6th SUNDAY

of

Acts 8: 5-8; 14-17

I Pet. 3: 15-18
John 14: 15-21 Cycle A

21 May 2017
INTRODUCTION:
Throughout the Easter Season, we
have the magnificent opportunity to
listen to the Acts of the Apostles

even daily as the first Reading.

INTRODUCTION:
As everyone knows, Acts is the
second volume and Luke's Gospel
is the first volume. That is why the
two Books are treated thematically
as Luke-Acts.
1
The Acts opens with this instruction
from the Lord Jesus: ". . . Not to
depart from Jerusalem but to wait
for the promise of the Father about
which you have heard me speak."
(Acts 1: 4) Huwag muna kayong
aalis sa Jerusalem. Sa halip,
hintayin ninyo roon ang ipinangako
ng Ama na sinabi ko na sa inyo.
1

Jesus is speaking here about the

promised Holy Spirit whom the
Gospel today calls "Advocate"
Tagapagtanggol (John 14: 16)
1
Acts continues:
"John baptized
with water but in a
few days you will
be baptized with
the Holy Spirit."
Si Juan ay nagbautismo sa
(Acts 1: 5) tubig, ngunit di na magtatagal
at babautismuhan kayo sa
Espiritu Santo.
1

Jesus refers here to the

Holy Spirit as the Love
that links together the
Father and the Son that will
descend upon the Apostles
and equipped them for
their work.
1 What work?

How this Jesus of Nazareth became

gradually the Victorious King of the
Universe: how his power is spreading
all over the world precisely through
the Acts of the Apostle.
1
The Spirit of Jesus and the Father
cannot be the spirit of hatred and
violence which Augustine calls the
"libido dominandi" but is the
Spirit of Love on the march like
an Army eager to engage the world
with his power of persuasive
speech (tongues of fire) as an
Advocate does.
1

This is the foreshadowing

of a conquering Church or
a Church on the march not
by domination but by
spirit-filled speech.
1

Re-read the Acts in this light

of how this Victorious Church
goes about its work. On that
first day of Pentecost 3000
were baptized.
1

Soon they were met with

opposition first with the
religious and later by the
political establishments and
brought before the Sanhedrin.
1
Peter is imprisoned; James
is beheaded; Stephen is
stoned to death. A decade
or so later Peter and Paul
are both murdered.

This's the story of the Army on

the March fighting the enemy
not by dominance but by Love.
2
Precisely because of the
fierce persecution, many of
the 3000 converts were
forced to leave Jerusalem
and where they escaped they
spread the seed of faith.
2 This is the context of our
reading today from Acts 8.

Philip who was one of the seven

Deacons set out for Samaria
where he practiced his power of
speech as a preacher first and
foremost but also the power of
his deeds as an extraordinary
healer and exorcist.
2

This is common in
the history of
evangelism up and
down the centuries.
3
"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."
(Acts 8: 14-15)
3
Nang mabalitaan ng mga apostol
na nasa Jerusalem na tinanggap ng
mga Samaritano ang Salita ng
Diyos, sinugo nila roon sina Pedro
at Juan. Pagdating doon,
ipinanalangin nila ang mga
Samaritano upang silay
tumanggap din ng Espiritu Santo,
sapagkat hindi pa ito bumababa sa
kaninuman sa kanila.
3
Peter and John are called in
after Deacon Philip had
preached to converts in
Samaria to facilitate or
preside over the descent of
the Holy Spirit and his gifts.
3

Theology teaches
that the gifts of the
Holy Spirit are
given in Baptism
but are stirred up
or brought to life at
Confirmation.
3
This two-steps process is
imitated up to the present
when the bishop goes to
the parish some years later
to facilitate the gifts of the
Holy Spirit after one's
Baptism.
3

The gifts can be extraordinary like tongues or healing or as

ordinary as administration, kindness, or being a lay
Catechist, etc. but all these exist for the sake of equipping
the Army to extend the sovereign and authority of Jesus.
CONCLUSION:

Vatican II had a name for this process and it

is the Universal Call to Holiness.
Everyone is called to fight but no fear because
of Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit.
+AR
CONCLUSION:

Men like Philip long ago and the present men

and women of today have the same mission of
the Church up and down the ages to extend
the sovereignty of Jesus and these are still
Acts of the Apostles! +AR