6A EASTER HOMILY, JOHN 14:15:21, May 10, 2026
By: Fr. Vincent Corbelli, MM
1. STORY
John was a young
Native American Indian who had to pass a test to become a full member of his
tribe. His father took him into the
forest, blindfolded him, and left him alone. He had to sit on the stump of a tree all night
and was not permitted to take the blindfold off until the sun rose the
following morning. He was by himself, he
could not cry out for help. John was
terrified as he could hear all kinds of noises. Beasts were all around him. Maybe some person would harm him. The wind blew the grass and earth and even
shook the stump. Yet John sat there
quietly, not removing the blindfold. It
was the only way to pass the test to become a full member of the tribe. Finally, after a horrific night, the sun
appeared and he removed the blindfold. It
was then that he saw his father sitting on the stump next to him guarding him
the entire night. We are never alone. Even when we do not know it, the Holy Spirit/
Paraclete is protecting us.
2. GOSPEL, JOHN
14:15:21
A) THE GIFTS OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT/PARACLETE
Jesus tells us
that his Father will give us another Paraclete who will be with us always. The Holy Spirit/
Paraclete will
protect us from the devil and from those who wish to harm us. The Holy Spirit / Paraclete will comfort us
when life becomes difficult, when we fall or when we suffer.
B) HOW TO RECEIVE
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Jesus tells us
the way to receive the great gift is that we must love him by obeying his
commandments. It’s like John who loves
his father knowing that his father deeply loves him.
3. APPLICATION TO
LIFE
A) The Holy
Spirit helps us
The Holy Spirit
is like a compass guiding us by keeping us on the right path as journey
through the vast, dangerous and difficult forest of life. We must follow the guidance of the compass,
the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like
a watch giving us accurate information about what is right and what is wrong. It would be difficult to know what time it is
by just guessing. It would often be
difficult to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong if we only
depend on ourselves.
B) LOVE JESUS BY
OBEYING HIS COMMANDMENTS
In the story John
knew by his father’s actions that his father loved him. It was natural that he would love his father
in return. We know that Jesus loves us
so it is natural we love Jesus. We love
Jesus by our actions such as being kind, patient, and forgiving to others. We love Him by being grateful, encouraging and
understanding.
4. CONCLUSION
In the story,
John’s father loved his son and stayed with him the whole night though John was
not aware of this during the night. The
Holy Spirit is always with us protecting and comforting us though we may not be
aware of his presence. With the help of
the Holy Spirit, we are able to love Jesus by carrying out his command to love
God, neighbour and self.
