Sixth Sunday of Easter

First Reading

Acts 15:1-2, 22-29

Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,
“Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved.”
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders
about this question.

The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:

“The apostles and the elders, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right.  Farewell.’”

Second reading

Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23

The angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain
and showed me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God.
It gleamed with the splendor of God.
Its radiance was like that of a precious stone,
like jasper, clear as crystal.
It had a massive, high wall,
with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed
and on which names were inscribed,
the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites.
There were three gates facing east,
three north, three south, and three west.
The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

I saw no temple in the city
for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.
The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it,
for the glory of God gave it light,
and its lamp was the Lamb.

Gospel

John 14:23-29

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.”

Sermon

Dear sisters and brothers in faith,
How do you live? Alone or with your family? Have you completely furnished your home yourself or have you already found some things permanently? Are you happy the way you live or do you long for a different place to live? And are you happy to have roommates or would you rather be alone?
Today Jesus says to each and every one of us: “My Father and I will come and make our home with you. What a challenge: God with me! He is looking for accommodation with me, he wants to share a flat with me. What place will I give him? And how will I notice that he is there? Does he shape my everyday life?
Once again: God wants to live with you, move in with you, share your life! He comes so close to you that no area of life is excluded from his fellowship: work and leisure, family and being alone, joy and sorrow, everywhere God says: I am there, I want to support you; you can always count on my presence!

Yes, sometimes a single sentence is enough to grasp the truths of life. “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
These words may sound a little convoluted at first glance, but they contain a valuable message: when we love God, he enters into a living relationship with us - a relationship in which God himself takes up residence in us. This is not a theory, but a reality. It is also not a kind of squatting, but a great gift, an honor. Every person - without exception - can be a dwelling place for God. No one is worthless, no one is insignificant. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” writes the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. Each and every one of us human beings is God's home and is endowed by him with divine splendor.
And yet it happens day after day that people are treated as if they were nothing, that their dignity is deeply violated. 
We often fall short of these demands because the challenges are too complex and complicated. However, we will often be successful in combating injustice, violence and man-made suffering. Jesus says: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give it to you.”

With Pope Leo XIV, we have a pope who has been calling for peace from the very beginning. At his inauguration a week ago, he once again called on the world to be more united and castigated all forms of war and terror. This puts him in direct line with his predecessor Pope Francis, who also made the Holy Year 2025 the Year of Hope for Peace:
“May the first sign of hope be realized as peace for the world, which once again finds itself in the midst of the tragedy of war,” wrote the late Pope Francis in his message for the Holy Year 2025.
The fact that this is anything but easy is not only shown by the history of mankind, which can certainly be described as a history of constant armed conflicts between peoples and nations. And I believe that Jesus Christ knew this. That is why he said to his disciples: “Peace I leave with you, MY peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you.”

The peace of Jesus is of a completely different quality than all the peace agreements of this world.  Only when peace is not dictated by the right of the strongest, but when the dignity of the small and weak is the decisive criterion, only then is lasting peace possible. This is precisely the problem between nations, but also between people themselves. The struggle for one's own power without regard for one's neighbor only ever leads to outbreaks of violence.  
It is good that Jesus says in today's Gospel that he wants to take up residence with us and ultimately with all people and that he also says: “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not lose heart. The Helper, the Holy Spirit, will teach you all things.”
Let us pray for this Holy Spirit! This year, let us pray especially that he will give the powerful of this world, but also us, who are constantly having to resolve conflicts on a small scale, creativity and imagination for peace, and the courage to realize these ideas.