First Reading

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (15:1-2, 22-29)

Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved." Because there arose no little dissension and debate by Paul and Barnabas with them, it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question. The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church, decided to choose representatives and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers.

This is the letter delivered by them: "The apostles and the elders, your brothers, to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia of Gentile origin: greetings. Since we have heard that some of our number who went out without any mandate from us have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind, we have with one accord decided to choose representatives and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we are sending Judas and Silas who will also convey the same message by word of mouth: "It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell."

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (67:2-3, 5, 6, 8)

(R) O God, let all the nations praise you!

May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us. So may your way be known upon earth; among all nations, your salvation. (R)

May the nations be glad and exult because you rule the peoples in equity; the nations on the earth you guide. (R)

May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you! May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him! (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Book of Revelation (21:10-14, 22-23)

The angel took me in spirit to a great high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. It gleamed with the splendor of God. Its radiance was like that of a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal. It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed and on which names were inscribed, the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites. There were three gates facing east, three north, three south, and three west. The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb. The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

Gospel Acclamation

(R) Alleluia, alleluia!

Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord, and my Father will love him and we will come to him. (R)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (14:23-29)

Jesus said to his disciples: "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me."

"I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, "I am going away and I will come back to you." If you love me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

Once a young girl, unaccustomed to travelling alone, was taking a train ride through the country, and it happened that in the course of the day, her train was supposed to cross two branches of a river and several wide streams. The water seen ahead in the river triggered feelings of fear and doubt in her. She did not understand how the train could safely cross the river. As the train drew near the river, however, a bridge appeared and provided a passage across. Three or four times the experience was repeated, and finally the girl leaned back with a long breath of relief and confidence.

The disciples of Jesus had an experience of this sort when Jesus revealed His impending departure from this earth. Jesus repeatedly assured His disciples of several key things: His love and provision, His authority and the power He would give them, and His continued presence and support, even after His departure. These assurances of Jesus were primarily aimed at strengthening the faith and confidence of the disciples, particularly in what is known as the Farewell Discourse, a part of which we read in today's gospel.

We believe that Jesus spoke these words during His Last Supper with His disciples the night before His crucifixion, which is traditionally observed as Maundy or Holy Thursday. On that night, Jesus not only washed the feet of His disciples and gave a new commandment to love one another just as He loved them but He also said his parting words to prepare them as they faced His departure and future hardships. Jesus' preparation of His disciples for His departure was similar to most parents who prepare their children when they are about to leave them in the care of someone else while going out or going out to work.

What would you do if you were a parent? You would prepare your children by going over what is about to happen - who will take care of them in your absence, when you will be back, what they would do while you are gone etc. In the same way, knowing His disciples' distress at His impending departure, Jesus prepared them for the challenges they would face without His physical presence.

Before this passage, when Jesus informed His disciples that He was going away and that they could not follow Him, they were confused and experienced a mix of emotions, John (13:33). They had followed Jesus on His travels, engaged in ministry alongside Him, and were deeply impacted by His life, relationship, teachings, miracles, love and support. Now upon hearing of Jesus' departure from this world, they were deeply troubled and asked Him a series of questions.

Peter wanted to know where Jesus was going and why they could not follow Him, John (13:37). This was when Jesus predicted that Peter would deny him three times. Jesus reassured them that while they could not follow Him physically at that moment, they would ultimately be able to follow Him and they would know the way. Thomas responded by saying that they did not even know where He was going, so how could they know the way, John (14:5). Finally, when Jesus told them that He would, however, reveal Himself to those who love Him, another disciple, Judas, not the betrayer, asked Jesus why He would show Himself to His disciples and not to the world, John (14:22). On the whole, the disciples experienced a profound emotional turmoil and a crisis of faith.

So, in today's text we see Jesus putting aside His impending pain and suffering and tending to His disciples, getting them ready to face the big transition in their life - a life on earth without Jesus' physical presence.

