May 10, 2026

As we approach the Feast of Pentecost, we continue our journey through Jesus' Farewell Discourse in the Gospel of John, looking at his final teachings through the lens of Easter hope. In this homily, we explore what it means to live in a time of transition, asking the same question the disciples did: How do we go on from here?

Looking to Paul's respectful engagement in Athens and Peter's call to defend our hope with gentleness and reverence, we are reminded that the Christian response to a hostile world is not to prepare our weapons. Instead, our foundation is truth, and our action is love. We reflect on the chilling reality that "history is written by the winners" and how society often relies on a "sacrificial machinery" of scapegoating to maintain power. But Easter breaks that machinery. For the first time in human history, the story is written not by the executioners, but by the victorious victim who won not with a sword, but with love.

Jesus promises us an advocate—the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth—who stands with the silenced and marginalized. This homily challenges us to reject the violent narratives of the world, practice empathy, and live out the command to love our neighbors as a testament to the God we cannot see.