By this al shall know that you are my disciples, by your love for one another.

 

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER C 2022

 

Story of mother and son.  Jimmy’s mom was an extremely loving and caring mom.  But every once in a while she had to be stern.  Now Jimmy was a very active second grader who had a knack for getting into some trouble.  Mom was always receiving notes from Jimmy’s teacher that he was getting into trouble.  Finally, Mom sat Jimmy down and in her sternest fashion made it clear to him that she did not want to get any more notes from his teachers.  Jimmy understood his mom’s message and said to his mother: “I understand Mom.  Now do you want to tell my teacher, or do you want me to tell her to stop sending the notes?”

 Jimmy listened to his mom – yes, but he heard what he wished to hear.

Like Jimmy, the first disciples heard only the part of the message of Jesus that they wished to hear.  They did not understand that part of the message in which Jesus said:  I will be with you only a little while longer.”

The Gospel account is taken from Jesus’s farewell discourse at the Last Supper on the night before he died.

Jesus is speaking to his disciples about his own death.  Jesus understands his dying as central to the eternal purpose of God.  Death is not a defeat.  Jesus’ death is a process of glory, a revelation of divine love saving human life.  Jesus’ death is the supreme expression of love for his disciples.  “I lay down my life for the sheep.  This laying down of life out of love creates a new commandment.   “By this all shall know that you are my disciples, your love for one another.”

We deeply believe God has first loved us.  The love of Jesus for us joins us in our deepest fears and sustains us through our greatest loss.  I have the privilege of anointing parishioners in that vey sacred moment of their journey as they are preparing to go home to God.

To walk with people of faith in the dark valleys of life is a humbling experience and to witness the trust that people place in Jesus as their Lord and their Savior is a beautiful God moment for me.

As seen in the Gospel Last Supper discourse of Jesus with His disciples, Jesus is very clear on how His disciples are to be known.  Jesus’ parting words to his disciples are: “By this all shall know that you are my disciples, the love you have for one another.”  Love is the first priority of our lives as the disciples of Jesus.  In loving, we are to give of ourselves in the service of one another.

As we are all too well aware, we find too many instances of a lack of love in our discourse as families, in the halls of Congress, among nations as the war in Ukraine drags on, and even in the institutional Church when we can be judgmental of one another on how best to practice our faith.

Jesus was well aware of the division and the judgments in the human heart.  Jesus in his last conversation with his disciples knew what was at stake in the life of the Church.  Jesus wanted his disciples to focus on the first priority of discipleship.  By all shall know you are my disciples, by your love for one another.  At the end, Jesus is telling us that this must be our DNA as the Church of Jesus.

 

John's Gospel does not present a sentimental view of love. This is a type of love that is shown in service and sacrifice. It is difficult to choose to love when faced with hatred and anger. Jesus tells the disciples that all will know that they are his disciples because of the love they show for one another. This description of the early Christian community will be repeated in the Acts of the Apostles: “See how they love one another.” Christian love is the hallmark of Christianity. We see it lived in the witness of the martyrs. We see it in the example of the lives of the saints. We see it in the holy women and men who live and love daily, making small and large sacrifices for others.

 

But what Jesus’ disciples learned from him during their three years together, the example that Jesus gave them, was of the kind of love that cares for others, and that liberates. Jesus fed the hungry, healed the sick, and even brought the dead back to life. Jesus’ love was not essentially about depriving himself of the goods of created material existence—but rather, of working to give those goods to others who lacked them.

 

Today we hear a passage from Revelation that comes at the end of the Bible and gives us a vision of how God will bring the resurrection story to completion, an ending that may seem surprising.  The Book of Revelation is best known for its dark apocalyptic images—fire, beasts, and tribulations. Yet the underlying message of Revelation is one of hope, providing a word of assurance to communities undergoing persecution and trials that God will triumph over evil.

The Bible begins with the story of how God created “the heavens and the earth . . . and all their multitude” (Gen 2:1). It concludes not with a return to creation’s primordial state but rather with “a new heaven and a new earth”; indeed, “the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more” (Rev 21:1). Popular images of the end times tend to focus on cataclysm and terror, but the author of Revelation moves beyond scenes of destruction to present a vision of hope fulfilled as God declares, “See, I am making all things new” (21:5).

By our love for one another, our care for the least among us, and our efforts to promote justice, the power of God’s transforming grace is present and offers to the world a glimpse of the new Jerusalem for which we hope.

Have a Blessed Day.