Sunday School Lesson - May 29 - Year A - 6th Sunday in Easter

John Donahue tells us: "Karl Barth is reported to have said that as Christology was the focus of the 20th century, the role of the Spirit will be the focus of the present century, a prediction verified by renewed interest in both theology and church life. Too often in the past, the Spirit has been invoked as either the guarantor of fixed teaching or even a “fixer” behind the scenes, who will remedy human error (“I hope the Holy Spirit knows what he or she is doing”). Jesus promises the Advocate to those who keep his commandments, which in John are not primarily moral precepts but the call to radical faith and radical love. The Holy Spirit is present when the kind and quality of life embodied in the Word made flesh are visible to the world. Such is the best legal advice as we prepare for our trial." 

This week we learn more about love and the spirit, and how we can love one another as Christ has loved us, and how He abides in us, as we abide in Him as God sends us the παρακλητη - the paraclete - the Holy Spirit, literally “one called alongside of,” an advocate (a legal metaphor). This advocate is also the “Spirit of truth” (14:17) and the “Holy Spirit,” whom “the Father will send in my name, who will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have taught you” and be both advocate and defense witness (15:26). As Jesus has come into the world, so too the Advocate, who is teacher and guide, as was Jesus. The Advocate will likewise bear witness in a situation of hate, as did Jesus. The Advocate (Paraclete) is, then, the enduring presence in the church of the departed Jesus, who prolongs his life and teaching through history.

"Waiting for a Good Lawyer" by John Donahue in "America, The National Catholic Weekly," A courtroom drama—whether it is a John Grisham novel, a prime time TV series or one of a host of films from “To Kill a Mockingbird” to “Philadelphia”—provides enduring fascination. Especially common are plots pitting a little-known lawyer, defending a victimized client, against powerful adversaries. This appeal is as old as the biblical stories of Susannah and the elders and of the woman judged for adultery in John. In fact, John’s Gospel has been described as a long trial narrative in which the powers of the world are arrayed against Jesus, culminating in the carefully orchestrated appearance before Pilate. (Click link to read more).


"I Will Not Leave You Orphaned" by The Rev. Dr. Barbara Lundblad, Professor of preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, in "Day 1" (Click link to read)