Sixth Sunday of Easter – Year C
May 25, 2025 – 10:30 AM
Saint Cecilia Catholic Community, Palm Springs, CA
Rev. Dcn. Sharon Kay Talley
Acts 15:1-2;22-20 | Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6;8
Revelation 21:10-14;22-24 | John 14:23-29
+In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
As we gather today, still basking in the glory of Easter, celebrating Jesus’ victory over death, we get the sense that something is drawing to a close. In just ten days, we will celebrate the Ascension, when Jesus returns to the Father. Today’s Gospel from John captures this remarkable event perfectly.
Jesus speaks to His disciples—and to us—about peace. But this is not the same “peace” the world gives the temporary absence of conflict, or the fleeting calm between storms. The “peace” Jesus offers to us runs deeper than circumstances, deeper than our anxieties and fears. It is the peace that comes from knowing we are beloved children of God, the peace that flows from our trust in Divine Providence.
How desperately our world needs this peace today! If only that young man, Guy Edward Bartkus, had that peace before he detonated the bomb in Palm Springs! Today, we see diversion in our communities, anxiety in our hearts, and uncertainty about the future everywhere! Yet, Jesus tells us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” This is not a denial of our struggles, but an invitation to find our anchor in something unshakable…in the love of God, revealed in Jesus.
In our second reading,. John, the purported author of the Book of Revelation, not the author of today’s Gospel, gives us a vision of the New Jerusalem, where God will dwell among us and wipe away our every tear. But we do not have to wait for that future glory to experience God’s presence. Jesus tells us that if we love Him and keep His Word, the Father will love us, and they will come and make their dwelling with us.
This is the stunning reality of our faith. God of the entire universe desires to make His home in our hearts; not in some distant temple or shrine, but right here, at St. Cecilia’s, in the midst of our ordinary lives. When we love as Christ loved, when we choose forgiveness over resentment, compassion over indifference, we become living temples of the Most High.
Jesus promises us that the Father will send us the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will teach us everything and remind us of all that Jesus has said. In our first reading from Acts of the Apostles, we see this promise fulfilled when the early Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, makes the momentous decision to welcome Gentiles fully into the community of faith. Prior to that, the followers of Jesus were of a Jewish sect.
And the Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church today, helping us discern God’s will in new circumstances, opening our hearts to embrace those who might seem different from us. Sometimes this guidance challenges our assumptions and calls us beyond our comfort zones just as it did for Peter and the early disciples.
As we prepare to celebrate the Ascension, we might feel like the disciples…wondering how we will manage without Jesus’ physical presence. But today’s readings remind us that we are not abandoned. We will be given the Holy Spirit, we have been promised peace in our lives, and we have been called to love.
So this coming week, let us be attentive to the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. Let us b e instruments of Christ’s peace in a very troubled world. Let us open our hearts to be dwelling places for the Holy Trinity. And let us remember that the same Holy Spirit who guided the early Church through uncertain times back then is still here and continues to guide us today.
The peace of Christ is not something we achieve through our own efforts, but rather, it is something we receive as a gift. The Holy Spirit’s guidance is not something to be earned, but rather, something freely given to help us navigate life’s complexities. The love of God is not conditional on our perfection, but rather, it overflows abundantly, even in our weakness.
As we approach the Eucharist today, we come to the ultimate source of peace, the wellspring of love, the place where the Holy Spirit most fully dwells among us. Here we are reminded that we are not alone, we are not forgotten, and we are deeply, eternally loved.
May the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and minds. May the Holy Spirit guide us in truth and love. And may we go forth as witnesses to the Easter hope that lives within us.
Amen