THE ADVOCATE IS COMING.
MAY 17 2020: SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER - A
A Namibian proverb says, “A warrior does not let a friend
face danger alone.” And another Zimbabwean proverb adds, “Those who eat alone,
die alone.”
Easter season, besides pointing our minds and hearts on the
rejoicing for the Resurrection of Christ, is also a time of separation and
expectation. It is a time of separation because the Risen Lord won’t ever again
be with his disciples the way he was with them before his Passion, Death, and
Resurrection. The Lord will have to return to where he came from, to his Father
and our Father. That is what we will be celebrating at the coming solemnity of
the Ascension. At the same time, Easter becomes a time of preparation for a
coming. We have to prepare ourselves to welcome the promised Paraclete, the
Advocate, the Holy Spirit. For two weeks, from now, all the readings in the liturgy
will point to the Holy Spirit, and today’s celebration opens us to that
expectation.
The main melody of today’s liturgy is sung by the Holy
Spirit, the promised. The Lord Jesus in the Gospel openly expresses it while
preparing spiritually and psychologically his disciples for the separation. He
says, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with
you always…” After Jesus will depart from his disciples, they will not be left
alone, without support and advocate. The mission of the Spirit is well
indicated in the words of the Lord, and these words are very comforting. Jesus
tells his followers, “I will not leave you orphans…” Then, for the disciples to
preserve that continual relationship with the Lord, he exhorts them to keep his
commandments, mainly the commandment of love.
The promised Paraclete is the one who gives strength and
motion to the Apostles in the first reading. The apostolic endeavor of Philip
and the others are filled with the presence of the Spirit, and Peter can attest
to it.
Moving under the guidance of the Spirit, St. Peter, in his
Pastoral letter, exhorts us to give reverence to Christ in all that we do. As
Christians, he says, you must “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone
who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and
reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those
who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame.”
The Christian life is not without trials and crosses or
tribulations. Our oppressors might surely abuse us. We will face trials,
misunderstandings, mistreatments, rejections, and many kinds of adversities.
But we are guaranteed of one thing, we will not be left alone. The Holy Spirit,
the Paraclete will always be with us. And even more, our oppressors will be put
to shame.
As Christ-followers, we must be happy, if, while doing the
good, people oppress and oppose us, Peter says. “For it is better to suffer for
doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.”
We are still in the Easter season. Let us remember the
reason why Jesus our Lord died. It was simply because he was doing the good,
sharing God’s love, preaching the truth and fighting for the right of the
outcasts and marginalized, the poor. Evildoers, those who abuse the poor and
violate the rights of the less fortunate will always oppose he who wants to
instore righteousness. The just will always be seen as an enemy by the
unrighteous. Nevertheless, this must not constitute a reason for the righteous
one to start opposing evil to evil or stop doing what is right and good. “Do
good to everyone, always do good, never harm anyone!” the great St. Luigi
Orione, could say. No matter what you might get in return, you, do good. The
Spirit, the Advocate will defend you in God’s tribunal for your goodness and
confuse the evildoers who oppose you.
This present situation of the Wuhan Virus in which the world
is immersed is the right time for us, Christians, not only to know that, we are
not left alone, but also to show signs of goodness and love, expressed through
concern for the needy and acts of charity. God's Spirit of Love is on His way.
Another thing very interesting about the Holy Spirit, is the
attribute Jesus uses to speak of Him: “the Spirit of truth.” And Jesus adds, “whom
the world cannot accept”. We live in a world built upon so many falsehood and
fake news, that we hardly can accept the truth. The coming of the Spirit of God
will bring about a great confusion. People whose life is made of falsehood, our
social values which in reality are counter-values, and everything fake or false
that we care for or nourish will come to light. There is a great revolution coming
up. And we Christians, must be instruments of that revolution; the revolution
of truth. For, our world needs the truth. And it is only through knowing the
truth that we will all be set free from the chains of falsehood where we are
retained slaves (Jn 8:32).
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