On the Sixth Sunday of Easter, we continue our Gospel reading from the discourses at the Last Supper, according to St. John. Today, Jesus gives us two main points: first, his commands; and second, the promise of the Holy Spirit.
The Commands of Jesus
What are the commands of Jesus, and what is the motive for obeying them? There are many commands of Jesus. Among them are: love one another as I have loved you; do this in memory of me, referring to the Eucharist; be merciful as your Father is merciful; and forgive your enemies. There are many others.
The reason we believers are commanded to obey these commandments is because we love Jesus. We are not to obey simply out of legalistic reasons, but rather because we love Jesus. This presupposes that each of us has a deep relationship with Christ in the depths of our hearts.
Jesus invites us to forgive, not because the one being forgiven deserves forgiveness, but because we love Jesus. We are being asked to come to the celebration of the Eucharist not to fulfill a law, but because we love Jesus.
There are people who say, “I do not go to Mass; I pray at home. I do my own thing.” The Eucharist calls the Church together. We are called by Christ to gather in his name. We are Catholic; we never stand alone. We always stand as a member of this body.
While praying at home is good, and while doing your own thing may be wonderful, it is not what Jesus commanded. It is what makes you happy. If we love Jesus, we do not need emotion or feelings of fervor. We need to obey these commands because we love Jesus.
We grow in the love of Jesus as we learn more about Jesus in the sacred text and in the teaching of the Church. It is in experiencing God as Holy Spirit that we are drawn to Jesus.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
The second point of today’s Gospel is the promise of the Holy Spirit. The Easter Season began on the Second Sunday of Easter and continues until Pentecost. Pentecost is fifty days after Easter. It was on this day that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the community of the Church gathered in the upper room.
While the goal of the Easter Season is to celebrate Easter, it is also a preparation for the great feast of Pentecost, which this year is on May 24.
Msgr. Guy A. Massie
May 10, 2026
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