Our Advocate

Sixth Sunday of Easter

To profess that we love God is relatively easy to do but being obedient to Jesus’ commands requires a level of commitment in our lives as Christians. Jesus asked us to love God and to love each other. This might sound easy, but when we are asked to love people who ridicule or provoke us, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to give us his healing strength. 

The Holy Spirit is not just with us, but is within us as a source of empowerment, courage, and inner strength. It is the same Spirit at work in Jesus’ life, given freely to us at our Baptism and Confirmation. Through this presence Jesus remains forever present in the Church, through it we share in the life of God and the mission of Jesus. 

In the Gospel which is a continuation of last week’s Gospel. Jesus during the Last Supper says to the disciples he would soon be leaving them to return to the Father. At the time they did not fully understand what Jesus was telling them, we though know exactly what Jesus meant. The giving of the Holy Spirit is promised by Jesus as he reassures his friends that they would not be left like orphans, uncared for. Jesus is further encouraging the disciples (and us) to enter into the relationship he has with the Father, we can achieve this through the gift of the Spirit. We are being invited to dine with God and in doing so share the very life of God. If we take time to reflect just how amazing this invitation is we realise that just as through the Spirit Christ was conceived by Mary and came among us, he is still present in us through the Eucharist. Through the Eucharist we become the body of Christ.

Jesus explains to the disciples that he and the Father are one and that it is the Holy Spirit who is with us and helps us to know that we are God’s children and not orphans. It is this Spirit that guides us to live Christian lives within our families, and we continue to show our love for Jesus by following his commandments.

A reading from the Gospel of John (Jn 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.”

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

  1. Read the Gospel story so that you are familiar with it.
  2. Reflect on what the Gospel story is saying to you. Which points would you highlight and why? 
  3. As children of God, we can always depend on the Spirit, as a guide and comforter who strengthens our Christian lives. Let’s not forget the Spirit who is third person in the Holy Trinity. This week gather your family and invite each person to say what they know about the Holy Spirit.   
  4.  The wind is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, sometimes it can be a gentle breeze or a hurricane! As the Spirit moves us like the wind are we gently moved, or does it take a hurricane to spur us into action? Think of ways in which the Spirit might be calling you to now.
  5. Together with your family find the right time to read this Gospel. The environment helps, so before you start, prepare;
    i. The Bible reading from  St John (Jn 14: 15-21)
    ii. a candle
    iii. Cover the table with a white cloth
    iv. A computer/laptop with the reading and clips
  6. Go through the steps with your children (2 age groups are being suggested).
  7. Feel free to adapt to your situation
  8. Be creative 😊 
  9. Go to the Prayer Corner section to continue praying as a family. 

Today in the Gospel Jesus tells us that if we love him, we must keep his commandments and that God loves those who listen to and love his Son who will show us what he is like.

  • If we say that we love Jesus, then we must keep his commandments.
  • Jesus asked us to love God and to love one another.
  • Heart template
  • Colours/stickers to decorate.
  • Craft card/glue/scissors
  • Hole punch/ribbon
Heart templateDownload

In the Gospel today Jesus talks about the importance of listening to his teachings and as a sign of showing others that we love Jesus we should obey his commandments. Jesus’ greatest commandment asked us to love God with all our being, and to love one another.

So, if we say that we love Jesus then we should back this up with actions. It is very easy to say to some one ‘I love you’ it is harder to ‘show some one’ that you love them. It is often easy to show our love for the people we are close to like our parents, siblings, or friends. We can be kind or helpful at home or at school. We can listen to our parents, teachers and catechists and obey what they tell us. We can share our things with our brothers and sisters and comfort them when they are feeling sad or upset in the same way they should be ready to comfort you when you need them. Don’t forget that we are all God’s children. God loves each one of us because we are all special. To obey Jesus’ commandments, we must think of our brothers and sisters around the world. How do you think you can do this? We can pray for them asking God to provide for them. We can also show our love for others by caring for our world which is the home we all share. By not dropping litter in the streets, by taking all our rubbish home with us after a picnic or a barbeque. By not wasting water and electricity, don’t leave lights on when you are not in the room. Many children around the world do not have clean water to drink or wash themselves with. We can help by donating to charities such as WaterAid who provide clean water and hygiene projects such as toilets and showers to communities around the world. We show others that we love as Jesus loved when we think about and try to help people who are in need. Let’s try to make the world a better place for everyone free from poverty and hunger. 

To remember Jesus’ commandment, print out the heart. Cut it out and stick it onto craft card, now you can colour it and decorate it. Punch a hole in the top and thread a ribbon through so that you can hang it in your room. Today is also Mother’s Day so you could make this heart to give to your mother to show her how much you love her! 

Listen to the song, Heal the World .

Sign of the Cross 

Jesus, you came into the world to show us how to live. May we follow your commandment of love for one another and do what we can to care for all people, especially those who are poor.

We also ask you Lord to Bless all mothers on this special day.

Amen.

Jesus knew that he would soon return to the Father and promises the disciples at the Last Supper that they would never be alone, he promises to send a special helper, an Advocate- the Holy Spirit. 

  • Advocate is another word for the Holy Spirit.
  • Jesus has also given us the gift of the Holy Spirit, whom we received at our Baptism.
  • Entwined hearts template
  • Craft card
  • Colours
Entwined heartsDownload

In today’s Gospel Jesus tells his disciples at the Last Supper that he will send them a helper, an advocate. In Baptism we have also received the gift of the Holy Spirit, our helper, who will help us when we ask him to lead us to the Father (God).

Have you ever experienced a friend or a close member of your family moving to another country where you can no longer be with them whenever you want? If you have then most probably you would be feeling a little sad or disappointed that they were no longer with you. Sometimes you may even be given a parting gift, something to remember them by. This is what Jesus promises to do for the disciples at the Last Supper. Jesus tells them that after he has died, they will receive a special gift, he calls this gift an advocate. An advocate is a person who speaks or acts in favour of someone else. The advocate whom Jesus is promising to send is the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus is saying that even though he is going to leave them, he will never abandon them, they will never be alone. They will receive a helper who will reveal to them the great love that exists between the Father and the Son and the disciples. It is the Holy Spirit who guides us to live the way God wants us to live. The Holy Spirit comes to us in a special way at our Baptism and Confirmation and acts as our guide throughout our life, he helps us to follow the commandments of God. Through the Holy Spirit Jesus was able to remain with the disciples and then with us in the same way today. If we allow the Holy Spirit, he will help us to understand our relationship with God and with his Son Jesus and help us to follow him.

Today also happens to be Mother’s Day, so you might like to make a special card to remind you of today’s gospel and then give it to your mum to show how much you love her.

Use the craft card to make a base for your card. Using the template of the entwined hearts copy the design onto the front of your card or cut out the hearts and stick them on. Write God the Father, Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit on each of the hearts. 

On the back of the card write your name and this short bible verse, ‘Do everything in love’ (1 Corinthians 16:14) and colour and decorate your card. 

Listen to the song, Holy Spirit Fire.,

Sign of the Cross

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. Kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. Amen

Gospel in Symbols Easter 6Download

How to use this space

God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings. Here you will find useful background and activities to better understand the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings, helping you to connect the Scripture to daily life in a meaningful way.