Texts taken from the missal “On Your Word” May-June 2025
6th Sunday of Easter (C)
2nd week, omitted
FIRST READING
From the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 15:1-2, 22-29)
In those days, some people who had come from Judea were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Because Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them and engaged in vigorous debate, it was decided that Paul and Barnabas and some others should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this question. Then the apostles and elders, together with the whole Church, decided to choose some of their number and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers. They sent the following letter through them: “The apostles and elders, your brothers, to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia who have come from the Gentiles: greetings! We have heard that some of our number, to whom we gave no authorization, have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind. We have therefore decided unanimously to choose representatives and send them to you together with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will also convey these same things to you in person. It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities: to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from unlawful unions. You will do well to keep away from these things. Farewell!” - The word of the Lord.
Commentary on the First Reading
It is normal for problems, doubts, and differing opinions to arise when it comes to establishing standards of conduct. There are many minds and many ways of thinking. Someone is needed to settle disputes and establish standards that are valid and reliable for everyone. For example, when Luther questioned the real presence of the Body of Christ in the Mass, the bishops met with the Pope (the Council of Trent) to give a clear answer not only to Luther, but to the whole Church. In this case, the issue raised by Luther gave the Church the opportunity to clarify matters and provide certain and definitive answers about the nature of the Eucharistic sacrament. This is how the authentic Magisterium of the Church operates. We should therefore be grateful that we can have certain documents and clarifications, because in this case authority serves the truth, and therefore the people of God. One characteristic the Magisterium must have in order to be authentic is continuity: what was true yesterday must also be true today and will have to be true tomorrow, because the Church is one and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
SECOND READING
From the Book of Revelation of Saint John the Apostle (Rv 21:10-14, 22-23)
The angel carried me away in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, radiant with the glory of God. Its brilliance was like that of a very precious gem, like crystal-clear jasper. It is surrounded by great, high walls with twelve gates: above the gates are twelve angels, and names are written on them, the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. Three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. The walls of the city rest on twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. I saw no temple in it: the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city has no need of the light of the sun or of the light of the moon: the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb. – The Word of God.
Commentary on the second reading
The heavenly city (Paradise) is the kingdom of God, but its foundations, gates, and walls are made up of the names of men: the patriarchs of the Old Testament and the twelve apostles. The keys to this Kingdom are given to one man, Peter. Is eternal life therefore divine or human, material or spiritual? Since God became man, we know that he divinized what was human and “humanized” what was divine. Thus, Paradise is the fullness of our humanity, the definitive fulfillment of our human being. Don Divo Barsotti used to say that Paradise is not simply a place, but the risen Christ. “Paradise is him,” he affirmed. This is somewhat difficult to imagine, so let us hold on to both ideas: it is a city, with the light of God, and at the same time it is the Body of Christ, because our relationship with God is possible only through the incarnation of the Word. Let us then look toward the Kingdom that awaits us and overcome every human sadness, knowing that Jesus has flung open the gates of heaven before us. The Lord never wants us to be discouraged, never, because he is our eternal life!
GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to John (Jn 14:23-29)
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 dwelling 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. I have told you these things while I am still with you. But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have told you. I leave you peace; I give you my peace. Not as the world gives it do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. I have told you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe.” – The word of the Lord.
Commentary on the Gospel
It is essential to receive Christ’s peace “not as the world gives it.” There is therefore a peace that comes from the world and one that comes from God, and they are different from each other. What the Lord gives his children is his own Spirit, who makes them feel in communion with him, gives them the joy of feeling loved, gives them the strength to love their neighbor with generosity and sacrifice, and makes them feel in harmony with creation. God’s children, therefore, are at peace with everyone. The world, on the other hand, offers a peace that is a momentary absence of outward conflicts, but inwardly one continues to be controlled, and at times tormented, by passions and selfishness. If one lives immersed in the world, one is never happy, because the world never keeps its promises; it does not give intimate peace simply because it does not possess it. Therefore, receiving the Holy Spirit means living that peace we all dream of and desire. Peace is attained by kneeling, humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and docilely welcoming his divine Presence. “We will make our dwelling with him,” Jesus says in today’s Gospel. Let us therefore open the door of our hearts today, during Mass itself, and God, One and Triune, will dwell within us.
