6th Sunday of Easter (Cycle A, Year II)
Community Word: The Holy Spirit empowers us to build God’s Kingdom and live an abundant life.
Theme: We build God’s Kingdom when we love the Father and obey His commandments.
Promise: “Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” (Jn 14:21b)
Reflection:
As God’s Easter people resurrected with Christ, we are given the privilege to love God and have a relationship with Him again. We love God by following His commandments. Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” We obey God because we love Him for who He is. It is wrong motive to follow the commandments because we are afraid of hell, or we go to Mass because we are afraid to commit mortal sin. In the same token, we help the poor not because we expect reward from heaven.
God’s commandment is the commandment to love: Love God and love your neighbour as you love yourself. When He tells us to keep His commandments, He is teaching us that loving is not mere words, but it is expressed in action. To love God is grace. We cannot love God and neighbour on our own or repay Him good for good. As shared by a community member, his love for God prior to his renewal was associated more with fear, tradition and self-fulfilment. Now, loving others is loving those people even in their imperfections, because he has felt God loving him despite his own imperfection and weakness.
The letter of John (cf. 1John 14:20) clearly reminds us that when we say ‘I love God’ and hate our brother, we are liars. For, how can one say that ‘I love God’ whom he has not seen, yet hates or does not love a brother whom he sees? If one does not love his brother, it is clear proof that the love of God is not with him; and if he does not have the love of God, he cannot love God, for God can be loved only through the influence of his own love. Therefore, we can build and grow God’s kingdom when we follow and live His commandment; first, to love Him above all and second but equally important, to love ones neighbour as oneself.
The Holy Spirit has a very important role in enabling us to obey God’s commandments and empowering us to build God’s kingdom in our hearts and in the hearts of our neighbour. In His loving kindness and faithfulness, God reached down to change our lives through Christ who died for our sins. After Jesus went back to the Father, the building of His kingdom continues through the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit who lives in us and, empowers us to be transformed to holiness and enjoy life in abundance. The Holy Spirit came to teach us everything and remind us of all that Jesus taught His disciples (cf. John 14:26). He is the defender, consoler, helper, mediator and counsellor. He is the Spirit of Truth so that we may know and follow the teachings and commandments of Jesus. He enables us testify to the works of Jesus and preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
To this day, the Holy Spirit motivates us to remain righteous before God, and to love God in the concrete ways that our Lord Jesus taught us to love. We then recall his promise and be assured in this declaration, “Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father and I will love him and reveal myself to him,” (Jn 14:21b).
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me so deeply and reconciling me back to You, through Christ’s sacrifice and death on the cross. I do not deserve Your love and yet You shower me with such unconditional love and grace, for which I praise and thank You. Fill me with the love of Christ that I may love You with all my heart and strength, and love others as myself. Help me to show Your love concretely, not only to the lovable but to the unlovable as well. By Your grace, may the love of Jesus be manifested in me, shared and given to others I come in contact with. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Reflection Guide Questions:
1.In what ways can you reveal God’s love in your family, workplace and our community?
2.What are your struggles in keeping God’s commandments and how do you plan to overcome them?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
May 17, 2020 (Sun) – Acts 8:5-8, 14-17/Ps 66:1-7, 14, 20/1Pt 3:15-18/Jn1 4:15-21
May 18, 2020 (Mon) – Acts 16:11-15/Ps 149:1-6, 9/Jn 15:26-16:4
May 19, 2020 (Tues) – Acts 16:22-34/Ps 138:1-3, 7, 8/Jn 16:5-11
May 20, 2020 (Wed) – Acts 17:15, 22-18:1/Ps 148:1, 2, 11,-14/Jn 16:12-15
May 21, 2020 (Thur) – Acts 18:1-8/Ps 98:1-4/Jn 16:16-30
May 22, 2020 (Fri) – Acts 18:9-18/Ps 47:2-7/Jn 16:20-23
May 23, 2020 (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!”
