Sunday Reflections - SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – YEAR A

 LIGHT FOR THE LIVING

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – YEAR A

(Acts 8:5–8, 14–17; 1 Peter 3:15–18; John 14:15–21)

My beloved in Christ,

In a riverside community in Okrika, Rivers State, there once lived an old fisherman called Chief Karibo. The man was famous for two things: his loud voice and his stubborn canoe. Whenever he paddled across the river, the canoe would shake like a goat dancing to egwu ekpili.

One season, Chief Karibo travelled to Port Harcourt to see his first son, who had become a “big man” working in an oil company. Before leaving, he gathered his children and declared dramatically:

“My children, while I am away, nobody should touch my special fishing net hanging inside this house!”

Everybody nodded obediently.

But barely three days later, heavy rain flooded the river, fish began jumping like politicians during election season, and the children became restless.

The youngest son whispered,
“If Papa were here, he would have used the net.”

The eldest daughter replied,
“But Papa said nobody should touch it.”

Then their mother smiled and said,
“Your father did not leave only instructions. He also left wisdom. He trained you already. Use the net properly and remember his teachings.”

Immediately, the children carried the net to the river. They worked together, remembered everything their father had taught them, and returned with baskets full of fish.

When Chief Karibo came back, he asked suspiciously,
“Who touched my sacred net?”

The children trembled.

But after seeing the fish, the old man burst into laughter and said,
“Good! Even though I was absent physically, my training was still living inside you.”

 

“I Will Not Leave You Orphans”

That simple story helps us understand today’s Gospel beautifully.

Jesus Christ was preparing His disciples for His departure. They were troubled because they had depended on His physical presence.

But Jesus reassured them:

“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
(John 14:18)

This is one of the deepest promises in Christian theology.

Christ does not abandon His Church.

Though He ascended into heaven, He remains present:

• through the Holy Spirit,
• through the Sacraments,
• through His Word,
• and through His Church.

This is why the Catholic Church teaches that Christianity is not merely following the memory of Jesus. It is living in communion with the risen Christ who remains actively present among His people.

 

The Holy Spirit: Presence, Power, and Communion

Jesus says:

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.”
(John 14:16)

The Holy Spirit is not merely a force or emotion.

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity:

• truly God,
• proceeding from the Father and the Son,
• giver of life,
• sanctifier of souls,
• protector of the Church.

The Spirit teaches, strengthens, guides, convicts, comforts, and sanctifies believers.

That is why the apostles in the Acts of the Apostles took the reception of the Holy Spirit seriously.

 

The Laying on of Hands: Apostolic and Sacramental Theology

The people in Samaria had already accepted the Word of God and had been baptized. Yet Scripture says:

“The Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them.”
(Acts 8:16)

Then Peter and John came:

“They laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”
(Acts 8:17)

This is profoundly important in Catholic theology.

The apostles did not say:
“Since they are baptized already, everything is complete.”

No.

Through the laying on of hands, the gift of the Holy Spirit was communicated in a fuller sacramental way.

The Church sees here one of the biblical foundations of the Sacrament of Confirmation.

What the apostles did in Samaria continues in the Church today through apostolic succession, especially through bishops, the successors of the apostles.

Thus:

• Baptism incorporates us into Christ,
• Confirmation strengthens us with the fullness of the Holy Spirit,
• and the Eucharist nourishes us continually.

Christ did not leave isolated believers. He established a sacramental Church.

 

Love Is Proven Through Obedience

Jesus also says:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
(John 14:15)

In Christianity, love is not merely emotional language. Love is fidelity.

To love Christ means:

• to obey Him,
• to remain in grace,
• to reject sin,
• to persevere in truth even under pressure.

That is why Saint Peter tells Christians:

“Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.”
(1 Peter 3:15)

The Christian faith is not cowardly silence. It is courageous witness.

 

Joy in the Midst of Persecution

The First Reading says:

“There was great joy in that city.”
(Acts 8:8)

Notice something beautiful:
The joy came after conversion, healing, and reception of the Gospel.

True joy is not the absence of suffering.
True joy is the presence of God.

 

Light for the Living Today

Back in Okrika, Chief Karibo’s children discovered something powerful: even though their father was physically absent, his life, wisdom, and presence still guided them.

So it is with Christ.

He has not abandoned His Church.

He remains with us:

• in the Holy Spirit,
• in the Sacraments,
• in the teaching of the Church,
• and in the communion of believers.

 

Sunday Reflection

My beloved,
Jesus Christ assures us that we shall not be left desolate. He will send the Holy Spirit to be with us.

He will also abide in us as the Father is in Him if we love Him and keep His commandments.

We shall remain steadfast in His love and do no wrong despite the abuse and persecution that come to us.

Our joy will certainly be like that of the multitude who received the Holy Spirit as they heeded the Word of God and were baptized.

May God bless us as we receive the Holy Spirit.

Happy Sunday.

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