Reading 1
Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.
Now when the apostles in Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,
they sent them Peter and John,
who went down and prayed for them,
that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
for it had not yet fallen upon any of them;
they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then they laid hands on them
and they received the Holy Spirit.
Ps 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
Responsorial Psalm R. (1)
Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2
1 Pt 3:15-18
Beloved:
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
Always be ready to give an explanation
to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,
but do it with gentleness and reverence,
keeping your conscience clear,
so that, when you are maligned,
those who defame your good conduct in Christ
may themselves be put to shame.
For it is better to suffer for doing good,
if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.
For Christ also suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
Gospel
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.”
Meditation: 1 Peter 3:15-18
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. (1 Peter 3:15)
Wait—how can we sanctify Christ? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Isn’t he supposed to sanctify us—make us holy?
Think about when you wake up in the morning. You’re lying in bed and you gradually become aware of the new day with its to-do list, opportunities, and problems. This time is the perfect opportunity to set yourself apart as one who belongs to Christ. This is what it means to sanctify him. You are making him holy in your heart, setting him apart as your Lord and Savior.
Think of the way husbands and wives kiss each other good-bye as they walk out the door in the morning. It may be routine, but there is more behind that kiss than meets the eye. It’s an expression of the love and devotion that have grown between them over the years. In a way, it signifies a renewal of their marriage vows, their promise to love and honor and cherish each other for as long as they live. With that one little kiss, the husband says that he belongs only to his wife, and the wife says the same thing to her husband. It’s their way of telling each other: “I’m yours.”
That’s what we are saying to Jesus when we sanctify him in our hearts. We are confessing that our lives are no longer our own, because we belong to him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We are telling him that we intend to love him through our words and actions that day—for better or for worse, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. In a sense, we are renewing our covenant with him!
So sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart, and watch to see how differently your day goes. Perhaps you will feel more peaceful. Maybe you’ll be more aware of the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Maybe you’ll be more careful when it comes to fighting temptation. Why? Because when you give your life to Jesus in this way, he takes it!
“Lord, I give you my life. I’m yours.”
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