“Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the
Christ to them. With one accord, the
crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the
signs he was doing. For unclean spirits,
crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many
paralyzed or crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.
Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted
the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for
them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon
any of them; they had only been baptized in the many of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they
received the Holy Spirit.”
Second reading: 1 Pt. 3: 15-18
“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, 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. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if
that be the will of God, than for doing evil.
For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of
the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit.”
Gospel reading: Jn. 14: 15-21
“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘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, the Spirit
of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with
you, and will be in you. I will not
leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me,
because I live and you will live. On
that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in
you. Whoever has my commandments and
observes them is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and
reveal myself to him.’”
Introductory theme summary:
The common theme from today’s readings is our reception of
the Holy Spirit, our responsibility to that reception, and its relationship
with us as well as the world at large.
Reflection:
In the first reading we have a perfect scriptural account for
the significance of what has become known to us as the sacrament of Confirmation. The first reading makes us aware that even
from the beginning some were baptized without receiving the Holy Spirit. From this we learn that baptism, though the
grace communicated to us in baptism is accomplished by the power of the Holy
Spirit, does not give us the Holy Spirit itself to be with us in an enduring
manner. A special act of prayer and
laying on of hands was necessary to communicate the indwelling presence of the
Holy Spirit. That is the precise
significance of Confirmation – giving us the indwelling presence of the Holy
Spirit.
In the second reading we learn that we have a specific
responsibility to our reception of the indwelling presence of the Holy
Spirit. That responsibility is making
people aware of the nature of our new relationship with God. This should be understood as a responsibility
of all those who are confirmed. All the
confirmed, by becoming confirmed, have a responsibility to propagate the
faith. The first and most obvious way is
live our lives as Christ lived his. Then
profess and explain to any and all who inquire that the indwelling presence is the
means of our being able to do so – first example, then testimony. Both must be present or our words become
nothing more than rhetoric.
Our example must become so complete as to also include accepting
the responsibility for practicing forbearance.
This element is expressed specifically in the second reading. The second reading also makes it clear that
the circumstances that require forbearance may not happen to all of us, and
certainly not all the time, but we must recognize the necessity of accepting
this aspect of practicing Christianity as an imitation of Christ himself. As mentioned in earlier Sunday Reflections,
this is how we participate in the full membership of the Body of Christ.
The gospel reading informs us of the condition needed to
live our lives as Christ lived his, and that is to keep his commandments. A thorough understanding of the gospel
message in its entirety is necessary to fully appreciate the extent of what it
means to “keep his commandments.” Such a
treatment would be far too lengthy for this reflection, so a brief summarizing
statement will have to suffice. Considering
that Jesus will reveal himself to those who love him and keep his commandments,
knowing him is the best distinction between those who do fulfill his
commandments and those who do not. John
says, “No one who remains in him sins; no one who sins has seen him or known
him.” (1 Jn. 3:6) Very difficult words to hear, considering sin
remains prevalent in the lives of so many people who sincerely believe in Jesus
Christ. Such a reality makes us aware
that there is a distinction between believing in him and “knowing him,” for it
is by the knowledge of “him” that we receive the ability to live as he lived. This knowledge is preceded by an arduous
practice of faith in him that can extend for many years. It is simply naïve to presume faith in him
equals knowledge of him.
Come, accept the great challenge of purifying yourself from
all sin so as to “know him,” and by that knowledge you will discover the true
freedom of the Children of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment