Homily, 6th Sunday of Easter 2023

Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 14, 2023 -- Msgr. Joseph K. Ntuwa

Readings: Acts 8:5-8,14-17, 1 Peter 3:15-18; John 14:15-21

Every Sunday at Mass we profess together our belief in the one God who is maker ‘of all things visible and invisible.’ Until a couple years ago we used to say ‘all things seen and unseen’, but it was corrected to ‘visible and invisible.’ Of course, there are many unseen things which are visible. For example, to the best of my knowledge, nobody has ever seen my brain; but I have some confidence it both exists and, in principle, is visible. My humble prayer that nobody tries to verify this until after I’ve finished using it.

Whenever we recite the Creed, we affirm that God creates not just things which haven’t been seen, but things which cannot be seen. They are invisible not because they are shielded by some invisibility cloak, but because by their very nature they cannot be seen. Physics gives us some examples of things that certainly exist, but which are invisible. For instance, forces, such as gravity, undeniably exist, but they are invisible. We can only know of gravity by its effects. There are even particles which exist but are not visible. 

As we progress through the Easter season our focus begins to shift. We began with the joy of seeing the risen Christ: God made man, invisible made visible, who died, but rose and walked among us once more. And as we move towards the feast of the Ascension, we prepare for a time when even the incarnate Son will no longer be seen; he will no longer be visible in this world. In a sense, he becomes even more invisible than gravity as he is not part of this Universe, and as God he is uncreated. But like gravity and the Higgs bosons, God can be known by his effects. This is demonstrated in the readings for this Sunday.

We heard in the Acts of the Apostles how Philip, one of the seven deacons, proclaimed Christ to the Samaritans, and worked miracles of healing. By his actions Philip shows the power of the invisible God and ascended Lord. Then, the apostles Peter and John call down the Holy Spirit on those that Philip had baptized – today we would say they ‘confirmed’ the newly baptized. The Spirit strengthens the believers to proclaim the good news themselves. 

In today’s gospel, Christ acknowledges that ‘the World’ neither sees nor knows the Spirit; but he promises the Spirit is with us and in us. He is with the Church, and in each one of us individually. The presence of the Spirit in us is not for ourselves alone. The first letter of St Peter reminds us that each of us may always be willing and ready to share with others the reason of our hope, speaking gently and with reverence, witnessing to Jesus The grace of baptism, the communion of the Eucharist, are all for the sake of mission. That is the Christian understanding of the commandment to love God and neighbor. The deeper our love for others, the more we will want to communicate our reason for hope, and the more we will be open to hear theirs, knowing that God is not bound by structures but a free Spirit who blows in whom and where she will. Let us not act like orphans but be evangelizers who embody the joy of God's Spirit among us. Let us endeavor to joyfully share our faith.

It is Mothers’ Day weekend. Mother’s Day is a time dedicated to remembering all of the mothers and mother figures in our lives -- the women who have fed, nurtured, taught and sustained us. Mothers are essential in every generation, in every moment of the day, to fullness of God’s plan for human life and community. We are grateful to our Mother, the Church, where we were born at the baptismal font. And we are also grateful to Mary, our heavenly Mother who leads us to Jesus and who prays for us.  Happy Mother’s Day to you all.