Sixth Sunday of Easter (B)

 

May 9, 2021                                                                    

Readings:

First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 10: 25-26, 34-35, 44-48

Psalm 98: “The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.”

Second Reading: 1 John 4: 7-10

Gospel reading according to John 15: 9-17

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Homily: 

God the Father loves first.  He loves all he created, seen and unseen, living and unliving things, plants and animals, fish and birds, men and women.  Despite the men and women disobeying him, He still loved them by sending prophets, leaders and kings to remind them to return to him in his love.  Until such time He sent his only begotten Son, whom He loved first.  “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘As the Father loves me, so I love you’.” (John 15: 9).  The Father loves the Son, and the Son loves the Father; and so also the Son, Jesus, loves his disciples whom the Father entrusted to him since time immemorial.  God the Father loves Jesus and He showed how to love others, even the unlovable, the sinners and those who live in darkness.  Also, Jesus taught and showed his disciples the love of the Father and the Son to creatures: by his passion, crucifixion, death and resurrection. 

Jesus wanted us his disciples to stick to him, to not leave him nor abandon him even the hardships in life. It is true that when we follow him, we will also experience his sufferings, passion, crucifixion, death, but on the third day we will rise again like him.  So, Jesus instructed his disciples to remain in him, in his love. ”’Remain in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just I have kept my Father’s commandments and I remain in his love’.” (John 15: 10).  We remain in him and in his love when we keep and do his commandments.  By keeping and doing his commandments we are prompted to remain in his love, as he kept his Father’s commandments so he remained in his Father’s love which he wanted us to do and keep.   He said this to us that when we hear his commandments, we will be joyful for this is his intention, our joy; for it is his joy to see us joyful and his joy might be completed through us.   “’I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete.  This is my commandment: love one another as I love you’.” (John 15: 11-12).  He also gives us new commandment: that we, his disciples love one another as he loves us to the end.

True love is not only emotional or physical or spiritual attraction.  True love is our willingness to offer our lives to one’s friends without reservation or choosing.   Like what Jesus did for us, he offered his own self not only to good people, obedient men and women, his chosen ones but even to sinners, those unlovable, and those who did not believe in him in the beginning.  “’No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what the master is doing.  I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father’.” (John 15: 13-15).  He called us friends.  As friends, he laid down his life for us.  He called us friends no more slaves, because a slave does not know what the master is doing.  He called us friends because he reveals to us everything that the Father had told him and heard from Him.

We sometimes thought that we were the ones who choose or not Jesus in our lives.  But the reality is that he was the first one who called us to himself, so that we may have life abundantly and our joy may be complete.  “’It is not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you’.” (John 15: 16).  He chose us to join in his ministry and he appointed us to go throughout the whole world to proclaim the Kingdom of God to all, so that others too may bear fruit and remain steadfast in his commandments of love.  And with that God the Father will appreciate us and whatever we ask from Him in Jesus’ name He will grant it.  So, this is what we proclaim to all peoples of the world, “’This I command you: love one another’.” (John 15: 17).  There is no greater gift we can receive from the Lord Jesus Christ except his love for us and to one another.