Fifth Sunday of Easter

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Brothers and sisters,

Today’s readings are among the most consoling in all of Scripture, and they speak directly into the worries many of us carry—worries about our families, our future, our world. Into those places of uncertainty, God reminds us who we are and who He is for us.

1. Our Identity in Christ

In the second reading, Saint Peter tells us something astonishingly beautiful:

“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.”

He is not speaking only to priests or leaders. He is speaking to the baptized—to all of us. Through baptism, we truly belong to God. We are united to Christ. We are chosen and made holy.

If this is who we are—a chosen people—then Jesus shows us what that identity looks like in action.

2. Jesus’ Assurance

In the Gospel, Jesus says:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.”

He can say this with confidence because He knows the truth: He is in the Father, and the Father is in Him. The Father becomes visible in Jesus—through His words, His actions, His compassion, His love.

And if the Father was visible in Jesus, then the question naturally becomes: How is Jesus visible in us?

3. How Is Jesus Visible in Us?

Jesus gives us the key: “If you do not believe me, believe because of the works.”

People believed Jesus not only because of what He said, but because of what they saw in Him—God alive and active.

This reminds me of a story a priest once told. A man said to him, “I don’t believe in God.” The priest gently replied, “Which God don’t you believe in?” The man looked puzzled. So the priest began describing false images of God: a harsh God, a distant God, a judgmental God, a God who doesn’t care. Finally the man said, “I don’t believe in any of those.” And the priest answered, “Good. Neither do I.”

Then he added something profound: “Many people today reject God not because they’ve met Him, but because they’ve only met distorted images of Him. What they need is not arguments—they need witnesses.”

And that is where we come in.

How is Jesus visible in us?

In a parent who forgives quickly

In a teenager who refuses to gossip

In a worker who treats everyone with dignity

In someone who prays quietly for a coworker in crisis

These simple acts preach the Gospel more powerfully than any words.

4. Our Mission as God’s People

Saint Peter reminds us: we are a holy people. We are baptized. We share in Christ’s priesthood, His prophetic mission, His kingship. Jesus lives in us, and we live in Him.

People will recognize who we are not only by what we say, but by how we live. They will know if we belong to God. They will see Christ alive in us.

And Jesus makes us a remarkable promise: “Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.”

5. A Call to Live What We Believe

A few months after I was ordained, a wise woman said to me: “Father, we believe that a priest’s smile is God’s smile, a priest’s words are God’s words, and a priest’s life is God’s life.”

I was humbled, because I could remember many times when I failed to live that truth. But this is not only about priests. Through baptism, you also carry Christ’s presence into the world.

So today, hold tightly to the words of Saint Peter: “You are a chosen race…”

And let that identity shape your week.

This week, choose one moment to make Christ visible.

Let someone encounter God through your patience, your kindness, your courage.

Live as someone who truly belongs to Him.

If we do that—if we live as God’s chosen people—then others will come to believe not because of arguments, but because they meet God alive in us.

Amen.