WALKING WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 8:5-8, 14-17; 1 Peter 3:15-18; John 14:15-21
Fr. John Tran Kha, Houston, TX

ow do you know that you are loved?"

Here is what some people say:
"When you are treated with courtesy and respect."
"When spouse and others show me their appreciation."
"When your spouse and others show their understanding, kindness, caring, and offering help without having to ask."
"Definitely, jewelry and flowers do not hurt."
"When your husband bring the paycheck home and give it to you."
"When your children leave you alone."
"When my son calls to ask how am I doing?"
"When my daughter calls to ask if I need anything, because she is going to the store."

Signs of Love

Saying "I love you" is important and necessary but not enough. We also need to see some tangible signs of love. This is exactly why Jesus came into the world to become human like us, to be with us and to show us his love. When he was with his disciples, he did everything he could for them. When they did not have enough food, he multiplied the bread and the fish to feed thousands of people. When the religious authorities challenged them and gave them hard time, he defended them. When they had questions, he answered them. When they were in doubt and afraid, he strengthened them. He was there for them everyday. When the couple at the wedding in Cana ran out of wine, he turned water into wine to help them. When people were sick or suffered with different diseases, he cured them. When the Pharisees and elders wanted to stone the sinful woman, he defended her and let her go. When people were so sad because of the death of their loved ones, he felt for them so he raised the death to life. Finally, he sacrificed his life for them and for the world. That is the way to love.

Jesus has shown his love for us, and now it is our turn to show our love for Him. And He says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." He said this because He was about to leave his disciples and the world to return to his Father. Even Jesus, the One who died and rose from the dead, had to leave this world to return to the Father. Imagine how sad and frightened the disciples were. He was their pride. He was their strength. He was their future. He was the reason for them to leave everything behind: families, parents, wives, children, houses, fishing boats, careers in order to follow him in hoping to have a future. Then now he was leaving them behind. When Jesus saw their frightened faces and the growing despair in their eyes, He said, "I am not leaving you alone. I am not quitting. I am not abandoning you. I will come back. But I want to tell you this, while I am gone, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you always."

Growing Up and Be Responsible

It was time for the disciples to grow up and be responsible for the Kingdom, for their salvation and for the salvation of the world. It was time for them to show their true love for Jesus by being faithful to his commandments. And Jesus' commandments are summed up in loving God and loving others. Jesus, however, knows that they could not grow up and be responsible without some help. So, he promised to ask the Father to give them another Advocate. "I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always." Since then, the Spirit of truth has been with the Church always. The early Church was persecuted. Persecution scattered the disciples throughout Judea and Samaria. But persecution could not stop the spreading of the Good News. The first reading tells us that because of the persecution, Philip had to go down to the city of Samaria. He went there not to hide but to bring great joy to that city. When the Apostles heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to the city to lay hands on the people so that they might receive the Holy Spirit. The Church continues to preach the Good News for the last two thousand years.

Likewise, it is time for us to grow up in our Christian faith. It is time for us to be responsible Christians. Some of you might remember the saying in the past for lay people in the Catholic Church, "pray, pay and obey." This is unacceptable today. We do not have many priests and religious sisters and brothers giving their lives to do apostolic works such as teaching in schools, helping the poor, serving the sick. Especially now, the priesthood in the Church is facing crisis. So more than ever, everyone has to take part and be responsible for spreading the Good News in the world. To be responsible Christians means to keep Jesus ' commandments and to walk in the Spirit Jesus promised us. There are significant differences between true Christians and non-believers.

Non-believers belong to the world. They cannot receive the Spirit of truth any more than they could receive the Son of God made flesh. They live as if there is no God; there is no Christ; there is no life after death; there is no salvation. They do not want to hear the Good News; and they cannot accept the "Spirit of truth" because they cannot tolerate the revelation. The revelation calls their secular values into questions, and overturns their cherished idols. The revelation challenges their way of life and exposes their sins. For us, Christians, the Paraclete is dwelling in us. The Paraclete is dwelling in you, in me, and in all those who believe in Jesus. And Jesus firmly assures us that the world will no longer see Him, but we will see Him. So, St. Peter reminds us in the second reading, "Beloved, Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope." And he wants us to do it with gentleness and reverence. We are Christians. We are set a part. We have the Holy Spirit with us and the world does not. We see Jesus and the world does not see him. So there are differences in our beliefs, in the way we see the world, in our values, and in the way we live our lives. By the way we live our Christian life, people will wonder and ask questions.

A Model of Walking with the Spirit

Dorothy Pryse was listening to a Christian radio station as she drove to the grocery store one morning. A person was talking about kindness. Then he said, "I wonder how many of you are listening to me on your car radio and thinking of how you can be kind while driving?" Dorothy began thinking about what he was saying. A few blocks away, she saw a woman waiting in her car to come out of her driveway. Traffic was heavy; Dorothy knew this woman would have a hard time getting out. She slowed down to let her out. The woman smiled and waved at her.

When she got to the grocery store, she saw a parking space. As she started pulling in, another car on the opposite side also started pulling in. Dorothy backed out and found another parking spot. As they both got out of their cars, the driver of the other car said, "I can't believe what you just did. Anyone else would have made me back out."

Dorothy explained what she had heard on the radio about showing love. The two women began talking. Dorothy discovered the woman had just moved into the area, didn't know anyone, and was looking for a church. "I invited her to come to our church," Dorothy says, "and a strong friendship has blossomed from our chance meeting and a small act of kindness" (Gerard Fuller, Stories for All Seasons, 21).