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Dear Audience,For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!
Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year B)
531
3
3First Reading
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48)
When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and, falling at his feet, paid him homage. Peter, however, raised him up, saying, "Get up. I myself am also a human being."
Then Peter was proceeded to speak and said, "In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him."
While Peter was still speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word. The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also, for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter responded, "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?" He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms of David (22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32)
(R) The Lord has revealed to the nations His saving power.
Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for Him, His holy arm. (R)
The Lord has made His salvation known: in the sight of the nations He has revealed His justice. He has remembered His kindness and His faithfulness toward the house of Israel. (R)
All the ends of the Earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. (R)
Second Reading
A reading from the First Letter of Saint John (4:7-10)
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent His only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins.
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Gospel
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (15:9-17)
Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in His love.
"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. 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 his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I 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. This I command you: love one another."
(P) The Gospel of the Lord.(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Homily
Once a young man, holding a glass of wine in his hand at dinner table with his girlfriend said, "I love you". And she asked him, "Is that you or the wine talking"? The man replied, "It's me talking to the wine". We talk a lot about "love" inside and outside the church because it is the most important thing in life. Love brings forth a sense of excitement, happiness, purpose, fulfillment, inner peace, joy, and so on that can enrich our lives in many ways. In other words, love transforms us, motivates us, strengthens us, and heals us. However, love remains a complex emotion. We all know what love is like and yet, we find it difficult to define or explain in any language.
Love means many different things to different people, and to each one it has a different value. It is said that we humans can experience many forms of love in various relationships, such as familial love - love shared between family members; romantic love - love between spouses or partners; affectionate love - love between friends; compassionate love - love that centers on the good of other people, including those close to us, strangers or all of humanity; passionate love - love between people with intense desire for union with another; sexual love - love between people who are sexually attracted to each other; and so forth. Ultimately, love is a deeply personal and subjective experience, and it is different for everyone.
For instance, saying "I love you", can mean something different each time it is said. When someone says "I love you" to someone else, it usually means that they have strong feelings of affection and attachment towards that person, and it implies that they are wholly committed to that person or relationship. It can be expressed in so many ways between lovers, couples, family members, friends, colleagues, and caregivers such as physicians, nurses etc. And it can be shown in thoughts or prayers, in spoken words, praise, appreciation, or concern, in gestures like a hug, handshake, kiss or holding hands, and in actions like spending quality time, giving gifts or acts of service. Indeed, love permeates all aspects of life.
However, the word "love" is often used so loosely in so many situations that it loses its essential meaning. Someone expresses one's love and feelings for the other but then later, if the other person fails to meet the expectations, love is withheld or withdrawn as a way of punishment. Besides, there is also loss of initial interest, attraction and connection to the other. So, "love" remains a mystery to many of us. Some people mistake the feeling of love with the actual work of loving someone. Having feelings of love for someone is different from loving someone. Love is more than a feeling. Love is a choice. Someone can choose to love, regardless of feelings. But choosing to love is not always easy. For us Christians, the Bible is the best book that can help us to better understand and handle love. The most biblical verses on love are found in the writings of Saint John and Saint Paul. Especially, they talk a lot about God's love.
In the First letter of John, 1 John (4:7-10), which is taken for our second reading today, John calls on all believers in Christ to "love one another." John's call to love one another is not a new teaching. It had been the central teaching of Jesus Himself. John only repeats what Jesus had said to his disciples on many occasions, John (13:34-35, 15:12, 17), to remind us that loving one another is not optional but a command, and that by this our connection to Jesus is maintained. So, loving one another is the expression of our obedience to the fundamental command of Jesus.
A question may arise as to why John writes repeatedly of the imperative of mutual love. A story might help us better understand this. Once a little boy was behaving badly in the presence of visitors at home. He was running around the house and making loud noises. His father told him to sit quietly by his side. But the boy paid no attention. The father shouted at him again and still no response. The father told him over and over. To everyone's surprise after being told repeatedly, the tenth time the boy sat on a sofa quietly. One of the visitors said to the father, "I am surprised at you, telling your son ten times to sit quietly". The father asked, "Do you know why I told him ten times"? "No, why?", the visitor asked. "Because nine times was not enough," the father replied.
John repeated his call to love one another so many times because of its value and necessity. Saint Jerome - the 4th century theologian and priest known for his early translation of the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into Latin - in his commentary refers to a story in the life of Saint John when he was working in Ephesus. It is said that whenever John was invited to give a little speech about the church life, his words were almost always: "Little children, love one another". When others, very annoyed because they always heard the same words from John asked whether he had any other teaching of Jesus. He replied, "Because it is the Lord's commandment and, if it alone is kept, it is sufficient." In other words, the one who loves his neighbours fulfils all the commandments.
John then points out the reason why we should love one another. He says, "love is of God". That is to say that we should love one another because God is the source of love. Love originates in the very nature of God. Love flows from God. Everything God does flows from His love. Furthermore, John describes what happens to the person who loves another. He says, "Everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love". That is, the one who loves becomes a child of God and knows God. The person becomes a partaker of the divine nature and character of God the Father, which is love. But this does not mean that everyone who loves others, be it family or friends or strangers is a child of God. For a person may have a great deal of natural affection toward others; a great deal of benevolence in his character toward the poor and needy, and still, he may not have the Christ-like sacrificial love. So, what John means here is that the one who loves others the way Jesus loves, shares the life of God. John then goes even so far as to claim that the one who loves knows God and, the one who does not love others does not know God, for God is love. In other words, it is only by knowing God that we know what love is, and it is only by loving that we know who God is. In fact, the more we come to know God, the more we come to know love, because God is Love.
Finally, John concludes his appeal to all Christians to love one another by saying, "In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love; not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins". John condenses the characteristics of the love of God in two verses:
God made His love known to us by sending His only Son into the world so that we might have life, by which he means "eternal life", John (3:16).
God's love for us is entirely dependent on His grace. God loves us not because we are lovable or because we deserve His love but rather, He is love. He loves us despite the fact that we deserve eternal punishment for our sins. We are only capable of loving Him because He loved us first.
God's love is sacrificial. God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to be the sacrifice that takes away our sins.
Unbelievers may love others to some degree, but we, as believers in Christ, are called to obey His teaching and to follow Him no matter what, and to become more and more like our Heavenly Father, whose love for us is unconditional, undeserved, sacrificial and permanent. To love one another is to follow the example that God has given. Let us take time today to look deeply within our hearts and reflect on all our relationships. Let us ask ourselves: How much of the highest form of Christian love - the selfless, committed and sacrificial love - is in our lives? Do we truly extend this love to all people, whether family members or distant strangers? Is our love for others ultimately rooted in our personal experience of God's love? If we are not fully committed and devoted to the Lord's command as He is to us, we should ask Him to reveal what is stopping us from obeying His command and to help us feel greater love for one another and for Him.
(P) Amen.God Bless You!
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