Sixth Sunday of Easter

I will ask the Father, 
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Throughout the Gospel of John Jesus speaks as clearly as possible words to convey the essence of his mission and message. 
The disciples within the story, before the Resurrection, cannot fathom what he is saying. Their questions express only addled confusion; they serve the Evangelist’s purpose of opening Jesus’ words even further. After his resurrection and the coming of the Paraclete, they will understand well enough to announce the gospel, to found the Church and to write the New Testament.  

The gospel today describes the heart of the individual Christian and the essential spirit of the Church: If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Love, not fear, is the beginning of our relationship with God. We fear only displeasing and disappointing our God. We act not out of fear of God's wrath but because we want so much to please him. Clearly he has done everything possible to please us.

Perhaps you've heard the story of the Catholic and Protestant in conversation:
The Protestant says, "If I didn't believe that God loves me and supports me, I couldn't get up and go to work."
To which the Catholic replies, "If I believed God loves me and supports me, I wouldn't get up and go to work." The latter needs to do some spiritual work! 

The Holy Spirit which Jesus gives us – variously called the Spirit of Truth or The Paraclete -- guides our way of life from within our hearts. As we pray together, pondering the scriptures, celebrating the seasons, sharing the Eucharist, initiating new members and so forth: the way of God becomes more and more clear. The ways of perdition seem less and less attractive; if one or the other member suggests such foolishness the rest of us dismiss the notion.

Inevitably our customs, liturgies, fellowship, expectations and language will set us apart from others. Even our humor is guided by prudence and charity. We didn’t set out to be different but we are.

In today's second reading, Saint Peter addresses that issue:

Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.

Always be ready to give an explanation
to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,
but do it with gentleness and reverence,
keeping your conscience clear….

The world may not know Christ but it knows hypocrisy. They have their fill of that. They need people of integrity who speak of Jesus with gentleness, reverence and a clear conscience. The world also has its fill of people who feel entitled to security, power, wealth and pleasure; and they know what Christians often forget: we are not called to a life of privilege.

Rather, like the Whos of Whoville, we are those resilient souls who rise with hope when our homes are struck by tornadoes or floods, or our families are afflicted with unemployment or sickness. We experience disappointment and distress but always we lift high the cross and follow where it leads.