the soul". Others see them as equivalent to the humanity-divinity of our
Lord: "dead as far as his human nature is concerned, alive (continues to live) as
far as his divinity is concerned". Finally, having regard to the meaning these terms
have in the Old Testament the phrase may refer to the earthly condition of our Lord
compared with the glorious condition he had after his resurrection; in which case
it would be an early form of words used to convey the idea that Jesus Christ, on
dying, left his mortal condition behind for ever in order to move into his glorious,
immortal state through his resurrection (cf. 1 Cor 15:35-49).
Gospel Reading: John 14:15-21
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
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Jesus said to His disciples: [15] "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
[16] And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counsellor, to be with
you for ever. [17] even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because
it neither sees Him nor knows Him; you know Him, for He dwells with you, and will
be in you.
[18] "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. [19] Yet a little while, and
the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live
also. [20] In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in
you. [21] He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me;
and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and manifest
Myself to him."
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Commentary:
15. Genuine love must express itself in deeds. "This indeed is love: obeying and
believing in the loved one" (St. John Chrysostom, "Hom. on St. John", 74). There-
fore, Jesus wants us to understand that love of God, if it is to be authentic, must
be reflected in a life of generous and faithful self-giving obedient to the Will of God:
he who accepts God's commandments and obeys them, he it is who loves Him
(cf. John 14:21). St. John himself exhorts us in another passage not to "love in
word or speech but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18), and he teaches us that
"this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments" (1 John 5:3).
16-17. On a number of occasions the Lord promises the Apostles that He will
send them the Holy Spirit (cf. 14:26; 15:36; 16:7-14; Matthew 10:20). Here He
tells them that one result of His mediation with the Father will be the coming of
the Paraclete. The Holy Spirit in fact does come down on the disciples after our
Lord's ascension (cf. Acts 2:1-13), sent by the Father and by the Son. In
promising here that through Him the father will send them the Holy Spirit, Jesus
is revealing the mystery of the Blessed Trinity.
"Consoler": the Greek word sometimes anglicized as "paraclete" means etymo-
logically "called to be beside one" to accompany, to console, protect, defend.
Hence the word is translated as Consoler, Advocate, etc. Jesus speaks of the
Holy Spirit as "another Consoler", because He will be given them in Christ's place
as Advocate or Defender to help them, since Jesus is going to ascend to Heaven.
In 1 John 2:1 Jesus Christ is described as a Paraclete: "We have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous". Jesus Christ, then, also is our
Advocate and Mediator in Heaven where He is with the Father (cf. Hebrews 7:25).
It is now the role of the Holy Spirit to guide, protect and vivify the Church, "for there
are, as we know, two factors which Christ has promised and arranged in different
ways to continue His mission [...]: the apostolate and the Spirit. The apostolate
is the external and objective factor, it forms the material body, so to speak, of the
Church and is the source of her visible and social structures. The Holy Spirit acts
internally within each person, as well as on the whole community, animating,
vivifying, sanctifying" (Paul VI, "Opening Address at the Third Session of Vatican
II", 14 September 1964).
The Holy Spirit is our Consoler as we make our way in this world amid difficulties
and the temptation to feel depressed. "In spite of our great limitations, we can
look up to Heaven with confidence and joy: God loves us and frees us from our
sins. The presence and the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church are a foretaste
of eternal happiness, of the joy and peace for which we are destined by God" (St.
J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 128).
18-20. At various points in the Supper we can see the Apostles growing sad when
the Lord bid them farewell (cf. John 15:16; 16:22). Jesus speaks to them with
great tenderness, calling them "little children" (John 13:33) and "friends" (John
15:15), and He promises that He will not leave them alone, for He will send the
Holy Spirit, and He Himself will return to be with them again. And in fact He will
see them again after the Resurrection when He appears to them over a period of
forty days to tell them about the Kingdom of God (cf. Acts 1:3). When He
ascends into Heaven they will see Him no longer; yet Jesus still continues to be
in the midst of His disciples as He promised He would (cf. Matthew 28:20), and
we will see Him face to face in Heaven. "Then it shall be that we will be able to
see that which we believe. For even now He is with us, and we in Him [...]; but
now we know by believing, whereas then we shall know by beholding.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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