20220505 DRAWN BY THE FATHER, INSTRUCTED BY CHRIST, LED BY THE SPIRIT
05 May, 2022, Thursday, 3rd Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 8:26-40 © |
Philip baptizes a eunuch
The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, ‘Be ready to set out at noon along the road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert road.’ So he set off on his journey. Now it happened that an Ethiopian had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; he was a eunuch and an officer at the court of the kandake, or queen, of Ethiopia, and was in fact her chief treasurer. He was now on his way home; and as he sat in his chariot he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and meet that chariot.’ When Philip ran up, he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ ‘How can I’ he replied ‘unless I have someone to guide me?’ So he invited Philip to get in and sit by his side. Now the passage of scripture he was reading was this:
Like a sheep that is led to the slaughter-house,
like a lamb that is dumb in front of its shearers,
like these he never opens his mouth.
He has been humiliated and has no one to defend him.
Who will ever talk about his descendants,
since his life on earth has been cut short!
The eunuch turned to Philip and said, ‘Tell me, is the prophet referring to himself or someone else?’ Starting, therefore, with this text of scripture Philip proceeded to explain the Good News of Jesus to him.
Further along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘Look, there is some water here; is there anything to stop me being baptised?’ He ordered the chariot to stop, then Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water and Philip baptised him. But after they had come up out of the water again Philip was taken away by the Spirit of the Lord, and the eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Philip found that he had reached Azotus and continued his journey proclaiming the Good News in every town as far as Caesarea.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 65(66):8-9,16-17,20 © |
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
O peoples, bless our God,
let the voice of his praise resound,
of the God who gave life to our souls
and kept our feet from stumbling.
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Come and hear, all who fear God.
I will tell what he did for my soul:
to him I cried aloud,
with high praise ready on my tongue.
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Blessed be God
who did not reject my prayer
nor withhold his love from me.
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord, who hung for us upon the tree,
has risen from the tomb.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn6:51 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven,
says the Lord.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 6:44-51 © |
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven
Jesus said to the crowd:
‘No one can come to me
unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me,
and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They will all be taught by God,
and to hear the teaching of the Father,
and learn from it,
is to come to me.
Not that anybody has seen the Father,
except the one who comes from God:
he has seen the Father.
I tell you most solemnly,
everybody who believes has eternal life.
‘I am the bread of life.
Your fathers ate the manna in the desert
and they are dead;
but this is the bread that comes down from heaven,
so that a man may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever;
and the bread that I shall give is my flesh,
for the life of the world.’
DRAWN BY THE FATHER, INSTRUCTED BY CHRIST, LED BY THE SPIRIT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Acts 8:26-40; Ps 66:8-9,16-17,20; Jn 6:44-51]
How can we find eternal life? Jesus said to the crowd, “No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise him up at the last day.” In this statement, it is clear that this deep calling in us to find eternal life is given to us all by our creator, our Heavenly Father. He has put this desire in us to find life to the fullest. In that sense, all of us without exception are drawn by the Father. Anyone who seeks life, truth and love seek God. As St Augustine reminds us, our hearts are restless until we rest in God. We come to rest only when we come to the heavenly pasture at paradise. Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.”
In the gospel of John, Jesus proclaims Himself as the Good Shepherd. (Jn 10) The Father has appointed Jesus to lead us to Him. Jesus is the fulfilment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. Citing from the Old Testament, Jesus said, “It is written in the prophets: They will all be taught by God.” Isaiah wrote, “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the prosperity of your children.”‘ (Isa 54:13) Jeremiah wrote, “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” (Jer 31:33f)
Jesus is the only One who can teach us about God simply because He was sent by the Father and has seen the Father. Jesus said, “to hear the teaching of the Father, and learn from it, is to come to me. Not that anybody has seen the Father, except the one who comes from God: he has seen the Father.” Earlier on in the gospel, John the Baptist or the evangelist said, “The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.”‘ (Jn 3:31-35)
Indeed, it is Jesus’ constant claim of His union with the Father that calls for our acceptance of His teaching. Jesus is one with the Father in will and knowledge and action. Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Anyone who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him.” (Jn 5:19-23)
Consequently, Jesus who has seen God, and is united with the Father in will and knowledge, is truly the Wisdom of God, the manna, the Bread of life. Moses in the desert gave the Israelites manna in the desert. They ate and they died. Jesus however gave us the Bread of life. He said, “everybody who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the desert and they are dead; but this is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that a man may eat it and not die. I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.” To come to Jesus and to receive Him is what brings us life. So when many of His disciples left Jesus because they found His teaching hard to accept, the Lord asked the Twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (Jn 6:67-69)
To find life, we must therefore seek to understand the Word of God so that we can find inspiration and direction as St Paul advised Timothy, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16f) But like the Ethiopian eunuch who did not understand the scriptures he was reading, we too need the help of the Holy Spirit who works through His messengers that God sends to us.
In the case of Philip, he was directed by the Holy Spirit to meet up with the eunuch and help him grow in understanding of the Word. He asked him, “‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ ‘How can I’ he replied ‘unless I have someone to guide me?’ So he invited Philip to get in and sit by his side. Now the passage of scripture he was reading was this: Like a sheep that is led to the slaughter-house, like a lamb that is dumb in front of its shearers, like these he never opens his mouth. He has been humiliated and has no one to defend him. Who will ever talk about his descendants, since his life on earth has been cut short! The eunuch turned to Philip and said, ‘Tell me, is the prophet referring to himself or someone else?’ Starting, therefore, with this text of scripture Philip proceeded to explain the Good News of Jesus to him.” In the gospel, it was Jesus who explained the meaning of the scriptures to His disciples, and how the prophecies of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah referred to Him. (Lk 24:25-227; 45-47)
It is significant that both led to the celebration of the sacraments. In the case of the eunuch, he was baptized. “Further along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘Look there is some water here; is there anything to stop me being baptised?’ He ordered the chariot to stop, then Philip and the eunuch both went down to the water and Philip baptised him. But after they had come up out of the water again Philip was taken away by the Spirit of the Lord, and the eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.” He found great joy in knowing the Lord. In the case of Jesus’ disciples, the same thing happened, “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?'” (Lk 24:30-32)
Indeed, understanding the Word of God, being baptized and receiving the Holy Spirit, and nourished by the Eucharist is the way by which we live and walk in the freedom of the Spirit as Philip did. He was inspired by the Holy Spirit at every step in his life because he was a man attuned to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. He was attentive to the stirring of the Spirit in his heart and he acted promptly to His voice. Whether it was in the Samaritan town, or along the road to Gaza, or as far away as Caesarea, Philip walked in the power of the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the Good News with joy, performing miracles in the name of the Lord, and brought about many conversions.
We too must learn from Philip that if we are to be driven and walk in the Spirit, we need to deepen our love for the Word of God. At times, we must be humble and ready to learn from the teachers that God sends to us. At times, we are called to pray quietly and search Him in the scriptures. Only then can we truly be responsive to the Holy Spirit, find strength and joy in doing His holy will. Only when we have been enlightened in the truth, can we truly find the courage to live our life freely for God, His people and in love and truth.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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