What readily comes to mind in today’s readings is the energy and commitment demanded of the Church in its mission to spread the Good News. 

So in Acts it is the missionary activity of Philip, Peter and John that typifies the outreach of the young Church. Venturing into foreign territory, these agents of the Gospel bring to their target audience a much-needed release from such things as unclean spirits. But it is the gift of something even greater that is being remembered in this instance, the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is that special presence held to be vital for giving continual witness to the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. 

Peter’s down-to-earth advice in the second reading is grounded in the example Christ has set for us all. There may be some suffering that we must endure, but if we have worked for the good of our brothers and sisters, then we can be hope-filled. Not being hemmed in by purely physical existence, we are to see ourselves endowed with that spiritual essence that leads to a right state of living well. 

The speech by Jesus in today’s Gospel is an echo of the typically memorable emphases of John the Evangelist. Expressing love and observing the commandments hold the key to the message of this Gospel. And what Jesus promises is a companion to walk alongside every disciple. That person is known as the Advocate (sometimes translated the Paraclete), the Spirit of truth. This is the sort of sidekick, to use a colloquial expression, everyone needs. The Spirit therefore provides the necessary encouragement that fortifies us in every action for good. 

These Eastertide readings are for remembering the example of the early Church and its reliance upon the Holy Spirit to guide it through all aspects of Christian faith. 

Sixth Sunday of Easter 

First reading: Acts 8:5-8,14-17. 

Philip went down to [the] city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah 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 paralysed and 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 baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 

Second reading: 1 Peter 3: 15-18. 

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: John 14:15-21. 

[Jesus said] “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, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it 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 realise 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.” 

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These readings have an air of authority about them. In each one, that authority manifests itself through the message voiced by the key figure’s words.

So in Acts, Peter commands the attention of his audience. He directs his message to the residents of Judea and Jerusalem – that is, to his own people. And what he says champions the crucified Jesus as their Messiah and Lord. His call to join the newly-formed faith community is issued so that they might accept his words as a universal message of salvation.

Their dramatic response confirms that the Good News he preaches has genuine depth and sway.

Peter’s voice is also to the fore in 1 Peter today. This time, though, his words are addressed to a situation of difficulty for the early Church. It is a time which calls for stamina, so that faith in Christ’s example may inspire even greater faith. And that is an encouragement given in order to bind together a flock of believers who have a shepherd whose extraordinary sacrifice gives confidence and assurance of communal well-being.

In John, Jesus’ own words speak of the shepherd and his sheep. This serves to cap off the Liturgy of the Word with a seal of lordly authority. Jesus and his words are therefore to be held in high regard. By adding his testimony to the relationship he has forged with his community of followers, his down-to-earth figure of speech makes a big impression. The image of the shepherd with his sheep summons up a keen awareness of being called into what John elsewhere indicates is eternal life.

This set of readings offers us a sharply focused insight into what we believe ourselves to be as a Church that remembers and celebrates its identity, being a people protected and guided by a divine shepherd.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER First reading: Acts 2: 14, 36-41.

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. Therefore, let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?” Peter [said] to them, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.” He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand persons were added that day.

Second reading: 1 Peter 2:20-25.

But what credit is there if you are patient when beaten for doing wrong? But if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Gospel: John 10: 1-10.

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate, but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognise his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognise the voice of strangers.” Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realise what he was trying to tell them. So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came [before me] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

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How we deal with temptation, while living the life of faith, is the base theme for today’s Scriptures.

The Genesis reading relates the foundational story of human disobedience in the Garden of Eden. The curious encounter with the talking snake explores the choice we all have to make -whether to follow what God has commanded or be lured into pursuing a seemingly more satisfying end. Having chosen badly, the human couple immediately recognise their error and acquire unanticipated knowledge about themselves and their future. So, at the heart of this episode is a lesson to be learned about straying off track and not noting the good God wills for us all.

In Romans, Paul’s thoughts draw upon the Genesis incident. As heirs to the first human couple’s disobedience, Paul turns our sights to the wonder of what has been achieved because of the human Jesus. In and through his death, our glorious transformation has been made possible. This new and eternal life is reckoned to be a great grace, a totally free gift, given so that we may become strong, obedient advocates for all that is right and good.

