Homily for the
6th Sunday of Easter
May 10, 2026
Acts 8: 5-8, 14-17
1 Pet 3: 15-18
John 14: 15-21
St. Francis Xavier,
Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption,
Bronx
Philip preaching the Good News in Samaria
https-goodnewsshared.wordpress.com2023-04-26
“The crowds paid attention to what Philip
said when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing” (Acts 8: 6).
Philip was one of the deacons appointed by
the apostles along with Stephen and 5 other men (Acts 6:5). After Stephen’s martyrdom, he proclaimed
Christ to the people of Samaria, and they listened, in part because of what he
did as well as what he said.
How do we get people to pay attention to the
Gospel? Polls tells us that only about
25% of Catholics come to Sunday Mass regularly.
When we look at what goes on in the world around us—whether here in New
York or in the wider world—we might well wonder how Catholics can be so
indifferent about Christ and so much evil can be around us. G.K. Chesterton wrote that the only Christian
doctrine for which there is demonstrable evidence is original sin.[1] We see its evidence every day in the
headlines, in our neighborhoods, and in ourselves.
Philip preached in Samaria with words and
signs. People paid attention and were
converted. I don’t know personally
anyone who’s driven demons out of possessed people or cured cripples (8:7);
I’ve only heard about it. Most of us
aren’t going to win people for Christ that way.
What we can do is to have a very clear idea
of what we believe—not only about original sin but also about Jesus’ life,
death, and resurrection; about the forgiveness of sins; about death, judgment,
heaven, and hell; about the Holy Spirit’s abiding presence in the Catholic
Church—which Jesus speaks of in today’s gospel:
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with
you always, the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17).
More important than our knowledge of our
faith is that we take all that knowledge to heart and put it into
practice. These are the signs that we
can do: living out what Jesus teaches
us, being faithful in our deeds and not only in our words. If Jesus tells us to keep his commandments,
do we actually do that? If the Spirit of
truth is with us, are we truthful, honest, upright people—in our families, in
our workplaces, in our leisure time? If
Jesus tells us to love one another, do we sincerely try to do that, especially
when it’s a challenge, when we’re tired, when we get impatient, when our plans
go sideways? If Jesus tells us to
forgive offenses—as we pray all the time in the Our Father—do we actually
forgive, or at least try to forgive, want to forgive altho we’re hurting?
It’s been said more than once that you may be
the only Gospel that someone else may read.
St. Peter tells us, “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone
who asks you for a reason for your hope” (I, 3:15). That implies that people observe our way of
living and our manner of speech, that they see a reflection of Jesus in us. That’s a sign—as in the signs that we can do
to make the Gospel known and believable.
It’s an opening to say a few words, then, about what we believe and
why—to make Jesus real and believable, to give evidence to the world that Jesus
is alive, he lives in us (John 14:30), he loves us, and he’s worth listening to
and following. He is the “reason for our
hope”; he leads us to God (1 Pet 3:18).
[1] “Certain new theologians dispute
original sin, which is the only part of Christian theology which can really be
proved.” Orthodoxy,
“The Maniac,” p. 1
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