6th Sunday of Easter - Year C

Gospel for the day - 6th Sunday of Easter

John 14:23-29 - ‘The Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.’


At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.’


‘These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I will come to you.” If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.’


This is the gospel of the Lord. Commentary on the readings.

Having used our prayer resources, you might want simply to reflect yourself on them and how that might flow into your coming week. Some people have found it very helpful to meet with others and share their thoughts.
If you are interested  in joining a small group to share your thoughts and feelings about God's Word from any of the resources you have watched please email us.         cluster.alpha@outlook.com



Questions for reflection (framed for a group discussion)


The very first words that Pope Leo addressed to the world were the words of the Risen Christ: "Peace be with you".


Peace is a word we often grapple with. On one level, we know it to mean the opposite of war, conflict, injustice, turmoil, strife. On another level, it is used in so many different ways that its deeper meaning can be elusive, to the point of becoming an empty word.


The Risen Jesus is offering his own peace as his supreme gift to us, "a peace that the world cannot give". What are the competing idols that the "world" leads us to believe will bring us contentment and "peace"? Consumerism, power, over-reliance on our own abilities?


Peace is a choice. It is a choice to put love first. It is a choice to put false idols firmly in their place. It is a choice to listen deeply to the Holy Spirit. It is a choice to allow God to love us and make his home in us so he can pour in the kind of peace which is "infinitely more than an absence of strife; it is the wholeness of the web of life itself and of every creature in it, held in the wholeness of the one God." (Margaret Silf).



  1. Share a moment when you experienced a deep sense of peace.
  2. What difference has it made in your life when you made a decision in accord with Jesus’ teachings?*


 * All second questions © The Pastoral Center


Prayers of Intercession


For Pope Leo, who, in one of his first public addresses, used the words of the Risen Christ, “Peace be with you”. May he be empowered by the Holy Spirit to encourage the church to foster a climate of peace, to act justly, and to speak the truth in love.
Hear us, Risen Lord... Our resurrection and life.


For all in authority who sign orders that lead to the destruction of lives in areas of conflict. May the Holy Spirit make them aware, that such actions destroy their humanity. May they listen to those who campaign against injustice, turn from violence and strive for peaceful solutions. 

Hear us, Risen Lord... Our Resurrection and Life

 

For communities throughout the world who have seen their homes, hospitals, and places of work destroyed and who weep for all they have lost through war. May they not lose hope that, someday, peace with justice might prevail.

Hear us, Risen Lord... Our Resurrection and Life

 

For this week’s celebration of ten years of Laudato Si. May those who lead and participate in these celebrations, encourage more people to respond to the prophetic call to care for the earth and to hear the cries of the world’s most vulnerable people.

Hear us, Risen Lord... Our Resurrection and Life

 

For ourselves, that the Holy Spirit will guide us in our daily lives and help us discern God’s will in every situation. May we accept Christ’s peace, “a peace that the world cannot give” and respond to every challenge by putting love first.

 Hear us, Risen Lord... Our Resurrection and Life

 

For those in our community who are sick, housebound, in hospital or lonely and all on the Prayer Foundation List and especially Fr Alex. May they draw strength through the Holy Spirit and know that God is with them in all their troubles.

 Hear us, Risen Lord... Our Resurrection and Life

 

For everyone in our community who has died, and for all whose anniversaries occur at this time. In particular Pope Francis, George Smith, Ella Stoddart, John Lovell, Patricia Cairney, Gina O’Neill, Carmine De Feo, Eleanor Rowley, Linda Reid & Margaret Hadaway.

May the Spirit awaken them to life without end and bring peace and solace to those who are bereaved.

Hear us, Risen Lord... Our Resurrection and Life

 



We will now say together the prayer to be missionary disciples.

Cluster prayer

Lord continue to bless our community in this time of transition.

Help us on our journey to grow from a maintenance church to a missionary church.
Give us the courage to be missionary disciples.
Make our doors wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship; narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride and prejudice.

Kindle in us the fire of your love that all who come here will find joy, peace and love.

Make this a house of prayer and a gateway to your kingdom.

AMEN

Preparing for next week -  7th Sunday of Easter

John 17:20-26 - ‘May they become perfectly one.’

At that time: Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven, and praying said, ‘[Holy Father,] I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’


This is the gospel of the Lord. Commentary on the readings.


Questions for reflection (framed for a group discussion)


The gospel this week is set during the Last Supper and comes after Jesus has spent time instructing the apostles and preparing them for what is to come. He then changes from instruction to prayer and just as we pray for people he prays for us. He asks his father for what will help us. Jesus wants us to have the same close relationship with God the Father as, he does. That relationship gives him the peace and security that allows him to go to the cross rather than act in a manner which denies his love of God. Similarly, as we follow Jesus' actions, the closer we will become to God.


He prays that we who believe are as one, that we are united and see each other's humanity. Jesus knows that those who believe in him will in the main be persecuted or ignored. He knows what his own fate will be, and he goes to it both fearfully and willingly. However, his love for us doesn't blind him to our frailty. Unity of purpose and belief will be essential to help his followers to resist both the cruelty and the temptation of the world.



  1. As a follower of Christ, how are you answering Jesus's prayer?
  2. What are some of the most important things to ask of God?*


 * All second questions © The Pastoral Center