A Love without Boundaries

May 9, Sunday

 

Sixth Sunday Of Easter

 

We are again reminded today that the heart of Christianity is love: love of God, love of one another. Jesus tells us that we have to love one another as he has loved us. This is a very demanding love, for it commits us to love not only those we like and who love us or like-minded fellow Christians, but also the difficult ones, the “unlovable,” people far from perfect, outsiders… That is not so easy, and this is probably why he calls it a commandment. Let us ask our Lord in this eucharist that we may grow in this openness of genuine love.

 

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

The next morning he got up and went with them. Some of his friends from Joppa went along. A day later they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had his relatives and close friends waiting with him. The minute Peter came through the door, Cornelius was up on his feet greeting him—and then down on his face worshiping him! Peter pulled him up and said, “None of that—I’m a man and only a man, no different from you.”

Peter fairly exploded with his good news: “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favourites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. The Message he sent to the children of Israel—that through Jesus Christ everything is being put together again—well, he’s doing it everywhere, among everyone.

No sooner were these words out of Peter’s mouth than the Holy Spirit came on the listeners. The believing Jews who had come with Peter couldn’t believe it, couldn’t believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on “outsider” non-Jews, but there it was—they heard them speaking in tongues, heard them praising God.

Then Peter said, “Do I hear any objections to baptizing these friends with water? They’ve received the Holy Spirit exactly as we did.” Hearing no objections, he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Then they asked Peter to stay on for a few days.

 

Second Reading: 1 John 4:7-10

God Is Love

My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.

 

Gospel: John 15:9-17

 “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.

“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.

“You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.

 “But remember the root command: Love one another.

 

Prayer
God, love is your name
and you have revealed all its depth
when you sent your only Son into the world
and let him be the sacrifice that took our sins away.
Through Jesus, who calls us his friends,
make our love as strong as life and death,
let it always have the last word in us
and be given for free, like yours.
May we always remain in your love
and love one another
as Jesus has loved us,
he who is our Lord for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Reflection:

Friends

Servant of the Lord was the highest title of honour, a title reserved to the great personages that we find in the Old Testament: Moses, David, Joshua and the like. In the New Testament, St. Paul would present himself as a servant of the Lord. We also have a woman, the only one, to whom the early Christian community, attributed the title – ‘servant of the Lord’ – that was Mary. St. Luke in his Gospel puts this beautiful expression in her mouth, saying: “ ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ to indicate the complete availability of Mary to serve the plan of God.

But today, Jesus introduces a new title of honour: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. This is new title of honour: ‘friend of Jesus.’

Jesus emphasizes the difference between the servant and the friend and says: the servant does not know what are the plans of his master. Relationship between friends is completely
different. Imagine what it meant at the time of Jesus to be a friend of Caesar; Caesar’s friend had free access to the palace without following the check-points and schedules. He could meet with the emperor at any time. In the Old Testament: Abraham is called the friend of God. He is the one with whom the Lord discusses his issues. We remember the case of Sodom and Gomorrah: God discusses with his friend Abraham and tells him: “Look, I am compelled to do away
with these two cities.”

Jesus does not want servants but disciples who are friends; Jesus cannot call his disciples ‘servants’ because he has revealed to them God’s design of love upon the world. Only friends are entrusted with these family secrets while servants remain in the dark.

Unfortunately, there are still many who are stuck in the relationship that of obedient subjects to a lawgiver, that of the employer who pays his employee at the end of the day. Many still prefer this spirituality because they are convinced that by doing good and following the rules, they accumulate merit in front of this boss that is God.

But Jesus rejects this kind of a spirituality. He wants us to involve in his projects not out of compulsion but out of our free will. This is the friendship that Jesus wants to establish with his disciples, this joy of loving and giving freely.

We know that God loves us and wants to live among us. He calls us his friends, his chosen ones. Let us respond to his love without measure. We are sure that we love God and that he is present among us when we love one another. May God give us the strength to do so.

 

Video available on Youtube: Friends