Sixth Sunday of Easter, year A

Acts 8: 5-8. 14-17

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them. With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured. There was great joy in that city. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 66: 1-7. 16. 20

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,

sing praise to the glory of his name;

proclaim his glorious praise.

Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”

“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,

sing praise to your name!”

Come and see the works of God,

his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.

He has changed the sea into dry land;

through the river they passed on foot;

therefore let us rejoice in him.

He rules by his might forever.

Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare

what he has done for me.

Blessed be God who refused me not

my prayer or his kindness!

1 Peter 3: 15-18

Beloved: 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, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit.

John 14: 15-21

Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And 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. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

Questions:   

- It is written in the book of Acts of the Apostles: “… the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people…” – How did Jesus and his disciples cast out demons? What is the relation between what they did and the priests today who received a special mission and authority from the Church to cast out demons? What do I know of their work? Even if I may have heard about the topic through fantasy stories or movies, do I know of reliable sources for accurate knowledge about the existence and expulsion of unclean spirits?

- It is written in the First Letter of Peter: “… keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.” – How do I deal with situations where I have to choose between good and bad actions? How much do I tend to choose the easier path, regardless if it is good or bad? And to what extent am I ready to deal with complications or difficulties in order to remain faithful to God, to others and to myself? Do I remember times when I chose good despite all the opposing circumstances, and these acts filled me with joy and happiness?

- Jesus said in the Gospel: “… whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” – What does Jesus mean when he says he wants to reveal himself to me? How do I understand this desire of his, and the revelation? Do I see a development in my spiritual life? Do I still feel that Jesus has new things to teach me? When did I last see that he helped me to advance or to learn something new in my spiritual life? What do I do to give Jesus a chance to guide me?

Questions for children:

- It is written in the book of Acts of the Apostles: “… the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people…” – What Do I know about the pure spirits, the angels? And what do I know about the unclean spirits, the demons? How do I relate to popular stories or movies telling about these spirits? What can help me to differentiate between imagination and truth? Do I know stories from the New Testament about casting out of unclean spirits? What did Jesus say and do?

- It is written in the First Letter of Peter: “… keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.” – How do I deal with situations where I have to choose between good and bad actions? How much do I tend to choose the easier path, regardless if it is good or bad? And to what extent am I ready to deal with complications or difficulties in order to remain faithful to God, to others and to myself? Do I remember times when I chose good despite all the opposing circumstances, and these acts filled me with joy and happiness?

- Jesus said in the Gospel: “… whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” – How do I see in my life the truth that God loves me? In which moments and circumstances can I see Jesus reveal His love to me? What can I do to respond to Him with the same love?