Breaking Open the Word
May 18, 5th Sunday of Easter
Introduction
Acts 14:21-27
Psalm 145
Revelations 21:1-5
John 13:31-35
INTRODUCTION
The message Jesus shares with us this week is pretty simple…but not easy. The message, the way of life to which the message calls us, is the fuel the Holy Spirit uses for us to evangelize just as we see St Paul doing in our first reading. We must tirelessly be willing to bring others to Christ.
Gospel Explained
“Now is the Son of Man glorified…” Judas has just left the Last Supper and I am certain satan was believing that he would now win the battle. However, it is in the actions of Judas that we see God being glorified as He conquers evil. Jesus is about to be handed over to evil men, and it is there that God will show His great love for us.
The passage is the introduction to the last discourse of Jesus where Jesus instructs the Apostles to keep heart – God is and will be glorified. With that glorification comes a promise that God will always take care of them. Jesus tells them there is a place waiting for them in heaven because Jesus is the one who prepared that place for them.
In our passage this week, Jesus gives them a straight forward commandment – love one another. That is the way that others will always know the disciples are followers of Jesus. That statement is reflected in the reading we have this weekend from St. John in Revelations as John declares that the former heaven and earth had passed away, and the dwelling in which God would dwell is His relationship with His people. Love is what takes us to that place where God will dwell in us.
The love to which Jesus is calling the disciples is a divine love, which is why it is referenced as a new commandment. The love Jesus has shared with the disciples is a love that goes beyond an earthly love, to a divine love that entails being willing to sacrifice all that we are.
Today's Theme
TODAY’S THEME: LOVE ONE ANOTHER
The old adage “You can’t give what you do not have” is certainly a great way to help us understand the love to which Jesus refers. Jesus has shown us how to love and that is to sacrifice. The divine love to which Jesus calls us is the gift He has given to us. Whenever we receive a gift, it is really only a worthwhile gift when we use it.
The definition of love is most clearly defined by St. Thomas Acquinas: always want the good for the other person, and be willing to work to achieve that good. There are two very important components to that definition that are commonly referred to as the Virtuous Circle. First, we must be willing to receive love – and that can be scary. It means we must become vulnerable by opening our hearts, minds and spirit to others. That is scary because we can get hurt…Jesus calls us to be willing to be hurt just as He was hurt.
Second thing is, we need to be willing to take the first step in helping others achieve the good. That is easier said than done many times. It is pretty simple to know that a baby will not change its own diaper in the middle of the night, so a parent will get out of bed and get it changed. It can be more difficult when we see injustice in our communities, or a level of anger that turns to idiotic levels of destruction, or the demonic activities of baby killing mills, or people just hoping to find a meal – to see those things and then be willing to say it is wrong and take action to prevent it, that is the love to which He calls us.
The love to which Jesus was referring was His willingness to be hurt not just by those who were closest to Him, but be hurt by all of us who are sinners. That is the love to which He calls us.
Theme in our Life Today
LOVE IN OUR LIFE TODAY
We tend to throw the word “love” around like pennies and nickels these days. Love is good stuff. It can make us feel really good. We don’t see “love”, we see the effects of loving actions. When you ask someone if they have fallen in love and to describe that love, many times they just can’t explain it. That kind of love will mean different things to different people, they just know that being with that other person makes them feel good and want more of it. That is eros love.
Same thing goes for the kind of love we have for friendships, or probably even food, for me that would be jelly beans, coffee and Spam. Now not everyone likes jelly beans and if they do there is likely one type that is their favorite and they don’t like the black ones; coffee can come with lots of different stuff for different people; and why anyone would not love Spam is simply beyond me. That is philia love.
The love Jesus calls us to is agape love. Agape love is a love that is definitively an active love. Agape love entails completely emptying of ourselves, accepting the love of God in our lives, and then be willing to sacrifice all that we are for God and others. It is a love of God for us, and the love a parent gives a child. Children learn most frequently from their parents, so when we were loved by our parents we are more prepared to love others.
So how do we accomplish this love? By being in right relationship with God. We spend time with God. We read scripture. We have friendly conversations with God. We pour out our hearts to God. His love is immense for us so we can share that love with others.
To share that love we must understand what is meant by the Good and the Truth. What society tends to describe as “good” is not good at all. The theme “be yourself and do whatever makes you happy” is definitely not the Good or the Truth. To understand the Good and the Truth, we must spend time with God.
Prepare for Sunday
TO PREPARE FOR THIS SUNDAY’S LITURGY OF THE WORD:
1. Get to the Adoration Chapel at least once this week, do a little scripture reading, and then have a friendly conversation with God.
2. Consider a teaching of the Church that is confusing to you and read what the Church has to say about it in the Catechism: https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church
3. Get to Reconciliation, and take with you someone you love!
It’s a beautiful day! Go smile at God today!