7^th Sunday of Easter, Year A: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: Waiting on the Lord in Prayer and in One Heart

Readings: Acts 1:12–14; 1 Pt 4:13–16; Jn 17:1–11a

The first reading of this Sunday introduces two essential attitudes for anyone waiting for God’s grace or favour in their lives.

According to Acts, after Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives and went straight to the upper room. There, they devoted themselves to prayer and to a life of unity as they waited for the Holy Spirit promised by Christ.

In our world today, we all experience different forms of waiting. Some wait for the arrival of loved ones from abroad, admission into school, exam results, the right spouse, the birth of a child, approval of job quotations, employment, promotions, business growth, or the maturity of a long‑term project. These expectations are good and are in harmony with God’s plan for us, as Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us.

However, what we do during our seasons of waiting matters greatly. Our actions can hasten the fulfilment of our expectations, delay them, or even make us lose what we have long prayed for.

The disciples in today’s first reading teach us two important lessons as they waited for the Holy Spirit promised to them.

1. The time of waiting must not be spiritually empty.

The disciples teach us that there should be no dull moment in the spiritual life of those who are waiting for the fulfilment of God’s promises in their lives. Such a wait should not be spent in idleness. Rather, it is a time to deepen our prayer life, to visit the Blessed Sacrament more frequently, and to take up some service in the Church. In their time of waiting on God, the disciples entered the upper room and committed themselves to an intensive nine‑day prayer, preparing their hearts for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Because they prepared themselves spiritually, when the Spirit finally came, He found their hearts ready to receive His gifts.

2. Our lifestyle must be worthy of what we are expecting.

The book of Acts of the Apostles tells us that the disciples were united in one heart. Their unity matched the gift they were waiting for, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of unity. He would not have descended upon a divided community. God does not pitch His tent in a house of chaos; He dwells where love and charity abide.

Jesus reinforces this in the parable of the servant waiting for his master (Mt 24:49). The bad servant spends his waiting time beating others and drinking with drunkards, and the master’s return caught him unprepared. Imagine if the disciples had spent their days after the Ascension drinking in the taverns of Jerusalem, fighting among themselves, and causing trouble. Obviously, they would have missed the coming of the Holy Spirit.

This teaches us to live in a way that aligns with what we are praying for—to adopt habits and attitudes that make us worthy to receive God’s blessings.

Dear friends, waiting is a time for goodness. It is a time to engage in acts of charity, to serve our families and communities, and to allow peace, harmony, and love to flourish in our relationships. Anyone waiting on God must remain united with God and in a good relationship with their neighbours.

As we enter these days of prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit, let us ask Him to rekindle in us the gifts, virtues, and talents that may have grown dormant. Let us adopt the best spiritual and moral disposition, so that this year’s Pentecost may bring something truly new into our lives.

Peace be with you.

Rev Fr. Isaac Chima

 7^TH SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A: REFLECTION BY FR JULIAN EKEH

THEME: UNITED IN PRAYERS

(John 17:1-11a)

Today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter. We are still in the joy of the resurrection. But the Ascension of the Lord into heaven has triggered a mixed feeling in the hearts of the disciples of Jesus. The appearances gave them joy and confidence but with the Ascension, they will not see Jesus again. The cloud now covers Him from their view. But they are left with an instruction to go back to the upper room. There in the upper room, they will see Jesus in another form, they will experience Him, they will enter into a romance with Him, they will encounter Him in the spiritual form, a seeing that will be made possible through prayers. Hence the responsorial psalm of today affirms: I believe I shall see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living.

The Gospel of today presents Jesus praying to the Father when His own hour came. Now is our own hour to pray. Here we saw a deep spiritual communication between Jesus and His Father. They discussed about His mission and activities. He renders account to God in thanksgiving for those He gave Him. He asked to be glorified. The resurrection and Ascension of Christ were answers to these powerful prayers; hence, they are enlisted as the first two glorious mysteries we pray.

As the Church anticipates the third glorious mystery, which is the Descent of the Holy Spirit we are called to ponder on the prayer of Jesus and His wish for us.

All that Jesus did and prayed was just for our sake. He came for us, lived for us, died for us, rose for us. He ascended into heaven and from there prays for us. Thus, the prayer He makes for us therefrom is a continuation of the prayer He started making here before His death as recorded in the Gospel of today.

The romantic nature of our prayers is the bond it carries, how it joins us to Christ in a miraculous and yet realistic way. Through this we see ourselves praying to God through Jesus Christ, we experience Jesus interceding for us, we listen to Him talk to our hearts, He joins us in prayers, we feel His abiding presence and He grants what we pray.

Let us hear His words and wishes for us as we unite in prayerful wait today:

 

I am praying for them

This is great! These are the words of Jesus Christ. This offers us great confidence, to know that someone is there for us. We are not alone. We cannot be knocked down. We have a saviour who prays on our behalf.

Let us pay attention to what attracted these Divine prayers. It is 'belief'.

 

Jesus says that He prays for them because they believed in Him as sent by God. Do you have strong faith in God and His authority over you? What place have you given the word of God in your life? Consider it.

 

That they may be safe in the world

Jesus made His point straight that He was not praying for the world.  The romance is only for those who opened their arms to receive it. He prays for those who have agreed to follow Him, those who have flied to His patronage, those who are totally dependent on Him.

These are those Jesus sees as people entrusted to Him. These are people who as well entrusted themselves to God. In whose hands are you? In the disappointing hands of world or in the dependable and reliable hands of the Almighty?

The invitation therefore is to move away from the world, its attractions and distractions, its glories and its frustrations. Be soaked in prayers, be more spiritually conscious, accept the Union which Jesus initiates. Jesus wished that we be safe in the world as He sits at the right hand of the Father. He knows the turbulent situations we face, the disappointments and challenges here and there, the heartbreaks and trials.

He is aware that we have all these and many other forces to contend with in the world. So He takes us to the upper room of prayer and encounter. He immerses us with the warmth of His embrace, that through His romance with us in prayers, in communion, in devotion, in novena and in Lectio Divina we may be empowered, fortified and charged to face the world, the devil and the flesh squarely and conquer in all the battles they wage.

May we feel the deep joy of remaining in union with God. May the Holy Spirit keep us united in prayers. May our lives, our families, our Church and our society receive the transformation that flows from our prayers and may the prayers and blessings of Jesus Christ for us come to pass in our lives in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

 

Happy Sunday to you (7th Week of Easter)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh