Homily 6th Sunday of Easter.

Gospel reflection on John 14: 15-21, Easter VI Sunday

“I will not leave you orphaned.” At some point we all want or even need to hear these words. These words speak directly to some of our greatest fears and challenges; abandonment and isolation, loneliness, vulnerability. They remind us that we do not stand alone. It is the last supper. Disciples have been fed, feet have been washed, and the betrayer has left. It is night, dark, and Jesus announces he is leaving. The one for whom they left everything now says he is leaving. But he assures them that he will not leave them orphaned. What does he mean? There are different ways of leaving someone.

There is a leaving which implies abandonment. At times we hear or read in the newspapers that the babies are abandoned at birth, or the woman is abandoned after she got pregnant, or the elderly people are abandoned. To be abandoned is the most painful and damaging thing that can happen to anyone. In the Gospel we are not dealing with this. Jesus is not abandoning the apostles. Secondly, there is a leaving which implies rejection. For instance, a girl had hopes of marriage but her boyfriend suddenly leaves her for someone else. The girl feels rejected. Or in some other cases, the husband leaves his wife and children to go get married to another woman. The wife and the children feel rejected. This is extremely painful for the family. Here we are not dealing with that. Jesus is not rejecting the apostles.

There is a leaving which is necessary because it is for the good of the one leaving. For example, a person is leaving his family and friends to take up a better job somewhere else, or a person is leaving to return home Jesus is leaving for his own good. He is returning to His Father. To return to the Father is to go home. It is to go to honour and glory. Finally there is a leaving which is for the good not only of the one leaving but also of those left behind. This is the full truth of what is happening here. Jesus' leaving is good for the apostles too because he will send them the Holy Spirit. By receiving the Spirit, they will be able to continue the mission of Jesus Christ. His departure will not leave them unsupported and unguided as they feared. "I will not leave you orphans" he said.

Even though he spoke about leaving them, he spoke about coming back to them. He would come to them through the Spirit, and he would come to them himself. They did encounter him after the resurrection. And even though after the ascension they would see him no more, he assured them that he would still be with them, yes, even to the end of time. Jesus did not leave his disciples orphaned. By their faith they were able to see him, and through their obedience to his commandments, they were drawn into a loving communion with him.

Jesus does not leave us orphaned also. We have the same access to his presence, and to the help of the Holy Spirit as the first Christians had. Jesus is not a present as a memory of a person who lived two thousand years ago, but as a real, life-giving presence that transforms us. We always feel so close when we receive him in the Eucharist. When we receive the Eucharist we are not just in communication with him, but in communion with him- a holy communion. Here he nourishes our hearts with his love. The food of the Eucharist gives us the strength to do his word and to live as his disciples. Yes, Jesus does not leave us orphaned or desolate. He always comes to us through the Eucharistic celebration.

The unfathomable miracle (Eucharist)

A man came to a priest and wanted to make fun of his faith, so he asked, “How can bread and wine turn into the body and blood of Christ?” the priest answered, “No problem, you yourself change food into your body and blood, so why can’t Christ do the same?” but the man did not give up. He asked, “But how can the entire Christ be in such a small host?” In the same way that the vast landscape before you can fit into your little eye. But he still persisted, “how can the same Christ be present in all your Churches at the same time?” the Priest then took a mirror and let the man look into it. Then let the mirror fall to the ground and break and said to the man, “there is only of you and yet you can find your face reflected in each piece of that broken mirror at the same time. 

Have a blessed Sunday.