6th Sunday of Easter (Cycle B, Year II)

Community Word: God’s love empowers us to make disciples of all nations.

Theme: We make disciples of all nations when we bear much fruit that will remain

Promise:“…whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” (Jn 15:16b)

Reflection:
Do you want your prayers answered? The reply would of course be, yes! But many of us wonder why at times our prayers don’t seem to reach God’s ears. Then we fall into unbelief, we grumble, become angry, or rebel against God, and proceed to do things our own way, laying the blame for our disappointment on other people or circumstances. We behave contrary to the heart and character of Jesus Christ, as we ran short of love.

The scriptural readings for the 6th Sunday of Easter speaks mainly of love – God’s love. Not that we have loved God, but that God is love, and has loved us first. Every act and spoken word of God expresses His love for us, His children. In the First Reading, Peter tells us that God shows no partiality, “The man of any nation who fears God and acts uprightly is acceptable to Him,”(Acts 10).God does not judge by creed, color or race. All are equal in the sight of God, for He looks at the thoughts and motivations of our hearts.

Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments given to Moses into two: “Love God above all and your neighbor as you love yourself.” This, He says, is the whole of the law and the prophets. It is a command to act in the righteousness of God, as exemplified by Jesus Himself. It mandates the kind of love that goes beyond the self and self-interest, a love that transcends the boundaries of our comfort zones, a generous, selfless love that honors God. Remember that God the Father surrendered His only Begotten Son, Jesus, to ransom us from our sins and restore us as sons and co-heirs of the Kingdom. The Second Reading exhorts us, “Beloved, let us love one another because love is of God. Everyone who loves is begotten of God and has knowledge of God,” (1 Jn 4: 7).

The Gospel Reading summarizes the order of priority in loving: first, the Father loves the Son, and the Son the Father. Then, the Son loves the believer, and finally, the believer is commanded to love others, believers and non-believers alike. Jesus Himself provides the best example of love goes beyond all limitations. He laid down His life to buy our freedom and earn for himself the rather unworthy privilege of being able to call the likes of us human beings, as ‘friends’ – no longer slaves or servants – but ‘friends’ that He may generously invite us to come follow Him and receive the reward of eternal life.

Therefore, any act of love we do is a testimony of our faith in God. As we walk in His righteousness, we become living proofs of His love, a love that is intended for our own good. For as we follow His way of loving, we reap a harvest of God’s blessings. The Gospel itself speaks of this promise, that as we endure in loving each other, “…whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you,” (Jn 15:16b). God wants us to be happy. He wants us to have His joy. As we follow Jesus’ command to love one another, our joy will be complete. What more can we ask for? Once we experience that joy in our hearts, all our wish lists will become unnecessary.God’s love will completely fill the vacuum in our lives.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You have shown me Your kind of love. And I am one of those many recipients of Your love, because You have called me back to Your fold despite my sinfulness. Lord, I ask for the grace to be able to love more fully, more unconditionally, and find joy in serving beyond my comfort zone, loving each person you send my way, and even those I do not know, for that is what You would do Lord, for everyone is equal in Your eyes. Help me to trust You more as I learn to love more fully, knowing that You provide all my needs. I pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Reflection Questions:
1. What is my present need and what stops me from experiencing joy in my life? Have I loved enough, or is there someone in my life I find difficult to love?
2. In my own circumstances, in what ways can I imitate the kind of love of Jesus which requires me to die to self?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
May 6, 2018 (Sun)- Acts 10:25-26,34-35,44-48/Ps 98:1,5-3,3-4/1Jn 4:7-10/Jn 15:9-17
May 7, 2018 (Mon) -Acts 16:11-18/Ps 149:1,2,3-4,5-6,9/Jn 18:26-16:4
May 8, 2018 (Tue) – Acts 16:22-34/Ps 138:1-3, 7-8/Jn 16:5-11
May 9, 2018 (Wed) – Acts 17:15,22-18:1/Ps 148:1, 2, 11-14/Jn 16:12-15
May 10, 2018 (Thu) – Acts 18:1-8/Ps 98:1-4/Jn 16:16-20
May 11, 2018 (Fri) -Acts 18:9-18/Ps 47:2-7/Jn16:20-23
May 12, 2018 (Sat) – Acts 18:23-28/Ps 47:2, 3, 8-10/Jn 16:23-28

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”