Catechism Links
CCC 2746-2751: Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper
CCC 243, 388, 692, 729, 1433, 1848: the Holy Spirit as Advocate/Consoler
CCC 1083, 2670-2672: invoking the Holy Spirit
CCC Cross Reference:
Acts 8:9-24 2121; Acts 8:12-13 1226; Acts 8:14-17 1315; Acts 8:15-17 1288; Acts 8:17-19 699
1 Pt 3:18-19 632
Jn 14:16-17 729, 2615; Jn 14:16 692; Jn 14:17 243, 687, 2466, 2671; Jn 14:18 788
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Reading 1
Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
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 name of the Lord Jesus.
Then they laid hands on them
and they received the Holy Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading II
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
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.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Acts 8:5 – 17
Philip went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. There were, for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured. As a result there was great rejoicing in that town.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, and they went down there, and prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he had not come down on any of them: they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 65(66):1-7,16,20
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Cry out with joy to God all the earth,
O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise.
Say to God: ‘How tremendous your deeds!
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
‘Before you all the earth shall bow;
shall sing to you, sing to your name!’
Come and see the works of God,
tremendous his deeds among men.
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the river dry-shod.
Let our joy then be in him;
he rules for ever by his might.
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Come and hear, all who fear God.
I will tell what he did for my soul:
Blessed be God who did not reject my prayer
nor withhold his love from me.
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading 1 Peter 3:15 – 18
Simply reverence the Lord Christ in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have. But give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience, so that those who slander you when you are living a good life in Christ may be proved wrong in the accusations that they bring. And if it is the will of God that you should suffer, it is better to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong.
Why, Christ himself, innocent though he was, had died once for sins, died for the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life.
If the Ascension of the Lord is going to be celebrated next Sunday, the alternative Second Reading and Gospel shown here (which would otherwise have been read on that Sunday) may be used today.
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Alternative second reading 1 Peter 4:13-16 ©
If you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad, because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed. It is a blessing for you when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ, because it means that you have the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God resting on you. None of you should ever deserve to suffer for being a murderer, a thief, a criminal or an informer; but if anyone of you should suffer for being a Christian, then he is not to be ashamed of it; he should thank God that he has been called one.
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Gospel John 14:15 – 21
Jesus said:
‘If you love me you will keep my commandments.
I shall ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you for ever,
that Spirit of truth
whom the world can never receive
since it neither sees nor knows him;
but you know him,
because he is with you, he is in you.
I will not leave you orphans;
I will come back to you.
In a short time the world will no longer see me;
but you will see me,
because I live and you will live.
On that day you will understand that I am in my Father
and you in me and I in you.
Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them
will be one who loves me;
and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I shall love him and show myself to him.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
6th Sunday of Easter
From: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Philip's Preaching in Samaria
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[5] Philip went down to a city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ. [6] And the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what was said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs which he did. [7] For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice; and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. [8] So there was much joy in that city.
Peter and John in Samaria
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[14] Now when the Apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, [15] who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; [16] for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. [17] Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
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Commentary:
5. This is not Philip the Apostle (1:13) but one of the seven deacons appointed to look after Christians in need (6:5). The Gospel is proclaimed to the Samaritans -- who also were awaiting the Messiah. This means that it now spreads beyond the borders of Judea once and for all, and our Lord's promise (Acts 1:8) is fulfilled: "You shall by My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria."
The despised Samaritans became the first to benefit from the Gospel's determination to spread all over the world. We can sense St. Luke's pleasure in reporting its proclamation to the Samaritans; earlier he had already showed them in a favorable light: he is the only Evangelist to recount the parable of the Good Samaritan (cf. Luke 10:30-37) and to mention that the leper who came back to thank Jesus after being cured was a Samaritan (cf. Luke 17:16). On the Samaritans in general, see the note on John 4:20.
14-17. Here we see the Apostles exercising through Peter and John the authority they have over the entire Church. The two Apostles proceed to confirm the disciples recently baptized by Philip: we may presume that in addition to laying their hands on them to communicate the Holy Spirit, the Apostles made sure that they had a correct grasp of the central points of the Gospel message. At this time the Apostles constituted the spiritual center of the Church and took an active interest in ensuring that the new communities were conscious of the links -- doctrinal and affective -- that united them to the mother community in Jerusalem.