Matthew’s description of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness helps us appreciate how God speaks to us through his Son. For, in dialogue with the devil, Jesus indicates how to rise above human aspirations. Accompanied first by the Holy Spirit and then by the angels, Jesus models for us the life of God’s Kingdom as it is revealed in the Scriptures. The mighty moment in the wilderness serves to inspire us to follow the Lord and not let temptations distract us from that.

These readings are an invitation to let this Lent be a season of grace and insight that stirs in us the desire to hear the Word well and act upon it faithfully.

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A number of ideas associated with God and neighbour come together in these readings. Of key importance, however, are God’s holiness and the love we are expected to extend to everyone around us.

Leviticus speaks very plainly about our relationship with God and the way we must regard people of our acquaintance. Together these two aspects of our lives present us with a challenge of sorts. For it is in the call to imitate God that we find the measure for judging our relationships with others. Getting to know that and his holiness require us to live as God’s sons and daughters. And “love” is the word that characterises people who truly have care and concern for one another, especially in particular circumstances.

Paul’s focus in 1 Corinthians taps into a similar train of thought. Seeing ourselves as God’s holy temple, where the Holy Spirit dwells, means that we are to conduct our lives very much aware of the fact. Paul’s point is thus a very simple one. For if we are to acknowledge our true identity in God and Christ, we have to act accordingly.

In today’s text from Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ teaching echoes this necessary attitude to our faith life. And, in some respects, his words here are a more radical call to imitate God. Love of both neighbour and enemy spells out what God desires of us; that we be his committed agents, proclaiming the Good News far and wide, without setting hard and fast boundaries. This participation in bringing about God’s Kingdom thus calls for a deeply-felt understanding of what may be necessary.

These texts lay down a challenge. And as children of God, they cause us to reflect on holiness and dedication to the mission of living out the Good News.

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Today’s readings give us a real sense of what our lives in Jesus Christ are to be like. Each author guides us to ponder the bright future God sets before us.

Isaiah orients these thoughts towards focusing upon a specific territory within the Holy Land. And that is the Galilee, an unlikely place in many respects. That is because the South, and Jerusalem in particular, is most often the prime place of reference for Jewish worship and pilgrimage. From up North however, Isaiah prophesies, there will arise a new, transforming light that will restore stability to Israel – a great joy to look forward to.

Paul also has a mind to re-direct the attitudes and thinking of the Corinthians. He is calling for a unified vision of what it means to belong to the Church. And proclaiming the Lord Jesus Christ, that is the Good News concerning the new life won by our crucified saviour, must become a key focus point for every member of that Church. Realigning one’s thinking in this manner is thus a lesson all should adopt.

The Gospel from Matthew connects with the earlier readings through its focus on the Galilee foreseen by Isaiah and Jesus as he begins to proclaim the Kingdom of heaven. It is particularly significant here that Jesus calls his first disciples to accompany him in this mission. And they immediately drop everything to fall in behind him. It is in this context that we see the importance of understanding what Jesus came to say and do and what successive generations of believers continue to deliver in his name.

The insight offered by these readings comes from their focus on God’s great plan for us all. A new light has indeed shone in our midst and we must endeavour to keep it burning brightly.

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The first speaker at the event at St Columba Centre in Ponsonby on July 14 was Good Shepherd College Scripture lecturer Fr Kevin Waldie, SM, who considered the apostle from a biblical perspective.

He noted that John’s Gospel has “a lot more to say about this Thomas figure” than do Mark, Matthew and Luke. In the Johannine text he is “quite a significant figure”.

Fr Waldie said Thomas is a “trigger character”, who “brings to light what it is to understand Jesus truly”.

The Marist spoke about each of the times that Thomas was mentioned in John’s Gospel, but it was in dealing with chapter 20 that Fr Waldie elaborated the most.

