ALL BAPTISED IN THE ONE SPIRIT

PENTECOST SUNDAY - John 20:19-23

It was on the first day of the week, a Sunday evening. The disciples were gathered behind closed doors. John stresses that the doors were closed for fear of the Jews. Since that Sunday, the first day of the week became the day of the Lord for all generations. It was a new beginning, only possible with the risen Christ. He is the Prince of peace. That’s why he repeated twice: “Peace be with you”. We receive peace from Christ and peace only becomes a reality when we share it and become instruments of peace, the peace that comes from Christ.

Jesus entrusted to his disciples the same mission he had received from the Father: “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.” This mission is the reason for the existence of the Church. Jesus goes on to repeat the same words for us today. We are being sent. It is not an easy task, since it implies following in the footsteps of Jesus. Then, Jesus breathed on them. At the beginning of time, God breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of man, for him to become a living creature (Gn 2:7). In the same manner, Jesus breathed on his disciples to make them a new creation filled with the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that makes the Church possible as a people reconciled between themselves and God. By giving them the Holy Spirit, Jesus entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to his disciples and constituted them witnesses of his victory over sin and death.

We must not forget that 

“In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.” (1 Co 12:13).

I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS

ASCENSION SUNDAY - Matthew 28:16-20

Jesus had promised that he would not leave his disciples orphans (Jn 14:18). And he assures us that he is with us always, “to the end of time.”

At the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus entrusted his disciples with the mission he had received from the Father. Using the authority he received, Jesus commands us: Go and make disciples. We are ordered to go. Where? Everywhere, to all nations. We are given the mission of leading people to Jesus, that is making disciples of them. That is not done by any kind of imposition, but by a simple testimony that leads people to recognise the love of God in Jesus Christ. Once people encounter Jesus and recognise him as Christ, the Son of the living God, they must be baptised, thus being born of water and the Spirit (Jn 3:5). Grafted in Jesus Christ, they become children of God. Then, they must learn how to behave as God’s children, following the commandments that the Lord Jesus gave us.

Can we ignore the Lord’s commandment and refuse to go and announce his Gospel? Nowadays, some people consider the mission as finished and outdated. According to them, there is no need of calling others to Jesus Christ. It seems that Jesus spoke in vain and that we don’t need to obey him and to be his witnesses before the world. Today’s gospel reminds us of our duty as followers of Jesus Christ: we must announce the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. May the Lord give us the resolution, the courage and the strength to carry out the mission entrusted to us: 

“Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you.”

HAVE YOUR ANSWER READY

VI EASTER SUNDAY - John 14:15-21

This Sunday, we direct our gaze towards the coming of the Holy Spirit. Due to the persecution that reigned in Jerusalem, many disciples left and got scattered all around. Philip went to Samaria and there proclaimed the gospel with great success. However, despite being evangelised and baptised, they were not yet a truly Christian community, since they had not received the Holy Spirit (Act 8:16). For the group of disciples to be one body with Christ, they must receive the Holy Spirit.

In the Gospel, Jesus promised that he would not leave us orphans and that he would be with us. That’s why he promised to send us the Spirit, his Spirit - the Spirit of truth, who comes to be with us forever. The Holy Spirit illumines and guides us, taking us to Christ. Through the Spirit who dwells in us,  we become children of God and the brethren of Jesus Christ. He is the Paraclete, that is the Advocate and the Consoler. It is the Holy Spirit that unites us with Christ so that Christ is in us and we are in Christ. It is He who pours into our hearts the love of God, transforming us from within and making it possible to keep Christ’s commandments. The true disciple of Jesus Christ is the one who walks on Christ’s path, guided by his commandment.

In the second reading (1 Peter 3:15-18), St. Peter advises us to “always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have.” That readiness comes from the Holy Spirit who gives the knowledge and the wisdom to give a convincing answer. In our lives, by our actions and by our words, we must be true witnesses of Jesus Christ.

Let’s ask the Lord to give us the grace of opening our hearts to the Holy Spirit, allowing him to transform us and make us in Christ’s image.

JESUS IS THE WAY

V EASTER SUNDAY - John 14:1-12

As we come into this world, we are faced with a multitude of ways through which our lives may unfold. We cannot choose everything in our lives, since a lot depends on the circumstances we live in. However, each one has to choose the direction towards which we move. Are we looking for the way that takes us to the Lord or do we prefer to walk along the ways of the world that will take us far away from the Lord?

In Isaiah, the Lord puts us on the alert, so that, being misguided, we go for the ways of the world:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” (Is 55:8)

We must approach the Lord with a listening heart to be guided by his word. It is from him that we may learn his ways:

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the house of the God of Jacob,

that he may teach us his ways

and that we may walk in his paths.” (Is 2:3)

God’s promise was fulfilled in Jesus. Matthew tells us that he “went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them”.  Jesus is the Rabbi, the Teacher who points out to us the road to the Kingdom of God.

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus presents himself as the Way and the Truth and the Life. Life and truth are only possible in the Father, and Jesus is the way to the Father. We may come to the knowledge of God in many different ways, but it is only in Jesus that we come to God as Father and recognise ourselves as his children. In Jesus, we feel loved and accepted, receiving the gift of loving and accepting others as brothers and sisters. Only in Jesus, we can find rest and peace.