Meditation 6th Sunday of Easter: “The work of the Spirit” – Vatican News

Dear brothers and sisters, on this sixth Sunday of Easter, the biblical texts already prepare us for the Solemnity of Pentecost.

The first reading informs us about the first internal crisis of the Church. Indeed, the opening of the Church to other peoples had caused some difficulties. In Antioch, Christians of pagan origin did not want to be bound by Jewish practices. This displeased Christians of Jewish origin and some had even come from Judea on purpose to tell them that if they did not accept circumcision according to the law of Moses, they could not be saved. This crisis posed a fundamental question to the Church: is it necessary to go through Jewish practices to be saved? This question was not just about salvation in Jesus Christ. It also tested the organization of the Church. Should we aim for uniformity of rites and practices to better live the communion and catholicity of the Church? This situation was the subject of the very first Synod of the Apostles. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles and the elders of the Church knew how to refocus the faith of Christians on Christ and indicate some practical measures for the life of the Church.

These questions which were posed to the primitive Church are not foreign to the situation which prevails today in our Church which wants to be a more synodal Church. Indeed, is the opening of the Church to other peoples an abandonment of the fundamentals of the Christian faith? Is the plurality of rites and cultures in the Church a breach of its unity? Is the mission of the Church to listen to the Holy Spirit and to work for the salvation of men and women in Jesus Christ or to save traditions? The Church cannot be closed in on itself by forcing new Christians to follow traditions that do not necessarily pertain to salvation in Jesus Christ. Christianity can be expressed in any culture, and the Church must be open to the richness of other traditions. This is, moreover, the message that Saint John brings us in the second reading. The new Jerusalem is the holy people, open to the four points of the world. God dwells there and he himself is the sanctuary. And henceforth, true adorers will adore the Father in spirit and in truth (Jn 4:23).

In this Sunday’s Gospel, we are in the last hours of Jesus’ life. The hour is serious and anguish seizes hearts. Jesus knows that when he is gone, trouble will come. This is why he tries to appease his disciples: “do not let your hearts be upset or dismayed” (Jn 14:27). Of course, life will no longer be the same, but the main thing is to have faith in Jesus and to keep his words. And to help us to remain faithful to his word, Christ promises us the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate. This Spirit who comes from the Father has a particular role: to teach and to remember the words of Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters, we must keep in mind that one of the greatest weapons of the evil one is to make us forget or neglect the Love and the commandments of the Lord. This is why we often fall into the same sin. The role of the Holy Spirit is to lead the Church and to revive in our hearts the teaching of Christ. But to benefit from the gifts of the Spirit, we are called to make our hearts the dwelling place of God. Keeping the word of God is about loving one another.

On this Sunday, let us pray that the Lord will send the Spirit who will renew our hearts so that our lives, our communities and our humanity will open to peace and joy.