6th Sunday Of Easter – Yr A
For today’s Gospel reading click the link below:
Mass Readings
(Acts 8:5-8.14-17, 1 Peter 3:15-18, John 14:15-21)
Homily Reflection by Fr. JJ Fenelon
I will come back to you.”
On the 4th of March 2016, in Aden, Yemen, terrorists attacked a Missionaries of Charity home. The attack left 16 people dead, including four Sisters. Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, a Salesian missionary was kidnapped on that day and help captive by the terrorists.
Fr. Uzhunnalil said that his ability to persevere “was thanks to the prayers of everyone” who interceded for him. “I prayed for God’s mercy on the sisters who had died and also for those who had killed them,” he said. “They then told me to come outside and asked me if I was a Muslim. I told them no, that I was a Christian. And they put me in the back seat of the car.”
During his captivity, they changed his location five or six times, and he said that he never knew the exact location of where he was being held.
In the 18 months he was held captive, Fr Uzhunnalil relied upon prayer for perseverance. “It was thanks to the prayers of everyone who prayed for me that I was able to endure what I was going through. It wasn’t because of my personal fortitude but because of the prayers of my brothers and sisters in the faith,” he said.
Fr Uzhunnalil also relied on personal prayer during his captivity.
“Every day, I prayed the Angelus; three or four Rosaries; an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be for the sisters who died; the Chaplet of Divine Mercy; I meditated on the Way of the Cross; and I celebrated Holy Mass spiritually – I didn’t have any bread or wine but I said the prayers from memory,” he said.
“I prayed for my captors and I thanked God for the seed of goodness they could have in their hearts. Thanks be to God, I don’t hold any hatred against them,” he added. The government of Oman and the Holy See had worked for the priest’s release. He was freed Sept. 12, 2017.
Fr Uzhunnalil encouraged all Christians who are suffering persecution today to be steadfast in prayer and in faith in God.
In the 2nd Reading – St Peter told the early Christian community that their conduct should be such that their persecutors will be put to shame: “Always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have. But give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience, so that those who slander you when you are living a good life in Christ may be proved wrong in the accusations that they bring”.
When we face persecution, hope is the virtue that enables us to look to the future with real confidence. Today we face an invisible enemy in the coronavirus. The persecution is worldwide and relentless causing almost more than 300,000 deaths. For those who survive it can be even worse. It’s like they have no hope for the future. Jobs are lost and savings are running low. Not sure how they are going to pay bills and bring food to the table for the family.
Hope is not wishful thinking or daydreaming but is grounded in life. Hope is not limitless but needs help. Without help, hope remains an orphan. Jesus had no intentions of leaving his disciples behind him in a situation where they are left to hope without any help. In today’s Gospel – Jesus promises his followers the Spirit, who will be with them forever. I will not leave you orphans. I will come back to you. The power of the Spirit is the help of Christian hope.
While most of Singapore rejoiced when they received a $600 government Solidarity Payment on April 14, generous individuals took the money and selflessly donated it to charity. Some even went on crowdfunding platforms to encourage others to contribute their payout to the underprivileged. And it looks like many others have come forward to help.
When the migrant worker community was first hit by the coronavirus, countless initiatives were quickly launched with the aim of helping them. People opened their wallets and organisations raised funds to provide them with food, masks, data top-up cards, counselling services and other necessities. Many of these campaigns are still ongoing.
1st reading – Philip preaches and performs miracles in Samaria and people believe in Jesus Christ. Peter and John are sent to Samaria and they realize that they have only been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. So they laid hands on them and the Holy Spirit descended upon them. The Apostles could do what they did because though they were persecuted, they believed in Jesus.
In this current covid19 pandemic, the UN has forecast that over the next two years more than 34 million people will be forced into extreme poverty.
In both developed and developing countries, many are at risk and will likely fall below the international poverty line by the end of this year. Those are individuals living on less than $1.90 a day.
Such a grim and gloomy picture of the world doesn’t inspire any kind of hope. But in the Gospel: Jesus said, “I will not leave you orphans….” Do we believe in the reassurance of Jesus? Can we see his presence in all those who have come forward to give a helping hand to those in need? There are many good Samaritans coming forward to reach out to those in need. In today’s world many people take a video of someone in trouble but very few actually go out to help. We know this for a fact. The assurance of Jesus, “I will not leave you orphans” is realized in our lives, sometimes in the most unlikely circumstances or people. Let us as Christians be like Jesus always giving assurance to those in need as we “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor.5:7).
Foreign worker’s heroic act saves toddler stuck between railings of HDB block