The Holy Spirit: Light and Life
May 13, 2007

Readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter

Reading 1: Acts 15:1–2, 22–29

Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 67:2–3, 5, 6, 8

Reading 2: Rev. 21:10–14, 22–23

Gospel: Jn. 14:23–29

Link to Readings

By Father Frank Pavone

Today’s readings instruct us that as a fruit of the Resurrection, we enjoy the presence of Christ forever through His Holy Spirit. That Spirit enlightens us both interiorly and as a society, bringing about peace and right relationships.

The truth that the Spirit brings, first of all, is one with the word of Jesus and the Father, as the Gospel passage explains. No “new gospel” can come along under the purported inspiration of the Spirit. No such inspiration will contradict the settled teachings of the Church.

Instead, Jesus says the Spirit will “remind” us of what he said. Through His Spirit, in other words, Jesus remains among us as our teacher, both reinforcing that teaching and enabling us to understand the changing circumstances of history in the light of that unchanging teaching. There is no further public revelation expected or necessary before Jesus comes again in glory. Between now and then, it is a matter of pondering, understanding more deeply, and applying more faithfully the teaching He has left us.

His Spirit will “remind” us of what he said. Such reminders are necessary, because we forget. As we journey through history, we come upon certain periods (as in our day) when certain trends obscure fundamental truths, such as that of the sanctity of life. Respected influences in society—like the decisions of government or the messages of mass media or popular entertainers—line up against the sanctity of life. In these instances, the Spirit “reminds” the faithful and the Church of the truth about life and how it is to be respected.

These “reminders” give us a freedom and independence from the dominant influences in our culture. We are not required to withdraw from society or retreat from engaging in the cultural institutions of our day. Rather, we are required to fortify our minds with the clarity that comes from the Holy Spirit, so that our judgment about what is right and wrong is independent of the errors that surround us. The Lord says, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” In other words, our understanding of God and His Word will come from our love and obedience to Him and His Word.

The Spirit guides not only individuals, in whom God resides, but also the community, as the first reading demonstrates. A controversy arose regarding the proper interpretation of Christian teaching. To resolve that controversy, the apostles convened to explore it. Their decision was also that of the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that the Church invents doctrine. It means that the Holy Spirit has given the Church the grace to remain faithful to the true interpretation of God’s Word and to hand it on to every generation.

Moreover, the guidance, or light, of God will be the center of the community in the world to come. That is why the second reading indicates that there is “no need of sun or moon to shine on” the New Jerusalem, because “the glory of God gave it light and its lamp was the Lamb.” The truth of God is what holds His people together, and brings the peace of which Jesus speaks in the Gospel.

This truth is the foundation of the right relationships between us, including our relationships with the youngest and most vulnerable members of the human family. The most fundamental human relationship is that between a mother and her own child. This relationship is obscured in our day by the so-called “right to abortion.”

In an age of abortion-on-demand, we need the Holy Spirit, through the Church and also through basic human conscience, to “remind” us that there is no such thing as a right to kill a child—whether that child is born or unborn. Even the Supreme Court, in its recent decision upholding the ban on partial-birth abortion, stated, “Respect for human life finds an ultimate expression in the bond of love the mother has for her child.”

On this Mother’s Day, we rejoice in the profound gift of motherhood and the fundamental gift of life. We pledge to grow in love for God and one another, and to proclaim, celebrate, and serve the gift of life!

Father Frank Pavone is the national director for Priests for Life and a member of CUF's advisory council. He is a contrubutor to Lay Witness magazine.

Back to Homily Archive