Sunday Reflections - SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – YEAR A

 LIGHT FOR THE LIVING

SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – YEAR A

(Acts 1:12–14; 1 Peter 4:13–16; John 17:1–11)

My beloved in Christ,

In a bustling community in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, there once lived a respected palm wine tapper and canoe builder called Etim Okon. The man was famous throughout the villages, not only because he built the strongest canoes, but because every apprentice trained under him eventually became successful.

Now, Etim was not the kind of master who would simply hand over tools and disappear. Ah! He trained his apprentices seriously.

First, he would make them watch him silently for many months. Then he would begin teaching them little by little:

• how to choose good wood,
• how to balance a canoe,
• how to paddle against strong currents,
• and how not to fall into the river while pretending to impress girls at the waterside.

Whenever an apprentice made mistakes, Etim corrected him patiently.

After years of training, he would finally send them alone to nearby villages to repair small boats. The villagers called it “field work,” but the apprentices called it “fear and trembling.”

One apprentice once complained,
“Master, why can’t you just release us fully and leave us alone?”

Etim laughed loudly and replied,
“If I leave you before you are ready, the river will teach you lessons I was trying to prevent!”

The whole compound burst into laughter.

Then one evening, after many years of training his apprentices, Etim gathered them together and said:

“My work here is almost finished. But do not rush out carelessly. Stay together. Wait until the elders officially present you to the community. After that, the work will truly begin.”

 

Christ Did Not Build a Crowd — He Established a Church

That village story helps us understand the deep meaning of today’s readings.

Jesus Christ did not come into the world merely to gather admirers. He came to establish a mission, form disciples, and found His Church.

For almost thirty years, Jesus lived a hidden life of obedience and preparation. Apart from the moment at age twelve when He remained in the Temple discussing with the teachers (cf. Luke 2:41–52), Scripture says little publicly about Him during those years.

Then came the decisive preparation:

• forty days and forty nights of fasting and prayer in the wilderness,
• His baptism in the Jordan,
• the beginning of His public ministry.

Afterward:

• He performed His first public miracle at Cana in Galilee,
• called disciples and apostles,
• taught them continuously,
• sent them out on missionary journeys,
• corrected them,
• strengthened them,
• and gradually prepared them for leadership.

This was formation.

Christ did not abandon His followers to confusion. He established structure, authority, teaching, sacramental life, and mission.

 

The Paschal Mystery Completed

Then came:

• Lent,
• the Passion,
• the Sacred Triduum,
• the Crucifixion,
• the Resurrection,
• and forty days of appearances after rising from the dead.

During these appearances, Christ continued teaching His apostles about the Kingdom of God (cf. Acts 1:3).

Finally, at the Ascension, He returned to the Father—but not before giving instructions:

“Stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
(Luke 24:49)

He did not tell them:
“Everybody should go and start his own ministry.”

No.

He commanded them to remain united, prayerful, and expectant.

This is deeply important in Catholic theology.

The Church was not born from private inspiration or personal interpretation. The Church emerged from:

• Christ’s deliberate formation,
• apostolic authority,
• communal prayer,
• and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

 

The Upper Room: The Church Waiting in Prayer

That is why today’s First Reading says:

“All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer.”
(Acts 1:14)

The apostles did not scatter.

Together with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, they remained in the Upper Room praying and waiting.

This image is profoundly Catholic:

• the apostles gathered together,
• united in prayer,
• around Peter,
• with the Blessed Virgin Mary present among them.

The Church was already visibly taking shape.

 

Christ Prays for His Church

In today’s Gospel, Jesus prays:

“I pray for them… keep them in your name that they may be one.”
(John 17:9,11)

This is the prayer of the High Priest for His Church.

Christ knew persecution would come. He knew confusion and suffering would arise. Yet He prayed that His disciples would remain faithful, united, and protected in truth.

This prayer continues to echo in the life of the Church today.

 

Suffering for Christ, Not for Sin

Saint Peter then teaches:

“Rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ.”
(1 Peter 4:13)

But he adds an important distinction:

Christians should suffer for righteousness—not for wrongdoing.

There is no glory in suffering caused by one’s own wickedness. The Christian glory is to endure faithfully because of Christ.

 

Apostolic Continuity and the Catholic Church

My beloved, the mission Christ gave to the apostles did not die with them.

Through apostolic succession:

• bishops continue the apostolic ministry,
• priests cooperate with them,
• and the Church continues Christ’s mission of teaching, sanctifying, and shepherding souls.

This is why Catholic Christianity is not merely individual spirituality. It is communion with the apostolic Church established by Christ Himself.

 

Light for the Living Today

Back in Ikot Ekpene, Etim Okon did not merely train apprentices to admire him. He formed them carefully, kept them united, and prepared them for the day they would officially begin their mission.

So too did Christ prepare His apostles before Pentecost.

The Church was not an accident.
The apostles were not freelancers.
The mission was not self-appointed.

Everything was carefully prepared by Christ Himself.

 

Sunday Reflection

My beloved,
Jesus Christ, having completed His work on earth by His life, death, and resurrection, prays for His disciples whom He taught about eternal life to remain steadfast in all He taught them as His Father glorifies Him.

The apostles in the Upper Room were faithful to the life of prayer, while Peter encourages them to rejoice if they suffer for proclaiming Christ and not for their own iniquities.

Let us be rooted in prayer and good life so as to share in Christ’s glory.

May God bless you.

Happy Sunday.

Rev. Fr. Chinedu Ibearugbulem, C.S.Sp