Sunday
- 10 May 2026 – VI Week of Easter (year A)
Mass
Readings:
Act 8:5-8.14-17 Ps 66 1 Pet 3:15-18 Jn 14:15-21
Key
verse to Meditate:
If you
love Me, you will keep My commandments (Jn 14:15).
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
We are now in the sixth week of Easter, and in
just two weeks the Church will celebrate the solemn feast of Pentecost. The
liturgical readings are already guiding us toward the mystery of the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit, who strengthened the fearful apostles and empowered them to
proclaim the Word of God with courage and authority.
In the first reading, we hear that the Holy
Spirit had not yet come upon the Gentiles (Acts 8:14-17). This passage
highlights the growing mission of the Church and the essential role of the Holy
Spirit in the life of every believer. In today’s Gospel, Jesus promises His
disciples the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will remain with them and with the
Church forever (Jn 14:17).
The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to the Church — our
Advocate, Helper, and Guide in faith. The Spirit accompanies the faithful
followers of Christ and leads the Church toward its final goal of salvation.
Through the Holy Spirit, God has not abandoned us as orphans, but remains
present within us always.
When we live in the Spirit of God, we are given
the strength to endure every trial and obstacle in our journey of faith. As
Saint Paul reminds us: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will
hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword?” (Rom 8:35). With the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we can remain
steadfast in faith, trusting that nothing can separate us from the love of
Christ.
The First Reading
The Word of God today presents to us a powerful
moment in the life of the early Church. Philip goes to Samaria—an unexpected
place—and proclaims Christ. The people listen, they witness signs and healings,
and the result is clear: “there was great joy in that city.”
(Acts 8:8). Wherever Christ is truly proclaimed and received, joy is born. This
joy is not superficial happiness, but the deep peace that comes when hearts are
freed—from sin, from fear, from whatever enslaves them. Easter reminds us that
the Risen Lord continues to act through His Church, bringing healing and new
life to all who are open to Him.
Yet the passage does not end there. The apostles
Peter and John come and lay hands on the people so that they may receive the
Holy Spirit (Acts 8:15). This shows us that Christian life is not complete with
just hearing the Word or even believing—it reaches fullness in the gift of the
Holy Spirit. The Spirit strengthens, unites, and sends us on mission. Just as
Samaria moved from hearing, to believing, to receiving the Spirit, we too are
called to deepen our faith: not to remain passive Christians, but to become
Spirit-filled witnesses.
Therefore, on this Easter Sunday, let us ask
ourselves: Do I experience the joy of Christ in my life? Am I open to the Holy
Spirit working within me? And am I ready, like Philip, to share Christ with
others? If we welcome the Word, receive the Spirit, and live our faith boldly,
then our homes, our communities, and our world too will be filled with that
same Easter joy.
Second Reading
In today’s second reading, St. Peter gives us a
beautiful and practical instruction for Christian living: “Sanctify
Christ as Lord in your hearts.” (1 Pet 3:15a). This is where
everything begins—not in external actions, but in the inner surrender of our
hearts to Christ. When Christ truly reigns within us, our lives begin to
reflect Him. People will notice something different in us—a quiet strength, a
steady hope, a deep peace even in difficulties.
That is why St. Peter tells us to be “always
ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that
is in us.” (1 Pet 3:15b). As Christians, we are people of hope,
especially in a world often marked by fear, uncertainty, and discouragement.
But notice how we are to give this witness: with gentleness and
reverence. Our faith is not something we impose, but something we
propose through love, humility, and the integrity of our lives. A good and
sincere life becomes the strongest defense of our faith.
Finally, Peter reminds us that suffering may
come, even when we do what is right. Yet this suffering is not meaningless.
Christ Himself suffered-“the just for the unjust”-to
bring us to God. In the light of Easter, suffering is transformed; it becomes a
path to life. When we endure trials with faith, we share in the victory of the
Risen Lord.
Therefore, on this 6th Sunday of Easter, let us
deepen our commitment to Christ. Let us allow Him to reign in our hearts, live
with a clear conscience, and witness to our hope with gentleness. Then, like
the early Christians, our lives will speak more powerfully than words, drawing
others closer to God.
The Gospel Reading
In today’s Gospel, which continues from last
Sunday, we see Jesus promising His disciples an Advocate from God, namely the
Holy Spirit, who will remain with them and with the Church forever. Jesus
assures them: “This is the Spirit of truth, whom the
world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him,
because he abides with you, and he will be in you” (Jn 14:17). The
Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Helper in faith, who accompanies us, the
faithful servants of Christ, until the end of time. Jesus has given us the
Spirit, the source of all holiness, to guide the Church toward its final goal
of salvation. God has not left us orphaned; rather, He has given us His Spirit
to be with us and within us forever. If we possess the Spirit of God, we can
endure every obstacle to faith in our lives: “Who will separate us
from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Rom 8:35).
A second important point that Jesus presents for
our reflection is the true measure of love for Him. If one truly loves Jesus,
one must keep His commandments: “If you love me, you will keep my
commandments” (Jn 14:15, 21). In the previous chapter, Jesus gives
His disciples a new commandment, which becomes their identity: “I
give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved
you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are
my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:34–35).
What, then, is this commandment? It is that we love one another as disciples of
the Lord, just as Jesus has loved us. Jesus Himself has shown us the perfect
example: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have
loved you” (Jn 15:12). Knowing their human frailties, He loved His
disciples to the end. Their weaknesses did not prevent Him from washing their
feet or sharing the Last Supper with them.
Furthermore, Jesus promises that those who love
Him will also be loved by the Father: “Those who love me will
be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them”
(Jn 14:21). In other words, God’s presence will dwell abundantly in the lives
of those who love Him and keep His commandments. In a similar way, St. Peter
summarizes the suffering of Christ as the purest act of love when he says: “For
Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous,
in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive
in the spirit” (1 Pet 3:18). As a result of this unfathomable love
of Christ, we are called to proclaim His love to others—always with gentleness
and reverence: “In your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord.
Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an account
of the hope that is in you” (1 Pet 3:15).
Love is the defining mark of a disciple of
Christ. A person lives in love from the first breath to the last. True love for
others leads to commitment. The love expected of a Christian must reflect the
commandment of God, revealed and embodied by Jesus. In today’s world, this love
must be expressed through justice, respect for life, and efforts toward
reconciliation and peace. Even small actions gain meaning when they are done
out of love for God. Every good deed, even when done unconsciously, is connected
to the love we carry within us. Every act of love, however small, takes on
eternal value if it reflects even a drop of Christ’s love.
Points for Personal Reflection
Dear brothers and sisters, today the Lord calls
us to become people of Easter joy, witnesses of hope, and disciples of love.
Let us therefore open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, allow Christ to reign
within us, and live His commandment of love in our families, communities, and
society. When we love as Christ loved, when we witness with gentleness and
hope, and when we remain faithful even in difficulties, then the world will
recognize that we truly belong to Him.
The world today needs, more than ever, this
commandment of love. The disciples of Jesus are called to put this commandment
into practice with sincerity and commitment. Jesus has called His disciples to
follow the path of love and sacrifice. Am I ready to follow Him and accept His
invitation? The Holy Spirit is God’s Advocate and our constant Helper in
faith—do I invoke Him in moments of difficulty and personal struggle?
May the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with courage, deepen our faith, and make
our lives a reflection of the Risen Lord, so that through us others too may
experience the joy, peace, and love of Christ- Amen.
