Fifth Sunday of Easter – Year A
May 03, 2026 – 10:30 AM
Saint Cecilia Catholic Community – Palm Springs, CA
Rev. David Justin Lynch
Acts 6:1-7 | Psalm 33:1-2;4-5;18-19
I Peter 2:4-9 | John 14:1-12
+In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN.
Deacons are the most unnoticed, under-rated ordained ministers. Yet, today’s readings proclaim one clear message: servanthood is the way of Jesus.
In the Jewish Scriptures, “the way” is more than a road. It means the path of life God desires for His people—the way of covenant faithfulness, justice, mercy, and humility. The Psalms speak of the way of the righteous. The prophets call Israel back to the way of the Lord. So, when Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” He is not simply giving directions. He is declaring that the path of God now stands before us in His own person.
And what kind of path is it? Not the path of domination or self-promotion, but the path of service.
In the first reading from Acts, the early Church is growing rapidly, but growth brings tension. Greek-speaking widows are being neglected in the daily food distribution. In Jewish tradition, widows, orphans, and strangers were under God’s special protection. The Torah repeatedly commands care for them. To overlook widows was not merely a logistical problem—it was a spiritual failure.
The apostles, however, respond with wisdom. They gathered the community. Out of their wisdom, the Diaconate was born. They appointed seven Deacons full of the Spirit with wisdom to oversee this ministry. These seven were not chosen for prestige but for service. They are entrusted with tables, food, fairness, and compassion.
This is important. The first organized ministry after Pentecost is about feeding the hungry and healing divisions. The Church’s first practical structure is rooted in mercy. Unfortunately, the Church’s subsequent history has made its hierarchy self-serving, but that’s a topic for another day.
The result of what the Apostles did is striking: “The word of God continued to spread.” Why? Because when the vulnerable are cared for, the Gospel becomes believable. Love gives credibility to their proclamation.
The Church grows strongest when it serves best. The psalm today deepens this truth: “See, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness.”
This is the God Israel knew—the God who heard the cry of slaves in Egypt, fed His people in the wilderness, defended widows, and raised up the poor. God’s eyes are not fixed on the powerful alone. God’s gaze rests especially upon those in need.
Jesus stands fully within that Jewish understanding of God. He reveals the divine compassion in human flesh. He heals lepers, feeds crowds, welcomes sinners, restores dignity to women, blesses children, and raises the brokenhearted.
Servanthood is not beneath God. Servanthood is how God chooses to be known.
The author of the second reading tells us that we are “living stones” being built into a spiritual house, “a holy priesthood.”
To Jewish ears, priesthood meant sacrifice, holiness, and service in the Temple. The second reading now applies that language to the Christian community. Through Christ, all the baptized share in a priestly vocation. We are all priests with a small “p.”
But what sacrifices do we offer now? Not animals or grain offerings, but the offering of lives shaped by love.
You offer sacrifice when you forgive someone who wounded you.
You offer sacrifice when you care for a disabled person.
You offer sacrifice when you give generously to the poor.
You offer sacrifice by keeping promises in difficult situations.
You offer sacrifice by choosing patience over anger.
You offer sacrifice when you serve quietly and expect no applause.
That is priesthood in the way of Jesus. And it is that same priesthood to which Jesus calls us.
Then we come to the Gospel. Thomas asks the question many hearts still ask: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Jesus answers: “I am the way.”
Always keep in mind that the first Christians were Jews and heard what Jesus said through a Jewish lens. Hence, they understood that Jesus is not merely saying, “Believe ideas about me.” Rather, Jesus is saying, “Walk as I walk. Live as I live. Follow my pattern.”
And remember the setting. This is the Farewell Discourse, that is, what Jesus said to his disciples at the Last Supper. In the previous chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus haf knelt down and washed the disciples’ feet.
So when He says, “I am the way,” Jesus means:
I am the way that kneels with a towel.
I am the way that feeds the hungry.
I am the way that welcomes the outsider.
I am the way that forgives enemies.
I am the way that bears suffering without hatred.
I am the way that carries the cross.
I am the way that gives life through self-giving love.
This is the road to the Father’s house. Jesus speaks of “many dwelling places” in His Father’s house. Too often, we hear this only as a future heaven. It is certainly a promise of eternal life, but it is more. Even now, the household of God begins wherever the Way of Jesus is lived. Every parish that serves, every person that forgives, every heart that welcomes the lonely, becomes a room in that larger house of mercy.
The world outside these walls, however, offers another path. It says: climb higher, protect yourself, win arguments, gather status, and use people before they use you.
Jesus offers another kingdom entirely. In His kingdom, greatness is measured by service. Authority is measured by responsibility. Holiness is measured by love.
So today’s readings ask us to examine our own lives.
Who are the overlooked widows in our world today?
Anyone who feels forgotten.
Migrants seeking dignity.
Workers treated as disposable.
The poor hidden in plain sight.
The lonely neighbor next door.
The family member carrying silent grief.
The parishioner no one notices.
Acts six teaches that the Church must notice all of them. And here at Saint Cecilia’s they will be noticed.
And not only the Church as an institution. It means you and me personally.
Sometimes servanthood is dramatic. But more often, it is hidden, as in:
Listening when tired.
Helping without recognition.
Doing the humble task no one wants.
Showing mercy instead of judgment.
Giving time when busy.
Remaining faithful when it costs something.
These small acts are not small in the Kingdom of God. They are the continuation of Christ’s own life.
Jesus also says today, “Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.”
What can that mean? Not necessarily more spectacular miracles, but wider reach. The risen Christ works through His people across nations and centuries. Every hospital founded in His name, every meal served, every child taught, every prisoner visited, every enemy reconciled, every burden shared—these are the greater works flowing through His Body, the Church.
Whenever Christians love sacrificially, Jesus is still serving the world.
So today let us remember:
The way of God has always been mercy.
The path of holiness has always been justice joined to compassion.
The heart of worship has always been love made visible in deeds.
And now that way has a face—Jesus Christ.
If we wish to follow Him, then we must walk where He walks: toward the weak, the forgotten, the wounded, and one another.
The road to resurrection will always pass through servanthood.
Amen.