Homily For Sixth Sunday of Easter Year C, 25th May, 2025

 

Readings: Acts. 15:1-2.22-29; Ps.67; Rev. 21:10-14.22-23; John 14:23-29

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE PEACE THE WORLD CAN NOT GIVE IS THE GIFT THE LORD HAS GIVEN TO US

As we gather together today to celebrate the sixth Sunday of the Holy season of Easter, with the Solemnity of the Ascension coming up on Thursday within the week, our attention is being drawn more to the departure of Jesus, who has been with his disciples.

So, in anticipation of the Solemnity of the Pentecost coming very soon, the readings of today draw our attention to the last and very important words of departure from Jesus to his disciples.

These departing words can be summarized in two words which are Love and peace. This, of course, followed the promise of the Holy Spirit,t who will teach and remind us of everything he has taught us.

This promise is very necessary because the time for Jesus to accomplish his mission had drawn near, and he had taught his disciples a lot of things which they had not yet fully understood, and there was more to teach them.

So, as Jesus continues to teach the disciples he promised them the indwelling of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will take up the task to inspire them and deepen their understanding of the words and actions of God the Father.

However, Jesus emphasized that the condition for obtaining all that he has promised is the love we express to God and our neighbours and for this reason, he offers us his peace when he said in our Gospel passage today: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”

Here, the word Peace from the Hebrew word shalom means more than an absence of conflict or disturbance or war. Rather, it signifies a state of complete integration of unity between God and Man, between man and neighbours, and also between man and his environment.

It thus implies everything that Jesus came to achieve in this world. It is the legacy of his life, death and resurrection. Little wonder these words of Jesus are repeated at every Eucharistic celebration, where Jesus offers us his peace again and again.

There is no doubt that this peace is really lacking in our societies today. This is clear with the ugly events we hear and experience daily, especially the cases of killings, hatred, betrayals, greed, social and economic injustice, bloodshed, kidnapping, banditry and the massacre of innocent people all over the globe.

This, of course, is a clear sign that humanity has lost peace, that great treasure which she enjoys in the presence of God before the fall of man. But how can we regain this great treasure? Jesus made it clear that love is the only way to obtain this peace

Hence, he talks about the sacrificial love that comes from the heart and soul of one who is rooted in the life of the Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Thus, Jesus speaks about the power of love, that life-giving passion that transforms and unites us with God and our neighbours.

It is this love that brings the peace that humanity is seeking, as demonstrated in our first reading among the apostles and also prophesied in our second reading today, pointing towards the Holy City of Jerusalem and its future glory as the home of peace.

But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: Have we really embraced love to have peace in our lives? Do we experience this love and peace at the Eucharistic banquet every time we participate in the Holy Mass? Have I embraced the sacrificial love of Jesus so as to become an instrument of peace to my neighbour, my family and the society at large?

Have I embraced love to the point of sacrificing my possessions, my ambition and my life for the sake of peace? Have I sacrificially embraced love so as to forgive those who offended me and seek reconciliation for the sake of peace?

Dear friends, today we are called to come back to the source of love, God himself, who teaches us that love is an attitude that seeks the good of others despite how we feel about them. For love teaches us to be merciful, just as our Father in heaven is merciful.

Love is a sacrificial attitude, an attitude that forgives, an attitude that accommodates, perseveres, preserves, heals and builds up when everything has failed This is the kind of attitude the world needs now, the attitude that comes from pure love of God and our neighbours and brings peace to our lives, our families, societies and the world at large.

LET US PRAY: Almighty ever-living God, there are lots of things we need to know and understand about the faith we have found in you, may the Holy Spirt guide our way to embrace love and peace and always teach us what to do, how to do it, when to do it and grace do it properly. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It's Sunday, may the Holy Spirit guide and bless all your efforts.