Fr Waldie cast doubt upon the label “doubting Thomas”, pointing out that he [Fr Waldie] didn’t like one translation of the instruction given to Thomas by the risen Jesus as “Do not doubt but believe”. In the Greek, it states “kai me ginou apistos all pistos” (transliteration). So a better translation of this would be “Be not unbelieving, but believing”.

“The key thing is to repeat the key word. That is what that text is really about. Nothing is said about doubt.”

Fr Waldie said he does not see Thomas in this encounter as a negative character. “What he does is — he prompts a response that we want to hear. We want to learn what it is to believe. Believing is part of a process of coming to understand properly.”

Thomas is a character “coming to believe”.

“There is a process going on. All the characters in John’s Gospel are coming to believe.”

Fr Waldie also linked Thomas and Mary Magdalene in their encounters with the risen Lord in this chapter.

“If you contrast Mary Magdalene, who wanted to touch Jesus, and then this fellow who is invited to touch Jesus — but no-one ever touches Jesus, we are never told that.

“That changes things a little bit in your understanding.”

“No one is touching Jesus because he has to ‘go’. What are you understanding about the risen Jesus — how do you believe — do you have to see him, have to touch him?

“We in the 21st century are very privileged because we have come to believe without seeing, without touching.

“It is an explanation of what the early Church had by way of privilege, but we have to stand in the long tradition of those who handed the tradition onto us like Mary Magdalene.”

Fr Waldie also referenced a commentary by Scripture scholar R.A.Burridge in which it was noted that  Thomas’ confession “My Lord and my God”, echoed the claim of the Emperor Domitian to be called “Dominus et Deus noster”.

The next speaker, Redemptorist Fr Majesh Kurian, a Syro-Malabar Catholic priest based at Ellerslie, detailed how tradition holds that the Apostle Thomas travelled on a trade route from the Middle East to Kerala on the coast of India, arriving in 52 AD. Thus arose the tradition of “St Thomas Christians” in India.

Tradition holds that St Thomas baptised people in Kerala, built eight churches (seven in Kerala and one in neighbouring Tamil Nadu), challenged the local religious authorities, and even worked miracles, such as one in which water stayed suspended in the air instead of falling to the ground, as the water of the local Brahmin clergy did.

Fr Kurian discussed the great devotion to St Thomas in India. He is the patron saint of that nation and his feast day, July 3, is a holiday in Kerala.

Holy sites at which he is reputed to have been, and at which modern devotions occur, include a spring, a footprint in stone, a cross, and a hilltop. The latter, in Malayattor, is the site of a church which has been designated as one of eight international shrines in the world, Fr Kurian said.

St Thomas met his death in 72 AD near Chennai (Madras) after local Brahmin believed he insulted their god, Kali, the priest added.

Devotion to St Thomas is reflected in artwork, dance and song which have been passed down to modern times, he said.

“Let us make our prayer like his — my Lord and my God.”

The third speaker, Anglican Rev. Dr Hilary Oxford Smith, called St Thomas honest, courageous and tenacious.

She noted how the others in the first Jesus community did not exclude Thomas for his lack of belief but allowed him to be with them.

“Thomas isn’t excluded from the fellowship. So maybe that is an example to the Church that the person who dares to ask questions — questions about doctrines, structures, policies, procedures . . .is just the person the Church needs and needs to give a voice to.”

She spoke of St Thomas’ deep sorrow and grief at the death of Christ and his reaching out to touch his wounds.

“[Thomas’] real and authentic connection with the risen Christ would be his wounds, and that was why Thomas needed to reach out, and I’m going to say touch those wounds, we don’t know, connect the wounds of his deep sorrow to the wounds of Jesus.”

Rev. Oxford Smith said followers of Christ have reached out across centuries to forgotten corners of the world, touching the places and the people who feared that God was not for them, that forgiveness was not them, that grace was too far away to reach, that suffering could not be redeemed or transformed.

So new beginnings, hope, life and peace became possible — so people could see, like Thomas, their Lord and their God.

“It is for us, in our day, to continue that immense legacy of faith, reaching out and touching with love, the wounded places and people of the world.”

The talks were interspersed with singing led by Fr Chris Skinner, SM.

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multiplication of loaves and fishes

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