This passage bears witness to the existence of Baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit (or Confirmation) as two distinct sacramental rites. The most important effects Christian Baptism has are the infusion of initial grace and the remission of Original Sin and any personal sin; it is the first sacrament a person receives, which is why it is called the "door of the Church".
There is a close connection between Baptism and Confirmation, so much so that in the early centuries of Christianity, Confirmation was administered immediately after Baptism. There is a clear distinction between these two sacraments of Christian initiation, which helps us understand the different effects they have. A useful comparison is the difference, in natural life, between conception and later growth (cf. "St. Pius V Catechism", II, 3, 5). "As nature intends that all her children should grow and attain full maturity [...], so the Catholic Church, the common mother of all, earnestly wishes that, in those whom she has regenerated by Baptism, the perfection of Christian manhood be completed" ("ibid.", II, 3, 7).
"The nature of the Sacrament of Confirmation," John Paul II explains, "grows out of this endowment of strength which the Holy Spirit communicates to each baptized person, to make him or her--as the well-known language of the Catechism puts it--a perfect Christian and soldier of Christ, ready to witness boldly to His resurrection and its redemptive power: 'You shall be My witnesses' (Acts 1:8)"
("Homily", 25 May 1980). "All Christians, incorporated into Christ and His Church by Baptism, are consecrated to God. They are called to profess the faith which they have received. By the Sacrament of Confirmation they are further endowed by the Holy Spirit with special strength to be witnesses of Christ and sharers in His mission of salvation" ("Homily in Limerick", 1 October 1979). "This is a sacrament which in a special way associates us with the mission of the Apostles, in that it inserts each baptized person into the apostolate of the Church" ("Homily in Cracow", 10 June 1979). In the Sacrament of Confirmation divine grace anticipates the aggressive and demoralizing temptations a young Christian man or woman is likely to experience, and reminds them of the fact that they have a vocation to holiness; it makes them feel more identified with the Church, their Mother, and helps them live in accordance with their Catholic beliefs and convictions. From their formative years Christ makes them defenders of the faith.
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From: Psalm 66: 1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
Praise to God for having rescued the people and the psalmist
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[1] Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
[2] sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
[3] Say to God, "How terrible are thy deeds!
So great is thy power that thy enemies cringe before thee
[4] All the earth worships thee;
they sing praises to thee,
sing praises to thy name."
[5] Come and see what God has done:
he is terrible in his deeds among men.
[6] He turned the sea into dry land;
men passed through the river on foot.
There did we rejoice in him,
[7] who rules by his might for ever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations
let not the rebellious exalt themselves.
[16] Come and hear, all you who fear God
and I will tell what he has done for me.
[17] I cried aloud to him,
and he was extolled with my tongue.
[18] If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
[19] But truly God has listened;
he has given heed to the voice of my prayer.
[20] Blessed be God,
because be has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me!
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Commentary:
Psalm 66. Attention now focuses on the salvation of the people (vv. 5- 1 2), already alluded to in the praise contained in the previous psalm (cf. P 65:5). The psalmist also proclaims that God has listened to his entreaty (v.16- 19), thereby giving personal testimony to what was said in Psalm 65:2: "O thou who hearest prayer!" This psalm therefore continues the prayer of praise begun in Psalm 64.
It opens with an invitation to all the earth to proclaim the name of the Lord (vv. 1-4), and then goes on to spell out why this should be done (vv. 5- 12): he enabled Israel to pass through the waters (a sign of his power over all the nation: vv. 5- 7), and he delivered it from the ' disasters of a defeat that it underwent as a test (vv. 8- 12). Then comes the psalmist's personal thanksgiving (vv.13-20): he promises to fulfil his vow ( vv. 13-15) and testifies that God has listened to his prayer (vv. 16-20).
The invitation to praise God, with which all these psalms are imbued is reinforced for Christians when they remember not only what God did for Israel of old but also what he has done for his new people, the Church. He enables the Church, too, to survive all the trials she suffers over the course of centuries . When praying this psalm, every Christian can feel individually chosen by God in Christ" to live for the praise of his glory" (Eph 1:12, 14).
66:1-4. The initial invitation is addressed to all the earth, as a sign that God is in charge and sends his blessing upon it (cf. Ps 47:1) and it is followed by references to the "name" of God (vv. , 4), that is, it has to do with the God w ho has revealed himself to Israel (cf. Ex 3:14ff).
