Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29; Rev 21:10-1, 22-23; Jn 14:23-29 “The promise of the Holy Spirit.”

Laudato Si’ 231. “Love, overflowing with small gestures of mutual care, is also civic and political and it makes itself felt in every action that seeks to build a better world. Love for society and commitment to the common good are outstanding expressions of a charity which affects not only relationships between individuals but also macro-relationships, social, economic and political ones. Social love is the key to authentic development and is part of our spirituality.”

Scripture: It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood and what is strangled and from unchastity. Acts15:29

JUBILEE.  Saint Paul is a realist. He knows that life has its joys and sorrows, that love is tested amid trials, and that hope can falter in the face of suffering. Even so, he can write: “We boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Rom 5:3-4). For the Apostle, trials and tribulations mark the lives of those who preach the Gospel amid incomprehension and persecution (cf. 2 Cor 6:3-10). Yet in those very contexts, beyond the darkness we glimpse a light: we come to realize that evangelization is sustained by the power flowing from Christ’s cross and resurrection

Action:  Use parish focus on saving and waste and choose action.   

Reflection. The apostolic letter from the Council of Jerusalem to the Gentiles, in content and personal witness bears testimony to life in the Holy Spirit. We can only imagine those words and actions which caused so much trouble from the Christian brethren relating to Jewish culture. We can only imagine the somber moment until the Gentile brethren received the comforting words from Barssabbas and Silas as they confirmed the content of the letter by actions, encouraging the congregation to live according to the dictates of the Holy Spirit.

In the Gospel, Jesus cautions his disciples to abide by his words, the commandment of love and the gift of the Holy Spirit which the Father will send in His name. “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”.

The book of Revelation is the book of consolation, closely related to the gift of love and opens our hearts to the hope of heaven, “the new Jerusalem.” This is a symbol of the new Israel where humanity will live in peace with all creation. 

However, around the world, this vision of a new world is far from being realized, as power, greed, corruption, pollution and irresponsible attitudes and behaviors perpetuate the problems on earth.

Our Christian obligation compels us to resist the evil forces through love. Humanity and creation suffer; love and common good are too far out of reach. Yet, each individual person and family is responsible to transform communities and restore life, creating a better world through love. In that way faith, hope and love will abound in our land.

Prayer for Families and Ecological Life 

God of love, who inspires sustainable livelihood, instill in us the courage to look beyond ourselves. Let us, as families, be seeds and signs of hope and first fruits in the world. Open our hearts and eyes to see the valuable existence of every living creature, redeemed by the blood of Christ, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.