Homily 6TH Sunday of Easter A 2020 Today, we celebrate the Sixth Sunday of Easter. The light of the risen Sun, Jesus Christ, burst from the tomb in glory, shining to all parts of the earth through the witness of the Church, illumined by the Holy Spirit to bear witness to his glory. Let us walk in his light and follow in his way. So that, reflecting his brightness, we may enlighten the eyes of the blinded unbelievers of the world with faith and hope. In my homily today, I will focus on two main points.
My first point is an invitation to bring to others the joy of the Gospel.
Let’s take a look at today’s First Reading to see how Philip, in fulfilling the recommendation of Jesus to go and preach the Gospel to all nations, went to Samaria to proclaim the Gospel of Christ there. As a reminder, Samaria was “
home to the Samaritans – the neighbors of the Jewish people who they thought were foreigners and heretics. Considering their inherent opposition and hatred to each other, Philip was being very bold in entering ‘enemy’s territory’ to preach the Word of God.” It’s amazing to see the joy and enthusiasm with which the message of Christ was received in Samaria: “
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing…There was great joy in that city.” Philip brought joy to that city and these people. He brought happiness and hope to the broken-hearted and joy of healing to the sick. He brought smile to those with sad and dark faces. Therefore, today’s First Reading is a call to each of us to follow in the footsteps of Philip to go to the Samaria of our families and communities and proclaim the joy of the Gospel around us; to bring joy to people’s lives in Placerville and Georgetown, mostly in this difficult time. Our mission is to bring happiness and hope to the broken-hearted; and to bring a smile to the sad and dark faces. The Gospel message is good news (=“
Ewangelion” in Greek); not any good news, but it’s the good news of our salvation. As a matter of fact, any good news brings joy and a smile. Imagine your joy when facing or fighting a cancer, and that the Doctor unexpectedly tells you that you’re healed and the new tests show no trace of the disease in your body anymore. Or imagine your joy when you have had difficulties of conceiving, and that the Doctor unexpectedly tells you that you’re 5 months pregnant. Today, as Christians, we’re all invited to bring the joy of the gospel to others. As Pope Francis, in his Apostolic Exhortation “
Evangelii Gaudium” (=“
The Joy of the Gospel”) says, “
The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew. A healthy Christian is a joyful Christian, even in times of sorrow and tribulation.” In addition, when talking about joy, in his Homily of April 16, 2020, Pope Francis also said, “
Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved. Joy is a grace and gift of the Holy Spirit. It’s not just a positive emotion or cheerful feeling. Joy is not the consequence of emotions that burst for a wonderful thing...No, it’s more. This joy that fills us, even in this difficult time of tribulation with the coronavirus, is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit, one cannot have this joy.”
2.My second point is about the profile of the true disciple of Christ
The true disciple of Christ is the one who loves him with unconditional love. And in today’s Gospel, Jesus clearly explains what kind of love he expects from his disciples. The love he expects is not made of empty words like what unfaithful lovers say to each other all
“30 seconds” in our society today and repeatedly: “
I love you! I love you more!” Jesus doesn’t want a love “
in theory”, but He wants a “
pragmatic love” or a demonstrative love concretely materialized with actions. Jesus wants love in action. As they say, “
Actions speak louder than words”. Do you love him? Then, prove it! As he says, “
If you love me, you will keep my commandments…Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves Me.” So keeping and observing his commandments are intrinsically linked and go together with our love for Him. In other words, the observance of his commandments is one of the tangible proves that God expects from us. If you want to know whether or not you are a good and true disciple of Jesus, you know what to do now. You have to do a self-evaluation of your personal life in relation with the commandments of God. So the question today is: And you, what place do the commandments of God have in your life? How do you observe the 10 commandments of God? In his Message of 2013, Pope Francis called all Christians to love and observe the 10 commandments of God, saying, “
The 10 commandments of God are a gift God gave us. They are a path God points out to us to enlighten our life. They are not a litany of prohibitions. But they are the GPS of our life.” Yes, the commandments of God are the GPS that guides our life. Jesus summed up these 10 commandments in two: “
Loving God from our heart, our soul, our strength, our spirit; and loving our neighbor as ourselves.” How much do you observe that commandment of love? How much do you love your God? Do you really love Him? If so, how much do you pray daily or read the Bible Passage daily or watch mass via live streamed channels or pray your Rosary daily? How much then do you love your neighbor as yourself? Your neighbor begins with people who live around you in your home: your husband, your wife, your children, your parents and your friends from Saint Patrick and Saint James. How much do you concretely show them love? Saint Mother Teresa, in “
The Joy in loving” says,
“People who love each other fully and truly are the happiest people in the world. They may have little, they may have nothing but they are happy people. Everything depends on how we love one another. Prayer is the sunshine of God’s love. Prayer is hope of eternal happiness. Prayer is the burning flame of God’s love for you and for me. Let us pray for each other, for this is the best way to love one another as Jesus has loved us.” Rev. Fr Pepin W. F. DANDOU
Georgetown, CA May 16, 2020.