Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 8:5-8; 1 Pet 3:15-18; Jn 14:15-21 (Year A)
‘Philip went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached.” The Acts of the Apostles locates the proclamation of the Resurrection, and the growth of the first congregations in Jerusalem. Of its very nature the power of Christ’s Resurrection cannot be contained; it must reach out to the ends of the earth.
The preaching of Philip in a Samaritan town marked an important step in this expansion. Until this time Samaritans had been treated as despised outsiders, far removed from the grace of God. Now they rejoiced in welcoming the Risen Lord whose presence brought healing, forgiveness and reconciliation.
