2026-05-10 Sixth Sunday of Easter
2026-05-10 Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Samaria was a region of contested Jewish identity - faithful descendants of the northern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, who worshiped at Mount Gerizim instead of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. Samaritans were worshippers of the same God Yahweh but with different beliefs from other Jews, with each claiming to uphold the identity of Abraham.Philip,
one of the seven presbyters, takes the Gospel to Samaria and baptises
them by the water but it is only after Peter, one of the Apostles, lays
hands on them does God bless them with the gift of the Spirit -
confirming that the Samaritans as a whole are now part of the Church.
With this act the old divisions that kept Samaritans and Jews at odds
would be undone in the family of God united in Jesus. The same baptism,
the same Spirit, would mark them all as beloved children.
Even today the Bishop, direct descendants of the Apostles, in most cases is the one to perform the Sacrament of Confirmation - there are a few exceptions like the Adult confirmation at Easter.
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action—
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
The first strategy he employs is to get the Christ-believers to focus on the future; both theirs and their attackers, assuring them that not only will they gain future rewards (1 Peter 3:13-14) but those who attack them will be punished (1 Peter 3:16). The language of blessing and the fact that those who are attacking the Christ-believers will be put to shame gives this passage a strong eschatological flavor.
The second strategy he employs is to remind them of the tools and resources available to them. They can defend their faith in respectful ways with integrity not malice.
The third strategy he employs is to give them comfort in the knowledge that Christ himself suffered, to help them understand that being righteous and obedient to God’s will does not preclude pain and suffering but that God will provide them the grace to face their hardships. In his perfect obedience, Christ suffered and died. It also helps them understand that suffering does not necessarily need to be seen as a sign of divine displeasure. Rather it can be and often is a part of the salvation story.
John’s Gospel calls the Holy Spirit the paraklētos or Advocate, Comforter, or Helper, all terms for someone who is called to one’s side as a source of help by bringing the wisdom and truth of God's covenantal love and eternal life to the faithful in trying times. The Spirit continues Jesus’ work without taking Jesus’ place. Jesus and the Spirit both come from the Father and are sent into the world. Jesus communicates what he has received from his Father and the Spirit declares what he has received from Jesus (7:17; 16:13). If Jesus glorifies God, the Spirit glorifies Jesus (16:14; 17:1). Both of them teach, bear witness to the truth, and expose the sin of the world (3:20; 7:14; 14:26; 15:26; 16:8; 18:37). And in both cases, the reaction is the same: the world refuses to recognize and receive Jesus or the Spirit (1:11; 14:17).
Even today the Bishop, direct descendants of the Apostles, in most cases is the one to perform the Sacrament of Confirmation - there are a few exceptions like the Adult confirmation at Easter.
Psalm 66
This psalm of praise can be applied to faithful today as narrated in Rabindranath Tagore's most celebrated collection, Gitanjali (Song Offerings) in a poem titled a "Prayer for the nation."Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action—
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
1 Peter 3:15-18
The circumstances referred to in 1 Peter 3:13-22 was the open, official, harsh persecution by Roman officials under Emperor Domitian (81-91 CE), and proposes various strategies to encourage the faithful to willingly suffer for their faith.The first strategy he employs is to get the Christ-believers to focus on the future; both theirs and their attackers, assuring them that not only will they gain future rewards (1 Peter 3:13-14) but those who attack them will be punished (1 Peter 3:16). The language of blessing and the fact that those who are attacking the Christ-believers will be put to shame gives this passage a strong eschatological flavor.
The second strategy he employs is to remind them of the tools and resources available to them. They can defend their faith in respectful ways with integrity not malice.
The third strategy he employs is to give them comfort in the knowledge that Christ himself suffered, to help them understand that being righteous and obedient to God’s will does not preclude pain and suffering but that God will provide them the grace to face their hardships. In his perfect obedience, Christ suffered and died. It also helps them understand that suffering does not necessarily need to be seen as a sign of divine displeasure. Rather it can be and often is a part of the salvation story.
John 14:15-21
In John 14:15–21, Jesus, in his Farewell Discourse, offers solace and encouragement to his disciples, intertwining the themes of love, obedience, and the promise of the Paraclete.John’s Gospel calls the Holy Spirit the paraklētos or Advocate, Comforter, or Helper, all terms for someone who is called to one’s side as a source of help by bringing the wisdom and truth of God's covenantal love and eternal life to the faithful in trying times. The Spirit continues Jesus’ work without taking Jesus’ place. Jesus and the Spirit both come from the Father and are sent into the world. Jesus communicates what he has received from his Father and the Spirit declares what he has received from Jesus (7:17; 16:13). If Jesus glorifies God, the Spirit glorifies Jesus (16:14; 17:1). Both of them teach, bear witness to the truth, and expose the sin of the world (3:20; 7:14; 14:26; 15:26; 16:8; 18:37). And in both cases, the reaction is the same: the world refuses to recognize and receive Jesus or the Spirit (1:11; 14:17).
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