5th Sunday of Easter (Cycle C, Year I)
Community Word: Disciples of the Risen Christ are sent to evangelize unbelievers.
Theme: We are disciples of the Risen Christ when we love one another as He has loved us.
Promise: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.” (Rv 21:4)
Reflection:
In the Gospel this 5th Sunday of Easter, Jesus talks about a new commandment of love, “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another,” (Jn 13:34). This commandment is ‘new’ because it is based on the living example of Jesus Christ, not just on written rules. It is motivated by Jesus’ love for His disciples and for mankind for whom He died.
In it, Jesus lays down the basic principles of loving one another by sharing His power to love in a new and dynamic way. Jesus points to Himself as the model and yardstick of love when He declares, “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do,” (Jn 13:15). The way He loves us should be the measure of the way we are to love others – a love that goes beyond self, knows humility, serves, and is life-giving.
We need to love as Jesus did, emptying Himself in his total sacrifice on the cross, sensitive to and reaching out to the needy and suffering, wiping away tears from the faces of the downtrodden and oppressed. We have to decrease that He may increase in us, control our pettiness, limit our drive for recognition and power. In this way, we will “open the door of faith” (Acts 14:27) for others and ourselves.
We need to follow His way, especially when our patience is tested almost beyond endurance, as when we encounter evil-doers who plot against us. Jesus knew Judas would eventually betray Him, but He continued to include him among His disciples, even washing his feet to show His unwavering love for His disciples. We have to learn that Christian love is loving even when there is nothing in it for us. And this kind of love is expressed in service, affection, self-sacrifice and in forgiving those who may have done us harm.
To be like Jesus, we have to live His life in every way – in the way we communicate and interact with others and in our witnessing. Union with God shows itself not only in the lived life of faith, but above all, in the person’s love for his brethren – whether friend or foe; for the measure of brotherly love is not ourselves, but our love for God. As Jesus himself tells us, there are only two commandments – to love God above all, and our neighbor as ourselves. Let our common love for the Lord be the basis of our love for one another.
John 13:35 tells us: “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Love is an essential element of true discipleship. It can make up for weaknesses and the absence of other good traits and qualities, but nothing can make up for the lack of love because, as Scripture reminds us, “of faith, hope and love . . . the greatest is love” (1Cor.13:13). We give great importance to life. But life can only have meaning when there is love: “If I am without love. . . I would be nothing,” (1Cor 13:1-3). In a nutshell, the Gospel simply declares: Yes, by His Law shall we love, and by His Word shall we live, all the days of our lives!
Reflection Questions:
1. How does God’s love for you strengthen you in your daily life?
Will you find it hard to love others as Jesus did?
2. What projects could your discussion group do together to show practical love of neighbor.
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
April 28, 2013 (Sun) Acts 14:21-27/Ps 145:8-13/Rv 21:1-5/Jn 13:31-35
April 29, 2013 (Mon) Acts 14:5-18/Ps 115:1-4,15,16/Jn 14:21-26
April 30, 2013 (Tues) Acts 14:19-28/Ps 145:10-13,21/Jn 14:27-31
May 1, 2013 (Wed) Acts 15:1-6/Ps 122:1-5/Jn 15:1-8
May 2, 2013 (Thur) Acts 15:7-21/Ps 96:1-3,10/Jn 15:9-11
May 3, 2013 (Fri) 1Cor 15:1-8/Ps 19:2-5/Jn 14:6-14
May 4, 2013 (Sat) Acts 16:1-10/Ps 100:1-3,5/Jn 15:18-21
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
