The followers of Christ come from every race and culture, every generation and social class. However, it is not a common culture that draws them together, but a common faith. Peter and Paul represent the universality of the church and the red vestments worn today remind us of the price their commitment exacted of them. Both Peter and Paul are examples of how God takes those weak in faith and transforms them into champions of the gospel. Once transformed, each man threw himself wholeheartedly into the mission that was his. Their fate should not surprise us, for they were disciples of one who gave his last breath for the life of the world. Although the word martyr usually refers to one who dies for the faith, the Greek word (mártys) really means witness, one who gives testimony. Like Peter and Paul, the martyr is one whose life gives witness to the faith. However, when this witness is too much of a challenge, the witness’ life is placed in jeopardy. Peter and Paul call us all to this kind of testimony to faith.
This Feast reminds us that the body and blood of Christ were offered as a sacrifice for us, and every time we re-enact this sacrifice, we renew his sacrifice. The multiplication of the loaves and the fishes in the Gospel prefigures the messianic banquet of fulfilment. Its miraculous bounty assures us of the abundance of that future banquet. Its miracle of multiplication prefigures the miracle of Jesus as he changed the bread and wine into his own body and blood. Jesus handed himself over as food and drink on the very night that he was handed over by others. The banquet that he prepared was a celebration of the new covenant; it was a messianic banquet of thanksgiving. This feast invites us to enter through either the past, the present or the future, for each one will lead us to the mystery that we celebrate: the mystery of the sacrifice of Christ; the mystery of the sacred bread and wine of the future; the mystery of the messianic banquet of the present.
In the Gospel, Jesus consoles and encourages his disciples on the night of his arrest. He promises them that even in his absence they will still have an advocate, a teacher and guide; they will not be left orphaned. The understanding of God as Trinity can also help us understand our own life. The Trinity expresses the Christian faith that the essence of Divine life is a love that reaches out to another in desire to be in relationship. As this Gospel reveals, the Spirit is turned towards Jesus, the Son; all the Spirit expresses comes from the Risen Christ, just as all the Father has, is given over to the Son. Our own relationships and desires for love image the dynamic self-giving within the life of God. In celebrating the Trinity, may we also celebrate and give thanks for our participation in this life of loving desire. May the patterns of our own loving mirror the generous self-giving of our God.
The word Pentecost comes from the Greek for fiftieth day. Pentecost Sunday ends the season of Easter and comes as a Sabbath day after seven weeks of seven days. In Christian tradition, Pentecost is celebrated as the arrival of the Spirit, promised by Jesus, that animated the disciples to proclaim His Gospel to all nations. In John’s Gospel, the Spirit is called ‘The Advocate’ or ‘The Paraclete,’ and the role of the Spirit is to teach and remind the disciples of Jesus’ words. These are functions that happen within a community where people gather to share stories, to ask questions, to try to find meaning in the events of their lives. Jesus promises that when Christians gather for this purpose they will not be alone. Jesus promises that he, and the God he calls ‘Father’, will make their home with us, and the Spirit will be there to guide and enlighten us.
The Feast of the Ascension celebrates the exaltation of Jesus. We do this by considering the enthronement of Christ in the heavens and the new body of Christ on earth. Today we stand awestruck, watching Jesus ascend into the clouds of heaven, there to be enthroned at the right hand of God. Today is a day to be overwhelmed by the reality of the divinity of the one whom we have known in his humanity. Christ who ascended into heaven in his body carries on what he began on earth through his new body, the community of believers. He teaches through its apostles and evangelists. He ministers through its prophets and pastors. We have not been left alone; we have his power, the same power with which he performed marvels when he walked the earth. We have not been left alone; we have each other. Together we make up the new body of Christ.
The central theme of this week’s Gospel is unity. Jesus prays that all believers ‘may be one’, just as He and the Father are one. This unity is established in the very relationship between the Father and the Son. Jesus asks that all believers be united ‘in us’, sharing in the divine life and love that exists within the Godhead. Such unity serves a purpose: ‘so that the world may believe that it was you who sent me’. The visible unity and love among Christians serves as a powerful symbol to the world of Christ’s love for all. This echoes Jesus’ earlier teaching: ‘By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’ (Jn 13:35) Unity and love among believers are not ends in themselves. They are signs to us of Christ love for us, inviting us to take up Jesus mission of love.
The new commandment that Jesus announces is more than tolerance or mutual respect. It requires self-sacrificing love. It is the law of the new heaven and the new earth that are established in the new Jerusalem. Standards are entirely different there. The greater ones serve; the meek possess the earth; happy are the poor; woe to those who laugh. This is clearly a city that comes down from heaven, not one made by human hands. It is a city that embraces all who come to it. God dwells in the midst of this city, in the heart of this people. God dwells with them and they dwell with God. Through this new love, this new heaven and new earth, this new depth of communion, the glory of God is manifested in a new way.
The characterisation of Jesus as the Good Shepherd points to the relationship Jesus has with those who follow him, as well as the relationship he has with God. The image of Jesus as shepherd implies intimate knowledge on the part of both Jesus and his followers and unquestioning trust on the part of the followers. Jesus promises that he will give eternal life to his sheep, and that he will not allow anyone to take them away from him. He can promise eternal life, because he has power over death. Jesus consistently calls God Father, the Trinitarian designation that signifies distinction in divine union. It is clear that all that Jesus says and does is the actual embodiment of God’s will and not just behaviour that is in conformity with it. The shepherd who cares for the sheep is indeed one with God.
With Jesus soon to depart in a physical sense, someone else is going to have to take the role of the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for the sheep entrusted to him by the Father (John 10:11, 14-16). The role will fall to Simon Peter but first his qualifications must be probed and tested. By an earlier charcoal fire (John 18:18) he had denied Jesus three times. Hence the triple interrogation in which his love is gently probed: ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ (John 21:15-19). Only if Simon loves Jesus ‘more than these others’ will he be suitable to take up the pastoral role which Jesus has exercised to the point of death. The interrogation goes on until Simon is moved at the depths of his being. There is no explicit censure of his denial, no demand for apology – just a sense conveyed that the triple protestation of love will more than adequately compensate for the past failure and show that Peter is ready and equipped to feed and tend the sheep, as Jesus had done. In fact, as Jesus goes on to foretell, Peter too will end his pastoral office by laying down his life in imitation of his Lord.
The themes for the second Sunday of Easter set the tone for the entire Easter season. They are all directed toward mystagogical instruction, primarily of those baptised during the Easter Vigil, but also of the whole Christian community. The readings for this season provide us an extended meditation on the resurrection and on our own incorporation into it through the mysteries of initiation. Most of us are like Thomas who looked for some tangible evidence of the resurrection. We do not find it any easier to live by faith than he did. However, when we do live by faith, we actually discover our capacity, as a Christian community, to reach out in care and support to others. Jesus extends his wounded hands to us as he did to Thomas, and the community is invited to touch his wounds as we touch the wounds of our world. Although the blessings that we derive from the resurrection are clearly gifts from God, they are nonetheless gifts that came at a cost.