Homily Easter 6A: The Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian

 Homily for 6^th Sunday of Easter Year A 2026

Introduction

Jesus says in today’s gospel: "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate or Counsellor to be with you always." 

As you know, advocates or counsellors are lawyers, who speak on behalf of others, especially before a court of law. We, weak human beings need help, an Advocate to speak on our behalf against the Evil One.

But why is Jesus giving us another advocate?  Who is the first advocate and what happened to him? 

Scripture and Theology

Jesus himself is our first Advocate. Through his teaching, his death, and his resurrection, he defended us against sin and the power of the Evil One. He spoke for us before the Father and obtained for us the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life.  But now Jesus is preparing to return to the Father. That is why he tells the disciples: “I will not leave you orphans.”

We can think of Jesus here as a parent, who is about to die.  He or she has taken care of the children well; but is concerned about their welfare after he or she passes on.  So the parent writes a last will and testament giving instructions regarding what is to be done with their property after they die, perhaps some for the children, some for their church.  These instructions might also indicate how the parents want the children cared for, especially if they are very young And to ensure that the instructions are carried out correctly, the parent will also name an executor of the will, usually a trusted friend or a lawyer, and this person will be the children’s advocate.

In the same way, Jesus leaves behind for his disciples a kind of last will and testament. And he also appoints an executor of that testament — the Holy Spirit.  Since Jesus would no longer remain physically present with the disciples, he asks the Father to send another Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who would continue his work until the end of time.

In this last will and testament, Jesus did not leave behind any material possessions: no house or property, no investments or savings.  Remember he was a poor man, with no place to lay his head. What he left was a way of life, a way that leads to eternal life, a way of life through which he continues to be present for us, making his absence easier to bear.

And we can summarize this last will and testament of Jesus in three great instructions he gave at the Last Supper..

·        Like he says in many places, we heard him in today’s gospel tell the disciples, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."  This statement enjoins us whom he leaves behind to listen to his teaching, especially the teaching that guides our moral lives.  This teaching is summarized in the double commandment of loving God and loving our Neighbour.

·        Another stipulation in his last will and testament is what he said after he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples saying: “Do this in memory of me.”  This command represents the wish of Jesus for his disciples to continue celebrating the Eucharist and the other sacraments, which make Jesus present among us all the time.

·        A third stipulation of his last will and testament was given after he had washed the feet of his disciples and said: “I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.”  With these words, his wish was that his disciples would live lives of service for others, especially for the poor, the needy and the suffering.

So these are the three great wishes Jesus leaves us in his last will and testament. to remain faithful to his teaching, to celebrate the sacraments, and to serve one another in love, namely, WORD, WORSHIP AND WORKS.

Christian Life

But my brothers and sisters, this is not easy. On our own, we cannot live the Christian life faithfully. We need help. We need strength. We need guidance. That is why Jesus gives us the Advocate, the Counsellor, who is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit continues the work of Jesus in the Church even today, particularly in those three areas of Word, Worship and Works.

First, the Spirit guides us into faith in the Word of Jesus.  In the second reading today, Saint Peter tells Christians: “Always be prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence.”  Did you hear that?  Perhaps it will be clearer in the American translation, which says: “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.”

But of course we cannot do that on our own.  That is one of the great works of the Holy Spirit in the Church.  The Holy Spirit helps the Church to understand the teaching of Christ more deeply and to hand it on faithfully from generation to generation. Every time the Church teaches the faith, explains the Scriptures, or prepares people for the sacraments, the Holy Spirit is inspiring this work.

Second, the Holy Spirit continues the work of Jesus in the sacraments, essentially our liturgy and worship.  In the Eucharist today, you will notice that the priest stretches out his hands over the bread and wine and asks the Father to send down the Holy Spirit upon these gifts, so that they may become the Body and Blood of Christ.

And after the consecration, he again asks the Holy Spirit to unite us together as one people.  The sacraments are not merely human ceremonies. They are the work of the Holy Spirit among us.

And finally, the Holy Spirit inspires us to live lives of service through our good Works. How can we selfish human beings, who are often concerned only about the unholy Trinity of me, myself and I, do this?  Yet we surprise ourselves by doing good things that we did not think ourselves capable of doing: forgiving someone who hurt us, helping someone in need, being patient when we are angry, continuing to pray when life is difficult.  That is the Holy Spirit quietly at work within us.

On the wider scale, it is only by the Holy Spirit, that the Church has been inspired to discern what services we need to offer from time to time.  Feeding the hungry in one place, providing healthcare in another.  Fighting for the unborn in a country where abortion is rampart and fighting for victims of sexual abuse elsewhere.  And today we hear Pope Leo courageously calling for peace, because his work is always, always inspired by the Holy Spirit.

My brothers and sisters, Jesus did not leave us alone. He did not leave us as orphans. He left us the Advocate who enables to make Jesus present in his Word, in the Sacraments and in our Works of service.  The Holy Spirit, is doing a pretty good job of executing the last will and testament of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the Advocate who teaches us, strengthens us, sanctifies us, and helps us to continue the mission of Christ in the world.

Conclusion

And so, although we never saw Jesus with our own eyes, never actually heard him speak with our own ears, or touched him with our own hands, we are not at a disadvantage compared to those who did.  Jesus ensured that we would continue to have as much access to him, as they did.

As we prepare for Pentecost, let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us remain faithful to the three wishes Jesus left us:

·        to believe in what he taught us in his Word,

·        to celebrate the sacraments faithfully in our Worship

·        and to serve one another in love in our Works of service.

And as St. Paul told the Corinthians: "no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit."  For wherever the Holy Spirit is present, Jesus himself remains present among his people, in our lives, in our families, in our community.