I will Never Leave You Orphans. 6th Sunday of Easter

Sunday Breakfast With the Word 6th Sunday of Easter

 

I Will Never Leave You, Orphans,

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

 

Orphan from the Greek word Orphanos describes a child whose parents have died. It describes someone whose parental care and love have been deprived of him or her due to the death of the parents. In this situation, he/she is left in total abandonment or desertion due to the death of the parents. 

Some people also see an orphan as someone who lost both parents due to separation or any other circumstance.

 The life of an Orphan is not an easy one. Being separated from one’s birth family is a traumatic experience. 

Jesus knows how painful, and traumatic leaving His apostles could be, especially in the manner, it would be. 

The condition of His disciples at the moment, describes the situation of people whose master has died, and whose hope and parental care have been dashed to the ground. 

Today, Jesus reignites the hope of His disciples that despite whatever might happen, He will still be with them. This is also Jesus’ assurance to all who are His disciples today, though it may seem all hope is dashed to the ground, He will never allow us to be like children without parents.

The Paraclete will be With You Forever

 

Seeing how troubled His disciples were, Jesus said “I shall ask the Father, and He will give you another Paraclete to be with you forever. 

To understand Jesus very well, we have to understand what the meaning of paraclete is. Parakletos can mean a lawyer who pleads your case or a witness who testifies on your behalf.

 It can refer to a person who gives comfort, counsel, or strength in times of need. It can refer to a person who comes to the aid of someone who is in danger. 

The literal meaning is “someone called in… to help” in a time of need (Barclay, 194). Parakletos has been translated as Advocate, Counselor, Comforter, Intercessor etc. An Advocate may serve in the court system, in the health care network, or an educational institution, while other advocates may press the legislature to act on behalf of a certain cause.

 Paraclete is then someone who helps or acts on your behalf, he pleads for you in certain cases.

 Hence, the gospel of John gives us the impression that the Holy Spirit is the Advocate who brings our case up before God in the hope that God will do something merciful for us. 

Jesus promises that this advocate is not just going to be with us today, or tomorrow or next tomorrow but forever. This is Good News indeed. 

What appeared to be bad news to the disciples, namely Jesus’ departure from them, turned out to be the best news for both them and us. This time, it will no longer be a momentary presence but an everlasting presence.

It will no longer be Jesus working only physically but His disciples who will now do the major work by the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in them.

 

 

The Holy Spirit At Work.

 

The first reading shows us what truly happens when we work with the power of the Holy Spirit.

In the First reading, Philip did not go to Samaria with Jesus Christ. Philip is one of the seven appointed deacons who is filled by the power of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus promises His apostles His Spirit in the gospel, the first reading gives us a glimpse of what happens when the Holy Spirit is with us. When He walks with you, then it means that you are not alone. Great things always happen.

The first reading describes how the Holy Spirit helped Philip, the Deacon, to preach powerfully and convert the Samaritans in large numbers. The reading goes on to explain how the baptized Samaritans received a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit through the imposition of hands by the apostles’ Peter and John. 

Therefore, with the Holy Spirit, we can do mighty things in His name.

 In the second reading, Peter explains how Jesus was raised in the power of the same Spirit. 

 Paul says in Romans 8:11 ”And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you. 

Today also, Jesus reminds His disciples, that this Spirit lives in you (John 14:17). Therefore, we are no longer Orphans anymore if we acknowledge this Presence and work under His power and guidance.

These indicate that Great things When we work under the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

2. Jesus calls the Spirit “another” Advocate, which assumes that Jesus also is an Advocate (John 14:16). 

Yet calling the Spirit “another Advocate” does not mean He is “another Jesus.” The Spirit continues Jesus’ work without taking Jesus’ place. The Spirit remains with the disciples; He is constantly working with the Church and with all those who remain in the love of Jesus and keep his commandments.

 

When We Remain In His Love.

 

In Chapter 15:5, Jesus says “Cut off from me, you can do nothing”. This indicates that we need to be in union with Jesus always. 

There are blessings in store for those who truly live in the love of Christ and are connected to Him. The only way to prove this is to obey and keep His words and be guided by His divine principles. 

In today’s gospel, Jesus says “If you love me you will keep my commandments, one who has my commandments and keeps them, that person loves me”. 

Therefore, We can never love Him if we cannot obey Him• Jesus wants us to live in love and obedience to Him so that He can freely dwell in us through the Power of the Holy Spirit. 

 One of those commandments is to love one another. You cannot expect to live in this Divine Presence when we live in hatred, wickedness and detest the Word of God. Towards the end of this chapter in verse 24, Jesus ends this discussion by saying “If a man loves me, He will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him. He who does not love me does not keep my word. 

Therefore, to keep His commandments is the only way to live in the love of Jesus Christ. 

 

Conclusion

1. The world today is like an orphan thrown in the midst of confusion and utter abandonment.

It looks as if God is silent, nothing is working truly, everything is going down, and all hope seems to be lost, this was exactly the fear of the apostles. The world is full of evil.

The problem is that the same world has refused to acknowledge the presence and power of God. 

Jesus and the Spirit come from the Father and are sent into the world to save the world, but the world refuses to listen. 

Jesus communicates what He has received from His Father and the Spirit declares what He has received from Jesus (John 7:17; 16:13), Yet the world does not obey. 

The world is only interested in its designs, underrating everything spiritual, yet the world continues to suffer. 

The Holy Spirit comes to help, comfort, intercede, teach, bear witness to the truth, and expose the sin of the world (John 3:20; 7:14; 14:26; 15:26; 16:8; 18:37), yet the world refuses to repent, we will hear but will never do, we want to be made well, but we have refused to be made well. The problem is that the world refuses to recognize and receive Jesus or the Spirit (John 1:11; 14:17).

 

 

2. We live in hatred, selfishness, wickedness, betrayal, everyday killing, incessant quest for money, immorality, and no care for one another, yet things are not going well with us, nothing is moving, instead of making a stop.

Let us rethink and redress our steps. We cannot continue to wallow in our ignorance and continue in our suffering. Jesus has not left us, He is still with us through the power of the Holy Spirit, But the problem is that we have failed to acknowledge this divine presence in our lives.

 

This is why we look like orphans but truly we have a helper who is ready to intercede and help us but this Helper has been relegated and detested.

 

Let us go back to the drawing board and seek the face of the Father, Let us implore the help of the Spirit of God who worked mightily with the apostles, that He might work mightily with us in this present time.

 

 

3. Jesus promises us that He will never leave us orphans. This is a full assurance of His ever-abiding presence and love. He will be with us in times of danger and trouble. 

This is not just in times of trouble and danger, but a promise of His ever-abiding love and presence with us all the time. 

He knows that His Spirit is still with us. Philip converted the people of Samaria with this Ever abiding Presence and power of the Holy Spirit. 

This means that by the power, love and presence of the Holy Spirit, there is always a victory at the end. 

 

 

4. Jesus gives us conditions if we truly want to experience the power of the Holy Spirit always. He tells us that we must remain in His love and keep His commandments. This is our part. 

Therefore, if we remain ever connected with Jesus, avoid evil, live in love, and keep His commands, we shall testify His overflowing love and power in our lives. 

This somehow indicates that God fulfills His own part already. Let us do our own path.

We are the cause of our problem. We seem to live in fear instead of faith. 

We always desire to fall again and again instead of holiness. Also, many today do not have time for God instead of remaining closer to God. So, we are the cause of our problems and not God.

So, Let us always abide in His love. We are not alone. The Holy Spirit is with us. Amen.

May God bless you beloved and protect you from every danger. Amen. Happy Sunday