In the Gospel reading on this Sixth Sunday of Easter, Jesus speaks tenderly to our restless hearts. Love is not an abstract idea, rather it is something that becomes incarnate when we keep Jesus’ word. And for those who do, the Father and Son promise something astonishing – they will come and dwell within us.
Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, to teach and remind his disciples of all that he has said and done. The Holy Spirit is the living presence of God within us, whispering peace into our fears and clarity into our confusion. This divine indwelling brings the true peace Jesus offers — not as the world gives. In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear how the early Church wrestled with questions and dissensions, but the Holy Spirit provided a unified path for the Church moving forward.
As we approach the Solemnity of the Ascension and Pentecost, may we prayerfully enter into the same hopeful anticipation that the first apostles felt, as they waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit.