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Bishop's Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

May 3, 2026

(Zolnierek_photography / Shutterstock.com)

Homily of the Most Reverend Larry Silva, Bishop of Honolulu
[St. Catherine Church, Kapaa (Confirmation & First Communion); St. Theresa Church, Kekaha (Confirmation & First Communion); Immaculate Conception Church, Lihue (Confirmation & First Communion)]

Can you see me? Can you see Father? Can you see the altar? Can you see Jesus?

We are a little more tentative in our answer about seeing Jesus. It’s a little more tricky than seeing people or things that are in this room. But the fact is that Jesus is present to us, and this is the reason we are celebrating these sacraments. Jesus’s presence, however, is not always as obvious as we might like it to be.

Do you remember Mary Magdalene seeing Jesus outside his tomb on that first Easter morning? She knew him very well, but she thought he was the gardener. Do you remember the two disciples of Jesus – who also knew him well – walking seven miles with him that first Easter day and not recognizing him; that is, until he took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them? Then they knew Jesus was with them. And in today’s Gospel we hear Jesus telling his disciples that they have seen God the Father. Philip says, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus replies, “How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? We might go further and say, “Do you not believe that God is in you, and whoever sees you has seen God?”

That is why we are gathered here today to celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation. You will receive the Holy Spirit, God himself, so that you will have the wisdom and understanding to see Jesus today. It is only through the Holy Spirit that our we are able to truly see what our eyes cannot perceive: the presence of the risen Jesus among us right here and now.

Then we will do exactly what Jesus did for those two disciples on the road to Emmaus, who walked seven miles with him in the daylight, but did not recognize him. We will TAKE bread and wine and place them on the altar; BLESS them in the Eucharistic Prayer, in which we call down the Holy Spirit to change them into the Body and Blood of Christ; BREAK them in the Fraction Rite, during which we sing the Lamb of God; and GIVE them to you in Holy Communion. We will not see Jesus with our eyes, but he is truly physically present with us. And he enters into us in the most intimate and holy communion we can imagine, so that we become members of the Body of Christ. From then on, when people see us, they should see Jesus, because he truly lives in us.

But Jesus is not here just for us. He does not want to stay in the church. He wants to live in your home, bringing it greater love and forgiveness and harmony. He wants to be at your school or place of work, and he can be there, because he will be in you. He wants to be with your sports team, or at your dance class, or wherever you go. He wants to be seen by all in his mysterious way of showing himself, which is not always recognized by our eyes.

Did you notice the amazing thing Jesus says in the last line of today’s Gospel? “I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.” Amazing! Jesus brought good news to the poor, and when we are filled with Jesus, we, too, can bring them good news by reaching out to them in their need and by helping them live in the dignity they deserve. Jesus healed the sick, and when Jesus is in us, we can bring the sick healing by praying for them, caring for them, and showing them our love. Jesus raised the dead, and when we have Jesus in us we can go to those who look alive but are dead inside because of depression, addictions, or self-hatred, and by listening to them with compassion and love, we can bring them alive in the name of Jesus.

Like the early disciples, we may not always recognize the presence of Jesus with us or see it clearly, but he is definitely with us, alive and active within us. And he sends us out, so that, in us, everyone will be able to experience his hope, his mercy, his compassion, and his love.