Daily Readings - Sun May 14 2023

⁵Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there.⁶When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said.⁷With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed.⁸So there was great joy in that city.¹⁴When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.¹⁵When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,¹⁶because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.¹⁷Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter

Chapter 3

¹⁵But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,¹⁶keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.¹⁷It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.¹⁸For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,

John

Chapter 14

¹⁵"If you love me, you will obey what I command.¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.¹⁹Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.²⁰On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.²¹Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter powerful themes of faith, the Holy Spirit, and living out our beliefs with integrity. The first reading from Acts describes Philip’s missionary work in Samaria, where he preaches and performs miracles, leading many to faith. The Apostles then send Peter and John to confer the Holy Spirit upon the new believers through the laying on of hands. This passage highlights the early Church’s structure and the essential role of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers. The second reading from 1 Peter emphasizes the importance of sanctifying Christ in our hearts and being prepared to share our faith with others. Peter encourages believers to live with meekness and a clear conscience, even in the face of suffering, for it is better to suffer for doing good than for evil. This letter, written to early Christians facing persecution, reminds us that our actions and attitudes should reflect our faith in Christ. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to His disciples about the promise of the Holy Spirit, who will abide with them forever. He connects obedience to His commandments with the expression of love for Him. Jesus assures them of His continued presence through the Spirit and promises that those who love Him will be loved by the Father. This passage from John’s farewell discourse underscores the unity between Jesus, the Father, and believers, sustained by the Holy Spirit. These readings are interconnected through the theme of the Holy Spirit and the call to live out our faith authentically. In Acts, the Spirit is the gift that completes the initiation of the Samaritan believers. In 1 Peter, the Spirit empowers believers to endure suffering with integrity. In John’s Gospel, the Spirit is the ongoing presence of Jesus in the lives of His disciples. Together, they remind us that the Holy Spirit is both a gift and a guide, enabling us to live as witnesses to Christ’s love. As we apply these readings to our daily lives, let us remember that the Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Strength. Like Philip, we are called to share the Good News with others, trusting in the Spirit’s power to transform hearts. Like the early Christians, we are to live with integrity, ready to give an account of our hope in Christ. And like Jesus’ disciples, we are to keep His commandments, knowing that love and obedience are intertwined. May we embrace the moral lesson of these readings: that our faith is not just a set of beliefs, but a way of life. May we rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us, to give us courage in the face of challenges, and to empower us to love as Christ has loved us. Let us strive to live in such a way that our actions and attitudes reflect the presence of Christ within us, and may we always remember that we are never alone, for the Spirit of Truth abides with us.