LATEST HOMILY
6th SUNDAY of EASTER
May 5, 2024

The Gospel passage today continues the famous four-chapter speech Jesus gives at his Last Supper. The opening of this gospel passage reminds us of what Jesus wanted to communicate to his closest friends just before his capture, condemnation, and death. As John begins to quote Jesus, he says about him: “He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end” (13,1). It is with this realization of his love for them that we read our Gospel passage today.

No one can comprehend the love the Father has for Jesus; it is called the ‘Father’s’ love.  Though the disciples do not comprehend the love of Father for Son, they have been given signs enough as to this love, so that Jesus can help his disciples understand his love for them by reference to his Father’s love for him.

Jesus has given his love freely to his disciples.  To remain within the love of Jesus, however, demands obedience; love is not simply a feeling, but involves doing the commandments Jesus has given his disciples.  Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet is one example of a commandment such as Jesus wants obeyed.  It is impressive that love of neighbor is required to stay in Jesus’ love.  John’s community of readers knows that obeying the commandments of Jesus is difficult, though rewarding.  Thus, Jesus calls the disciples’ attention to his own obedience so as to remain in the love of his Father; the Twelve have watched Jesus obeying the Spirit throughout his public life, including the grief caused him by the religious authority in Israel.  John’s readers, however, are aware of the greatest act of obedience to the Father soon to be described in the Gospel and they have profited by the example Jesus has given in suffering for his obedience.  Jesus knew he was right to obey and paid the price for obeying.  Obedience, especially if it involves suffering, is not associated with joy, but Jesus insists that his reason for speaking to them about remaining in his love is that they may have joy – the joy he has for his obedience, a joy that is complete because it is full response to Jesus’ love.

According to today’s Second Reading the center of all living is love. It is not only the center of Christian living but needs to be at the center of any kind of life. Our Christian faith is a vision of how a human life should be lived in fullness. It teaches us how to be a real person. It was St Irenaeus who said a very long time ago that “The glory of God is a person fully alive.” And a person is only fully alive when full of love. Because such a person then reflects best the God who is love.  

The love that Jesus speaks about is very different from the love of our culture. Jesus speaks of agape love, a love which reaches out to others expecting nothing in return. This is how God loves each one of us. This is how the father loved his prodigal son. Sometimes when we love, we will be very happy. But sometimes loving the poor, the sick, the criminal will not be very easy. Caring for sick relatives and friends is usually not easy especially when there is little or no response from them. 

We love not to keep a commandment of God; we love because God has loved us first and therefore, we receive this gift in order to give it away. St. Paul says it plainly to the Christians at Corinth when he wrote; 

“If I speak in human and angelic tongues* but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. 

And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.” [1Cor 13:1-3]

This love demands grace and our cooperation with grace. This is how we gain the kingdom by sharing the love of God to all around us, thereby entering into a perfect friendship with Christ, and our salvation.