66:5-7. The psalmist invites his hearers to "see what God has done" because these wondrous works and their effects can be seen in the temple insofar as they are celebrated there. He recalls the crossing of the Red Sea (cf. Ex 14- 15) and of the Jordan (cf. Josh 3:7-17). The power of God can also be discerned in the very existence of his people, whom God protects from the Gentile nations (v. 7). All have reason to recall benefits received from God: "When the soul recalls the gifts he has received from God over a long time, and contemplates the graces that God gives him in abundance in the present, or turns his eyes to the future and the infinite reward that God has stored up for those who love him, he gives thanks in the midst of inexpressible waves of joy" (Cassian, Collationes, 9).
66:16-20. His promise is followed by acknowledgment of the benefit he ha received. The "Come and hear" cf. v. 16 links up with the "Come and see" (cf. v. 5). As also happens in the psalm in which enemies figure (cf. Ps 17; 59), the psalmist's innocence is the under lying reason why he is blessed, and why he has been vindicated (v. 18).
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From: 1 Peter 3:15-18
Undeserved Suffering is a Blessing
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[15] But in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence; [16] and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. [17] For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God's will, than for doing wrong.
Christ's Suffering and Glorification
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[18] For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.
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Commentary:
3:13 - 4:19. The sacred writer now makes a series of appeals designed to give hope to Christians suffering unjustly on account of Jesus' name: he reminds them that every baptized person is called to share in the paschal mystery of Christ, that is, in his sufferings and in his glorification; just as he, after suffering unjustly, was glorified (3:18-22), so too those who now suffer for Christ will have a part in his glorious triumph (4:13-14).
The section begins and ends speaking about the Christian meaning of tribulation (3:13-17 and 4:12-19): trials should not make them feel cowed or ashamed, nor should they come as a surprise; on the contrary, they should fill them with joy and lead them to glorify God for letting them partake in our Lord's suffering.
The Apostle also points to one of the reasons for the misunderstandings they experience: after Baptism they have broken with their previous sinful life and that is something pagans cannot understand (4:1-6). Also, Christians should remember that life is something very transient, and therefore they should practice prayer and charity (4:7-11).
13-17. These verses act as an introduction to the central theme of this section (3: 13-4:19). They seem to be directed to people who are surprised to encounter persecution despite doing good (v. 13). Opposition should not dismay them; their calumniators will come to realize their mistake (v. 16).
St Peter's words of advice have a very positive ring about them; they are really an application of the beatitude in which our Lord says, "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven" (Mt 5:11-12).
St Peter's teachings have a perennial value for disciples of Christ, for (as history clearly shows) fidelity to the Master brings with it persecution (cf. Jn 15:18-22; 2 Tim 3:12), sometimes open and violent persecution, sometimes persecution of a more subtle type, in the form of calumny, humiliation and other hazards.
The counsel St Peter gives is very positive in tone--a kind of application of the Beatitude which says, "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven" (Mt 15:11-12).
15. "Reverence Christ as Lord": literally, "Hallow", as in the Our Father. The words imply recognition of the divinity of Jesus Christ: he is called Lord ("Kyrios"), a name proper to God; and they are told to "glorify" or "reverence" him, that is, render him the worship that is due to God alone. Even in the midst of difficulties the entire Christian life should be a hymn of praise to God; by acting in this way, Christians are living out their holy, royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:4-10; cf. Vatican II, "Presbyterorum Ordinis", 1).
"To account for the hope that is in you": he is not referring to defending oneself before the courts, for official persecution had not yet become widespread in Asia Minor (cf. note on 2:11-12). He seems, rather, to be referring to the obligation to bear witness to their faith and hope, for all baptized persons should always, by word and example, make known their faith known to others.
18-22. This passage may include parts of a Creed used in early Christian baptismal instruction. It very clearly expresses the essence of faith in Jesus Christ, as preached from the beginning by the Apostles (cf. Acts 2:14-36; 1 Cor 15:1ff) and as articulated in the Apostles' Creed "He was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty."
Jesus Christ, who suffers for the sins of mankind--"the righteous for the unrighteous" -- and then is glorified, gives meaning to the sufferings of Christians. "Oh, how great thanks am I bound to return to you for having shown me and all the faithful the right and good way to your everlasting kingdom! For your life is our life; and by holy patience we walk on to you, who are our crown. If you had not gone before and taught us, who would care to follow? Alas, how many would have stayed afar off and a great way behind if they had not had before their eyes your wonderful example!" ("The Imitation of Christ", 3, 18).
