Fr. Alex Roman sx
For this sixth Sunday of Easter time, the Gospel reading offers us two important ideas for our reflection. The first one is about Love, "if you love me you will obey my commandments... whoever knows my commandments and keeps them, that person loves me." Jesus links love to obedience. It is often tempting to talk about God's love without mentioning our implicit duty to obey.
The second idea that appears in the Gospel of this sixth Sunday of Easter is Prayer: "I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate, to be with you forever... I will not leave you orphans" (vv.16,18). This is the promise of Jesus: not to leave us lonely, orphans, by giving us the Holy Spirit, who will become the presence of God with us in our daily life in this world.
Today the centre of my reflection will concentrate on the second idea: "I will not leave you orphans".
Now I am on a mission here in Africa, together with other brothers we belong to the same community; but I'm far from my parents, thank God they are still alive. Sometimes this feeling of being an abandoned orphan comes up to the surface. Jesus' words sound very comforting, even though he does not promise a physical presence, but a spiritual but real one. Jesus does indeed remain close to his faithful ones.
Now, I want to share one of the many definitions that can be found about being an orphan according to the Bible.
The New Dictionary of the Bible defines orphans as "children without parents who, together with widows and foreigners, were considered in Israel as social outcasts, those who deserved special care from the community because their state of abandonment"
Let's take a quick look at a passage from the book of Exodus. "If you mistreat the widow and the orphan, and they cry out to me for help, I will surely hear their cry, and my fury will burn and I will put you to death by the sword. Your wives will be widows and your children will be orphans. (Ex 22: 22-23). Just as God intervened to free Israel from its Egyptian oppressors, so he will do justice (in this case against the Israelites themselves) if people oppress the widow and the orphan. In other passages of the Bible they also include the foreigner. Thus, God reminds us in his Word that caring for orphans... is very important to him. So, it should be very important to us as well.
It can be surely said that the worship of God implies recognizing that He is the father of the orphans and defender of all those who live in a fragile state.
Thus, through the word of God we see that the people of God have had the responsibility of managing God's resources, and of remembering that God provides for the most needy and vulnerable through his own, his people. As shown in the first reading, Jesus continues to remain close, and so confirming his promise not to leave his apostles orphans. Have a nice Sunday.
For this sixth Sunday of Easter time, the Gospel reading offers us two important ideas for our reflection. The first one is about Love, "if you love me you will obey my commandments... whoever knows my commandments and keeps them, that person loves me." Jesus links love to obedience. It is often tempting to talk about God's love without mentioning our implicit duty to obey.
The second idea that appears in the Gospel of this sixth Sunday of Easter is Prayer: "I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate, to be with you forever... I will not leave you orphans" (vv.16,18). This is the promise of Jesus: not to leave us lonely, orphans, by giving us the Holy Spirit, who will become the presence of God with us in our daily life in this world.
Today the centre of my reflection will concentrate on the second idea: "I will not leave you orphans".
Now I am on a mission here in Africa, together with other brothers we belong to the same community; but I'm far from my parents, thank God they are still alive. Sometimes this feeling of being an abandoned orphan comes up to the surface. Jesus' words sound very comforting, even though he does not promise a physical presence, but a spiritual but real one. Jesus does indeed remain close to his faithful ones.
Now, I want to share one of the many definitions that can be found about being an orphan according to the Bible.
The New Dictionary of the Bible defines orphans as "children without parents who, together with widows and foreigners, were considered in Israel as social outcasts, those who deserved special care from the community because their state of abandonment"
Let's take a quick look at a passage from the book of Exodus. "If you mistreat the widow and the orphan, and they cry out to me for help, I will surely hear their cry, and my fury will burn and I will put you to death by the sword. Your wives will be widows and your children will be orphans. (Ex 22: 22-23). Just as God intervened to free Israel from its Egyptian oppressors, so he will do justice (in this case against the Israelites themselves) if people oppress the widow and the orphan. In other passages of the Bible they also include the foreigner. Thus, God reminds us in his Word that caring for orphans... is very important to him. So, it should be very important to us as well.
It can be surely said that the worship of God implies recognizing that He is the father of the orphans and defender of all those who live in a fragile state.
Thus, through the word of God we see that the people of God have had the responsibility of managing God's resources, and of remembering that God provides for the most needy and vulnerable through his own, his people. As shown in the first reading, Jesus continues to remain close, and so confirming his promise not to leave his apostles orphans. Have a nice Sunday.