6th Sunday of Easter
Who will “get into” heaven?
We read in the Gospel the promise Jesus made to send us the Spirit, and entrusting him with the task of leading us, of teaching and reminding us of all that he has said. The first reading gives us an example of how the Spirit intervened in the early Church which faced the question as to whether the traditions of Israel should be imposed on pagans. The apostles assembled and prayed and kept their hearts open to Spirit who guided them. The second reading tells us about the conclusion of the work of the Spirit in the Church.
Peace is the gift of God dwelling within us. Peace is the gift of Jesus to the disciples. Peace is our desire, and yet peace seems so often to be absent. And we hear of the model for discerning that peace in the first reading. The apostles sought to restore peace in the Christian community by uniting their will with the Holy Spirit.
Today’s Gospel teaches us about heaven and the decision of who will “get into” heaven or not is made by each of us. Jesus tells us “whoever love me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” Having God in us, living in us, loving us with his infinite love, uniting us with one another through his Spirit is what will constitute the glory of heaven. Like the Apostles, turning to God, opening ourselves to the work of the Spirit within us, and hearing the word of God in the community of disciples are all important aspects of prayer. Instead of worrying whether we will be “in” or “out”, our focus should be whether to what extend we are letting God “in”, having time for him, serving him or whether we’re too busy to pray or to give him our time or our service. There is no greater wealth in this world than peace of mind. Ask God for strength to be a peacemaker.
