ANOTHER ADVOCATE
Sunday 17 May 2020
6th Sunday of Easter.
(Acts 8.5-8, 14-17, 1Peter 3.15-18, John 14.15-21)
In the gospel today, Jesus promised His disciples that the Holy Spirit, the Advocate will come. He will teach them everything and remind them if they forget. We see the demonstration of the power of the Advocate in the first reading, Philip performed great works in Samaria. There was a harvest of souls who received the message of the gospel. These converts were in turn imparted with the Holy Spirit by laying of hands so that they too would bear fruits.
The presence of the Holy Spirit is a necessity in the Church, It is the Live Wire of the Church, the source of growth, development, maturity and advancement. Apart from the gifts and charisms of the Holy Spirit, we also see one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in the second reading, the fortitude endure suffering for doing good. It is very good to have the charisms/gifts of the Holy Spirit and to perform signs and wonders like Philip in the first reading, but it is equally necessary to have the fruits of the Holy Spirit in order to endure suffering and hardship that might come because of the gospel.
Many times, we are only interested in gifts of the Holy Spirit, and like Simon of Samaria, we are ready to buy It with money if possible, we often care less about the fruits. The result could be immaturity and unbalance in our witnessing. Every year we celebrate His coming on the Pentecost day and everyday we invoke Him because without His guide, we are sure to miss our way.
Preparation is very important for the reception of the Holy Spirit. Jesus prepared His disciples for about three years, they still had to pray and wait for nine days before It came. But when It came, the noise was heard, the fire was felt, the signs were evident and seen.
There was no doubt that another Advocate had come. We pray for the outpouring of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit upon the Christian Church. We need It now more than ever. In the midst of the complexities and the overwhelming confusion of today’s world, only the Holy Spirit can lead us to the Truth that sets free.
The need to listen to the Advocate, the Spirit of the Truth is very much important in this our time of enlightenment and confusions. If we truly seek the Truth, the Advocate will guide us to it. May the Holy Spirit unite the Body of Christ all over the world and lead us to the Truth and the Light, may It hover again to heal and renew the face of the earth through Christ our Lord. Amen.
‘A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON
