May 24, 2025 5 min read

Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year C) – 25th May 2025

Quick Glance Summary

Theme: The Indwelling Presence of God and the Gift of Divine Peace
Key Message: Christ promises the Holy Spirit as our Advocate and Teacher, and offers a peace the world cannot give.
First Reading (Acts 15:1–2, 22–29): The early Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, resolves a conflict and strengthens unity among believers.
Second Reading (Revelation 21:10–14, 22–23): A vision of the New Jerusalem radiating with God’s glory, where God and the Lamb are the temple and light.
Gospel (John 14:23–29): Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to those who love Him, and leaves His peace as a lasting gift.

Gospel (John 14:23–29)

Jesus said to his disciples:

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him and make our home with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my words.
And my word is not my own:
it is the word of the one who sent me.
I have said these things to you while still with you;
but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all I have said to you.
Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you,
a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me say: I am going away, and shall return.
If you loved me you would have been glad to know
that I am going to the Father,
for the Father is greater than I.
I have told you this now before it happens,
so that when it does happen you may believe.”

Gospel Overview

In this tender farewell, Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure by promising them the Holy Spirit. This is not merely a spiritual idea, but the concrete assurance of God’s continuing presence. The Holy Spirit will teach, remind, and guide, preserving the unity between Christ and His followers. Jesus also bequeaths His peace—a peace that transcends worldly definitions and circumstances. The indwelling of the Father and the Son within the believer points to a profound union, where divine love and presence dwell in the human heart.

Connecting the Gospel to Today

This Gospel marks a significant turn in the Easter season. For the first time, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit—not as a vague presence, but as the living continuation of the Resurrection in the here and now. This passage doesn’t simply offer reassurance—it unveils a new anthropology: the human person is indwelt by God, capable of real peace, and being drawn into an unfolding destiny.

This is a message many are longing for, though they may not know how to name it. In a culture marked by quiet anxiety, compulsive striving, and the pressure to perform or curate an identity, people feel spiritually underfed. They sense that something is missing—some ache for more, for peace, for purpose—but don’t know where to turn.

This Gospel names that longing and offers a direction forward: the Spirit as teacher, companion, and inner fire. Jesus’ promise of “peace the world cannot give” speaks directly to the restlessness of modern hearts. The indwelling presence of the Father and the Son through the Spirit affirms that we are not abandoned but radically accompanied. As the Easter season matures, so too does our understanding of what it means to be a disciple: not only following Christ, but becoming a dwelling place for the Divine.

Reflection Questions with Responses

1. Who or what groups might find these readings especially helpful?

Those suffering from stress, fear, or grief: Christ’s peace speaks directly to their longing for calm.
Young adults seeking identity: The notion of being God’s dwelling place can redefine their self-worth.
The elderly and homebound: The indwelling presence assures them they are not forgotten or alone.
Communities healing from division: Acts demonstrates how the Spirit brings unity and clarity.

2. What human weaknesses do they address, and what virtues do they aim to strengthen?

Weaknesses: Anxiety, forgetfulness of God’s word, restlessness, and disunity.
Virtues: Peacefulness, obedience, spiritual attentiveness, unity, and hope.

3. What is the feeling tone of each reading?

Acts: Collaborative and reconciling.
Revelation: Glorious and radiant with divine promise.
John: Gentle, intimate, and full of quiet assurance.

4. Which saints or well-known figures exemplify the message of each reading?

St. Teresa of Avila: Her spirituality of interior dwelling resonates with the Gospel.
St. Augustine: His “restless heart” finds peace only in God.
St. Peter and St. Paul: Their leadership in Acts reflects the courage to resolve tensions in the Spirit.

5. What works of art, poems, or pieces of music provide insight into the message?

Rublev’s Icon of the Trinity: Captures divine indwelling and invitation to communion.
“Peace, Perfect Peace” (Edward Bickersteth): A hymn capturing Christ’s peace in trial.
“The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry: Expresses a deep rest in creation’s assurance.

6. Where has the message of these readings been true in my life or those close to me, and is there a story I can share about that?

You may reflect, Father, on times of pastoral fatigue or parish unrest, when the Spirit led you to words of peace or clarity beyond your own wisdom. Or perhaps a parishioner once told you how in prayer or sacrament they felt “accompanied” when alone—signs of the Holy Spirit dwelling and moving among us still.

First Reading

Acts 15:1–2, 22–29

Some men came down from Judaea and taught the brothers, “Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses you cannot be saved.” This led to disagreement, and after Paul and Barnabas had a long argument with these men it was arranged that Paul and Barnabas and others of the church should go up to Jerusalem and discuss the problem with the apostles and elders.

Then the apostles and elders decided to choose delegates to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; the whole church concurred with this. They chose Judas known as Barsabbas and Silas, both leading men in the brotherhood, and gave them this letter to take with them:

“The apostles and elders, your brothers, send greetings to the brothers of pagan birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. We hear that some of our members have disturbed you with their demands and have unsettled your minds. They acted without any authority from us; and so we have decided unanimously to elect delegates and to send them to you with Barnabas and Paul, men we highly respect who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will confirm by word of mouth what we have written in this letter.

It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to saddle you with any burden beyond these essentials: you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from fornication. Avoid these, and you will do what is right. Farewell.”

Second Reading

Revelation 21:10–14, 22–23

In the spirit, the angel took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond. The walls of it were of a great height and had twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an angel, and over the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; on the east there were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. The city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

I saw that there was no temple in the city since the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were themselves the temple, and the city did not need the sun or the moon for light since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and the Lamb was a lighted torch for it.