Sixth Sunday of Easter
Also Read: Mass Readings for 25 May 2025
“We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!”
First Reading: Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29
The Council at Jerusalem
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. (28 -29)
We hear from the passage today, that there arose a debate among the faithful about circumcision. Some were saying: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” (v.1) But Paul and Barnabas sharply disagreed with them. They went to Jerusalem along with a few others to get clarity from the Apostles. Hence the 1st Council of Jerusalem took place! The resolution is passed and a guideline is formulated. We realize that the apostles emphasized the cleanliness of heart and mind over the observation of traditional practices!
We apply this in our lives today and recognize that we need to purge our minds and hearts regularly! We have been blessed with the sacrament of the Reconciliation and Penance. We ought to circumcise our hearts! Let us not be misled or swayed by the voices around us today!
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 67: 2-3, 5, 6 and 8
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
Alleluia!
Second Reading: Revelation 21: 10-14, 22-23
I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (22-23)
In St. John’s beatific vision we see the new heaven and the new earth. We praise God that through the eyes of faith, we are able to imagine this wondrous image too!
We ask the Holy Spirit to guide us as we journey towards our eternal home. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Alleluia: John 14: 23
Alleluia, Alleluia! Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Alleluia!
Gospel: John 14: 23-29
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (27)
We seek the Lord’s peace desperately today, in a world of chaos. Even when our new Pope Leo XIV in his inaugural speech said :” Peace Be With All of You!” he quoted Jesus’ words after his resurrection. Today we pray for our new Pope and ask the Lord God to Guide and protect him always. We ask the Lord for Peace in our world and in our hearts. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
