Sunday Reflection with Canon Robin Gibbons: May 25th 2025

Bodleian Library Armenian Gospels MS. Arm. d.13

Sixth Sunday of Easter

In every life a great change often starts with a simple almost unnoticed happening, a decision to go left instead of right, a word of welcome to a stranger, there are so many small, gentle ways in which we find ourselves on a different route, at the entrance of an open door, the start of something new. There may of course be momentous happenings for us, but we find those rare, and so it is in our Christian life. The gift and work of the Holy Spirit so often comes amongst us in promptings and hints, the ordinary contains the extraordinary simply because of the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus - where he identifies totally with our human life and existence at all times and in all places, yet in order to support and help us we are gifted by Jesus with the Gift giver of God!

Jesus promises us this gift in the gospel today: "I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name-he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you . (Jn 14: 25, 26) It is important to recognise that the word advocate gives us a way to understand the enduring role of the Spirit.

The Greek word is 'parakletos', someone who pleads another's cause, who helps another by defending or comforing them. It is a name we discover given three times to the Holy Spirit by Jesus in John's gospel, (Jn 14:16 ; 15:26 ; 16:7, where the Greek word is also rendered as "Comforter," This insight is enormously helpful, and I hope you, as I have done, remember these words when others try to make our religious life difficult, for they reveal the power of God as something gentle and persistent in the sense of constancy or the fidelity of our God as a friend towards our individual person. This also helps us make sense of the ascension of Jesus, yes, a departing from sight, touch, hearing, much as our departed ones have done to us - yet it is not an absence for ever, but a prelude, that poised last stage of sleep before awakening, the hesitant stop before opening the door to something new, and into this space the presence of the Holy Spirit fills us with a love beyond loving.

We stand at a point in human history where so many issues seem almost insurmountable, where our Christian values especially of the humble heart and contrite spirit seem lost in the many conflicting siren voices of power, money, greed, avarice, anger, cruelty, wanton ignorance and wilful prejudice. If we are to learn anything, it is that we cannot go backwards in time, retreat into a cosy fortress (which is never cosy as it has as its base a fear of others). Our reading from Acts this Sunday takes us to what I began our reflection with, a moment of almost imperceptible choice. Do those disciples go back to the known practices and strength of Judaism, or are they to take a step into the unknown, respond to that growing number of gentiles joining the community of Jesus? That huge pivotal turning point comes as a simple recognition that the choice has already been made by what is taking place before them. The decision is a synodal moment, a council meets to discern and discuss what way to go, and the answer communicated by letter or word of mouth is not harsh or censorious or burdensome, but something that truth often gives us, a gentleness revealing that truth brings a sense of peace. That is our way forward also!

Lectio

From Pope Francis homily at the Mass opening the Synod 2024

We do not have the solutions to the problems we face, but the Lord does (cf. John 14:6). Remember that you cannot lose focus in the desert. If you do not pay attention to the guide, if you think you are self-sufficient, you may die of hunger or thirst and take others with you. Let us therefore listen to the voice of God and of his angel so that we may go safely on our way, rising above our limitations and difficulties (cf. Psalm 23:4).

This brings us to the next image: refuge, which can be symbolized by wings that protect us - "under his wings you will find refuge" (Psalm 91:4). Wings are powerful instruments, able to lift a body off the ground through vigorous movement. Although they represent great strength, wings can also be lowered in order to gather, becoming a shield and a welcoming nest for the young birds who are in need of warmth and protection.

This is a symbol of what God does for us, and it is also a model for us to follow, especially as we gather together these days.

St Pope Paul VI - Address to the Presidential Council of the CEI, 9 May 1974.

Among us, dear brothers and sisters, there are many strong, well-prepared people, capable of rising to the heights with the intense movements of reflection and with brilliant insights. All this is a great advantage to us. It stimulates, challenges, and sometimes forces us to think more openly and to move forward more decisively. It also helps us to remain firm in our faith even in the face of challenges and difficulties. We must have open hearts, hearts in dialogue. A heart that is closed in personal convictions is not proper to the Spirit of the Lord. It is not of the Lord. It is a gift to open ourselves, and this gift must be combined, when necessary, with the ability to relax our muscles and bend down to offer each other a welcoming embrace and a place of refuge. That way we will be, as St. Paul VI said, "a house [...] of brothers and sisters, a workshop of intense activity, a cenacle of ardent spiritualit."