HOMILY FOR THE 6TH SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR C (1)

HOMILY FOR THE 6TH SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR C

THEME: THE FACES OF THE CHURCH

BY: Fr. Jude Chijioke

HOMILY FOR SUNDAY MAY 22 2022

Readings: Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29; Rev. 21:10-14, 22-23; Jn 14: 23-29

“It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond the necessities,

HOMILY FOR THE 6TH SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR C

THEME: THE FACES OF THE CHURCH

BY: Fr. Jude Chijioke

HOMILY FOR SUNDAY MAY 22 2022

 

 

Readings: Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29; Rev. 21:10-14, 22-23; Jn 14: 23-29

“It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond the necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right.” (Acts 15).

“The angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. It has a massive, high wall, with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed and on which names were inscribed, the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites. The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. I saw no temple in the city for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.” (Rev 21).

“Jesus said to his disciples: I told you these things when I was still among you. But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name, he will teach you everything, and he will remind you of all that I have told you.” (Jn 14).
Three different faces of the Church come to light in this Sunday liturgy. The first is human, marked by wrinkles, instability, and suffering, but still an authentic and real face. This is very effectively represented by the famous page of the Acts of the Apostles containing the synthetic document of the debate of the first ecumenical council in Jerusalem. It was convened to resolve the thorny question of the direct and immediate reception of pagans in the Christian community without going through a pre-conversion to Judaism and the practice of circumcision. The issue had passed like a storm in the Church, creating fractures and controversies.

Substantially three orientations emerged in the Council: the Pauline one strongly open-ended and “progressive”, the more cautious Petrine one and that of James, bishop of Jerusalem, operator of a skillful mediation whose result is visible in the drafting of the document. The fundamental truth towards which all must orient themselves is, however, clearly stated: no specific Jewish obligation must be imposed on Christians of pagan origin, above all, prior circumcision must not be required of them. In fact, as Peter said in his conciliar intervention, “we believe that by the grace of the Lord Jesus we were saved and the pagans in the same way” (15, 11).

However, because the Church is also a reality embodied in history, the fundamental truth of the universality of salvation is adapted with some small precautions to the concrete historical context to also meet the needs advanced by communities of Jewish origin. And for this reason, then, in the final document it is advisable to observe some ritual rules of a food type derived from the ancient Jewish practice (to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood and from suffocated animals, prohibited by the Old Testament tradition). Also unlawful marriages as addendum. The church today is therefore faced with a real lesson in her pastoral life. To keep intact the “deposit” of her faith but also must concretely respect the times of maturation and development of individual communities and persons.
The second face of the Church can be traced in the Gospel passage from the Johannine discourses of Jesus in the last week of his earthly life inside the Cenacle. The community of believers is deeply linked by two great values, those of love and faith. The root of these gifts is exquisitely Trinitarian.

In fact, Love is generated and nourished by the presence of the Father and the Son within the hearts of the faithful. Faith, on the other hand, is sustained above all by the Holy Spirit whose function is precisely that of “teaching” and “remembering” the whole message of Jesus. Now, in Johannine language, the word “remembering” has a technical sense; it indicates the profound interpretation of the word of Jesus in the light of Easter. The Spirit, therefore, makes us understand all dimensions, makes us discover all the strength and efficacy of the words of the Gospel. This passage offers us the portrait of a Church which is linked “vertically” to God through faith and “horizontally” to the sisters and brothers in love.
Finally, the third face of the Church, the glorious one is beautifully celebrated by the celestial Jerusalem traced in our second reading today from the Revelation. Surrounded by the glory of God, that is, by his loving presence, the new Jerusalem shines with every cosmic light. Its spiritual plan symbolically includes twelve doors; twelve angels are the custodians and defenders; twelve are also the bases, that is “the twelve apostles of the Lamb”. The ideal comment on this description could be taken from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: “You are no longer strangers and pilgrims, but fellow citizens of the saints and members of the family of God, built over on the true foundation, that is, the apostles and prophets.” (2, P19-20).
In this Jerusalem of hope the material temple is no longer necessary because Christ himself the “Emmanuel” is the temple, he dwells among us, the Word made flesh. Indeed, the very people of the redeemed who dwell in this Jerusalem is the “spiritual temple of God, a temple of living stones”, Peter wrote in his first letter (2,5) just as Paul had already declared to the Ephesians (2, 21). The communion between God and man will then be perfect and the Church is transformed into that Kingdom of heaven surrounded by light and fullness of glorying in the love of God.

Fr. Jude Chijioke

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