Year
A
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Images
Holy spirit
Points to note
This
Sunday’s reading is an opportunity to introduce the sacrament of
confirmation. This is especially
relevant to those who have already received Holy Communion and for whom,
Confirmation is the last sacrament of initiation yet to be received.
It
is not recommended to go too much in depth into the sacrament itself as that
will anticipate the preparation for the sacrament. The reading itself concentrates on Jesus’
promise of the Holy Spirit, emphasising the fact that the promise was made in
love.
Avoid
getting too entangled in the reading itself, as it can be a rather confusing
one on a single read through. To go
through the reading to ensure proper understanding of it is outside the time
scope of this Liturgy of the Word. The
reading should be a backdrop to the themes to be discussed. Nevertheless, sufficient attention must be
given to the reading to accord it the importance and respect it deserves as the
Word of God.
Liturgy
Acclamation before the Gospel
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Jesus
said: “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word,
and my
Father will love him, and we shall come to him.”
Alleluia!
Reading
Explain to the children that at the
Last Supper, Jesus has just prophesied the treachery of Judas and the denials
of Peter. The apostles were disheartened
and Jesus was quick to console them.
The
Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
A
Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St John
All: Glory to you O Lord
(Jn 14:
15-21)
Jesus
said to his disciples:
“If you
love me you will keep my commandments;
I shall ask
the Father,
and he will
give you another Friend to be with you for ever,
it is the
Spirit of truth whom other people can never receive
since they
do not see or know him, but you know him,
because he
is with you, he is in you.
I will not
leave you orphans; I will come back to you.
In a short
time I will no longer be here;
but you
will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day
you will understand that I am with my Father
and you with
me and I with you.
Anybody who
receives my commandment and keeps them
will be one
who loves me,
and anyone
who loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I shall
love him and stay with him.”
This is the Word of the Lord
Discussion
Have you ever had a visit from an uncle or aunt from
far away? Sometimes, they give presents
before going away. Discuss the presents they may give.
Sometimes it is a present that is of use to us. Sometimes it is a present to console us when
we are sad that they are leaving.
Sometimes it is a present that will remind us of them. Sometimes they leave us their address so that
we could write to them.
The original
Greek word that I have translated as ‘Friend’ in the reading does not translate
well into English. It refers to the Holy
Spirit and various versions of the Bible translate it differently. The most common translation is ‘counsellor’
while the Catholic Missal renders it as ‘advocate’. Other translations include ‘comforter’ and
‘intercessor’. In truth, the Greek word
means all these and probably a little more.
Quite appropriately therefore, the gift Jesus left us cannot be
adequately expressed in the English language.
Explain that
Jesus, too, left a gift to his disciples, the Holy Spirit. Explain the nature of the gift in the light
of what was discussed on presents by the departing uncles and aunts. The present is of use to us: the Holy Spirit will help us and advise us. The present will comfort us. The present will remind us of Jesus. The present will enable us to contact
God: he is our intercessor.
There is one time in the life of a Catholic Christian
that he celebrates receiving this gift from Jesus. We call that Confirmation. Explain
that only baptised Catholics aged 15 and above may receive the sacrament of
Confirmation. Ask if any of the children
has seen such a celebration. Describe
what happens: the bishop places oil on
the forehead of the confirmant and lays his hands on the head of the
confirmant. The bishop then prays that
the Holy Spirit will descend upon the confirmant. Upon confirmation, the confirmant becomes a
full member of the Church and may now, among other things, seek to be ordained,
be a godparent and be married in the Church.
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