18. "Christ has died for sins once for all": our Lord's sacrifice is unrepeatable (cf. Heb 9:12-28; 10:10) and superabundantly sufficient to obtain the remission of all sins. The fruits of the Cross are applied to man, in a special way, by means of the sacraments, particularly by taking part in the Mass, the unbloody renewal of the sacrifice of Calvary.
"Being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit": there is disagreement among commentators as to what "flesh" and "spirit" mean here. Some identify them with our concepts of body and soul--"dead as regards the body, alive as regards the soul". Others see them as equivalent to the humanity-divinity of our Lord: "dead as far as his human nature is concerned, alive (continues to live) as far as his divinity is concerned". Finally, having regard to the meaning these terms have in the Old Testament the phrase may refer to the earthly condition of our Lord compared with the glorious condition he had after his resurrection; in which case it would be an early form of words used to convey the idea that Jesus Christ, on dying, left his mortal condition behind for ever in order to move into his glorious, immortal state through his resurrection (cf. 1 Cor 15:35-49).
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From: John 14:15-21
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
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Jesus said to His disciples: [15] "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. [16] And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever. [17] even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; you know Him, for He dwells with you, and will be in you.
[18] "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. [19] Yet a little while, and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. [20] In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. [21] He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and manifest Myself to him."
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Commentary:
15. Genuine love must express itself in deeds. "This indeed is love: obeying and believing in the loved one" (St. John Chrysostom, "Hom. on St. John", 74). Therefore, Jesus wants us to understand that love of God, if it is to be authentic, must be reflected in a life of generous and faithful self-giving obedient to the Will of God: he who accepts God's commandments and obeys them, he it is who loves Him (cf. John 14:21). St. John himself exhorts us in another passage not to "love in word or speech but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18), and he teaches us that "this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments" (1 John 5:3).
16-17. On a number of occasions the Lord promises the Apostles that He will send them the Holy Spirit (cf. 14:26; 15:36; 16:7-14; Matthew 10:20). Here He tells them that one result of His mediation with the Father will be the coming of the Paraclete. The Holy Spirit in fact does come down on the disciples after our Lord's ascension (cf. Acts 2:1-13), sent by the Father and by the Son. In promising here that through Him the father will send them the Holy Spirit, Jesus is revealing the mystery of the Blessed Trinity.
"Consoler": the Greek word sometimes anglicized as "paraclete" means etymologically "called to be beside one" to accompany, to console, protect, defend. Hence the word is translated as Consoler, Advocate, etc. Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as "another Consoler", because He will be given them in Christ's place as Advocate or Defender to help them, since Jesus is going to ascend to Heaven. In 1 John 2:1 Jesus Christ is described as a Paraclete: "We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous". Jesus Christ, then, also is our Advocate and Mediator in Heaven where He is with the Father (cf. Hebrews 7:25). It is now the role of the Holy Spirit to guide, protect and vivify the Church, "for there are, as we know, two factors which Christ has promised and arranged in different ways to continue His mission [...]: the apostolate and the Spirit. The apostolate is the external and objective factor, it forms the material body, so to speak, of the Church and is the source of her visible and social structures. The Holy Spirit acts internally within each person, as well as on the whole community, animating, vivifying, sanctifying" (Paul VI, "Opening Address at the Third Session of Vatican II", 14 September 1964).
The Holy Spirit is our Consoler as we make our way in this world amid difficulties and the temptation to feel depressed. "In spite of our great limitations, we can look up to Heaven with confidence and joy: God loves us and frees us from our sins. The presence and the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church are a foretaste of eternal happiness, of the joy and peace for which we are destined by God" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 128).
18-20. At various points in the Supper we can see the Apostles growing sad when the Lord bid them farewell (cf. John 15:16; 16:22). Jesus speaks to them with great tenderness, calling them "little children" (John 13:33) and "friends" (John 15:15), and He promises that He will not leave them alone, for He will send the Holy Spirit, and He Himself will return to be with them again. And in fact He will see them again after the Resurrection when He appears to them over a period of forty days to tell them about the Kingdom of God (cf. Acts 1:3). When He ascends into Heaven they will see Him no longer; yet Jesus still continues to be in the midst of His disciples as He promised He would (cf. Matthew 28:20), and we will see Him face to face in Heaven. "Then it shall be that we will be able to see that which we believe. For even now He is with us, and we in Him [...]; but now we know by believing, whereas then we shall know by beholding.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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