First, Jesus wanted to ensure that His disciples understood what was expected of them. He reminded them that their true love for Him meant obeying His teachings, and their obedience would lead to the Father and Him finding an abode in them. In other words, those who love Jesus and obey His teachings will experience the love and the presence of both God the Father and Jesus Himself in their lives, John (22-23). In addition to Father and Son, they will also have the presence of someone else, not a human being, but the Divine Spirit, whom God the Father would send in His name as a helper, teacher and reminder of Jesus' teachings, John (25-26).

Secondly, Jesus offered His disciples a promise of peace, stating, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid", John (27). By this Jesus reminded them that their obedience will also enable them to experience a profound inner peace, a gift distinct from the superficial peace the world offers. This promise will be connected to his death and resurrection, offering them not just an escape from trouble, but also empowering them to overcome all hardships and fulfil their mission on earth in His name.

Thirdly, Jesus reminded the disciples that His going away was not a sign of abandonment, but a necessary step in His plan to go to the Father who is greater than Himself, John (28). Finally, Jesus told them that He was predicting all these events so that when they unfolded, they would recognize them as fulfilment of His words and they would come to believe in Him, John (29).

What is the message for us?

Being Christian is more than just observing rituals, saying prayers, following a list of rules or fulfilling obligations. It's about accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, trusting in His sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of sins and salvation, and living a life of obedience to His teachings. Obedience to Jesus' teachings demonstrate our faith and love for Him, and our commitment to follow His will. Someone has said, "If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all." Yes indeed, we must acknowledge Jesus' lordship in every aspect of our lives. With Jesus, there is no middle ground or halfway.

A story could be useful here. A recently licensed pilot was flying his private plane on a cloudy day. He was not very experienced in using the radio navigation system used for guiding the aircraft during approach and landing, especially in low visibility conditions. When the control tower was trying to bring him in, he began to get panicky. Then a stern voice came over the radio, "You just obey the instructions, we'll take care of the obstructions." In the same way, Jesus teaches us that if we love and obey His teachings, in return, He and God the Father will come to live with us, leading to protection and blessings, and they will remove all the obstructions, hindrances, or stumbling blocks in our paths.
Although obeying Jesus' instructions is always the right choice, it's not always the easy one. It can be very challenging as our desires will be in conflict with worldly ways. So, we all need the Holy Spirit to empower us to obey, not by forcing us to do what we don't want to do, but by transforming our hearts and desires, leading to joyful obedience and trust in God. We need the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into reading, understanding, interpreting and applying the Scriptures, church teachings, and spiritual mysteries to our lives, ultimately helping us to grow spiritually and to be "kind, compassionate, and forgiving one another, mirroring God's forgiveness through Christ", Ephesians (4:32).

Saint Paul writes that we can't truly confess or demonstrate that "Jesus is Lord" without the Holy Spirit's guidance, 1 Corinthians (12:3). In the Book of Acts, Luke states that we can see dreams and visions with the help of the Holy Spirit, Acts (2:17). Other New Testament Epistles describe that the Holy Spirit provides comfort and strength to face the struggles of this life and to succeed in our missionary endeavours, Philippians (4:6-7) and 2 Timothy (1:7). Therefore, at the beginning of each day, let us invoke the Spirt of God to come alongside us to teach, counsel, advocate, defend us and give us strength and courage to bear our burdens.
Jesus promises peace of mind and calmness of heart so we can be free from worry, anxiety and fright. We shouldn't forget that Jesus tells us that the world cannot give us this peace. While the world's peace is fragile, temporary and dependent on external circumstances and easily disrupted by conflicts or changes, the peace that Jesus gives is enduring and surpassing all understanding. This is the peace that we all need in all areas of our lives, including church, family and personal affairs, our concerns over necessities; in times of famine, flood, and fire; in times of loss, whether from job, illness or bereavement and as we age, and experience memory challenges. Therefore, let us not be satisfied with simply desiring God's peace but to actively seek and pursue it through prayer and actions like doing good and avoiding evil, Psalm (34:14).
After the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples did come to realize that everything happening was known, in advance, by Jesus, thereby providing evidence for them to believe in Jesus' authority, prophecy and the divine purpose behind these events. Now that we know about the disciples' experience of Jesus' teachings and predictions, we too can place more confidence in them. In doing so we will strengthen our faith and find strength during difficult and challenging times in our lives.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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