14 May 2023 – 6th Sunday of Easter (Year A)

by Fr Joachim Robert

Dear friends,

We are already on the 6th week in preparation towards the celebration of Pentecost. And as we celebrate this whole journey towards Pentecost, the readings continues to remind us of how God manifests Himself or shows Himself in and through us, acknowledging that the goodness of God is in each and every one of us.

As we look at the readings of today, especially the First Reading, the Acts of the Apostles, we see how Philip proclaims the Good News to the Samaritans. And here they are people who are from pagan background but Philip continues to preach the Gospel because of his love for them. And we see how God indeed works in their lives, and how they are brought to the faith. And after that Peter and John goes to reaffirm that the work of God is also present with the people who are in the peripheries, who do not belong to the Jewish tradition. And here we see that the Holy Spirit was awakened by the laying on of the hands.

But as they acknowledged the Holy Spirit in their lives, dear friends, and as we prepare ourselves towards Pentecost, it is an awareness that God gives to each and every one of us to reawaken the gift of the Holy Spirit that is already present in our lives. Because when we reawaken the Holy Spirit that is present in us, we become a testimony or a witness of God’s love towards one another.

And as we become a witness and a testimony of God’s love, there will always be obstacles and challenges that we are confronted with. In the Second Reading from the letter of Saint Peter reminds us:-

Reverence to the Lord, Christ in your heart and always have answer ready for those who ask you reason for the hope that all of you have. But give it with courtesy and respect, with a clear conscience so that those who slander you when you are living a good live in Christ may be proved wrong in their accusations.

And when we are confronted with challenges and obstacles, dear friends, we are called and invited to put our gaze on Jesus once again. And the commandments that He gives us, as the Gospel says:

If you love me, you will keep my commandments

And the commandments that we keep, dear friends, is not something to oppress us or something that we do as an obligation. But following the commandments of God liberates us, gives us freedom, gives us a deeper inner liberation in what we are called to do as Christians because the liberation that comes from within frees us from the bondage of sin.

And as disciples of Jesus, we need to walk towards that journey, towards Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit is reawaken in our lives so that we can bear testimony to God’s love and God’s peace in our lives. And as we prepare as a community, as church, for this Renewal Weekend and our Triduum and the 9 days Novena, the Triduum and the Pentecost Celebration, it is an opportunity for us to reawaken the gift that already is present in our lives. And I would like to invite you, all of you, to come and experience that whole experience, the renewal experience that will be held on the 20th and 21st, this Saturday and Sunday of this week.

And as we celebrate Mother’s Day today, dear friends, we also have a tangible witness of God’s love in our families which is our mothers. And I am sure each and every mother here would have that sense of challenges, the obstacles that comes together with family life – bringing up the children, nurturing them in faith, nurturing physically and looking into the physical well-being. And all these, dear friends, cannot be done only by their own strength. God has placed that goodness in their hearts, God has given them the Holy Spirit to accompany them along that journey so that they are able to truly be a reflection of God’s mercy in our lives.

And today as we remember them on Mother’s Day, to remember them as a witness of God’s mercy and love in our lives, we also remember so many mothers as well, who are estranged from their families, who has to go through challenges and difficulties on their own, who have sacrificed all that they had to do, their career, their own self for the sake of the other. And doing so they become a testimony of God’s love.

And for mothers today, I would like to invite you to focus on these four things:-

1. The first thing is whatever that you do, keep your focus on Jesus. Always allow the Lord to transform, mould and shape you in the way how Saint Peter tells the community in the Second Reading of today: Whatever happens in your life, be assured that the Lord accompanies you by giving you the Holy Spirit. And in doing so, as you keep your gaze on Jesus, He redeems you, He liberates you and all these sacrifice have a sense of meaning and purpose. And this is the first image I would like to give you.
2. The second image is the image of Mary, where Mary ponders all these things in her heart. She was there when Jesus was born. She was there to bring Jesus up. When Jesus was lost in the temple she was there, worried. She was there also at the crucifixion. And the joys and the suffering of motherhood, dear friends, is experienced by Mary and Mary can become a constant companion, a constant friend as you enter into this motherhood. And doing so, we also pray as we celebrated Our Lady of Fatima yesterday, to also look at Mother Mary as a constant companion and guide who can lead us, who can motivate us to take that step forward, pondering everything in her heart. But she did it with docility, with obedience and with faithfulness.
3. The third thing or the third person I would like to invite to accompany you is Angel Gabriel. When Angel Gabriel announces to Mother Mary that she was to be the mother of God, that gift of motherhood that has been given to each and every one of you mothers is an opportunity where you can become a witness of God’s love. God’s word becomes incarnate in you and in doing so, you become a testimony of God’s love in your families, towards the community and towards one another. So become announcers of the Good News, announcers of God’s love.
4. Lastly, I would also look at the image of Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph was always there protecting Mary in whatever circumstances and situations that she was confronted with. He was silent but the assuring presence of Saint Joseph also invites the mothers to be strengthened, to be assured that they have a support of people around them. And the community becomes an opportunity of love. The community becomes a support for mothers, especially with the fathers, with the community and people at large, especially with their friends and relatives to become an assuring presence so that they can do what they need to do with these challenges and obstacles that they have to confront with, with their love, with their commitment, with their faithfulness.

And today as a community as well, we can assure them of their support, we can assure them of their prayers, we can assure them of what they go through and to bring that comfort and joy for them. Because sometimes, dear friends, as Jesus says to the disciples, as He was giving this last discourse, He reminds them not to be troubled:

I will not leave you orphans. I will come back and in a short time the world will no longer see me but you will see me because I live and you will live.

And we pray, dear friends, that this gift of motherhood that has been given to all mothers be an opportunity that we are able to see the reflection of God’s love to their care, to their comfort, to the words of assurance and the support. And all that we can do as individuals is to receive that gift given by them and give praise and thanks to God with gratitude for the gift of mothers in our lives.

And let us pray, dear friends, that as we journey towards Pentecost, this whole aspect of goodness in our lives, this whole aspect of love that God has placed in each and every one of our hearts may continue to shine and glow and allow us to be fired with the gift of the Holy Spirit so that the Holy Spirit in our hearts may remain en-flamed and allow the church to continue to grow in maturity, love and peace.

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