Readings: Acts 14:21-27, Ps. 145:8-13a, Rev. 21:1-5, John 13:31-33,34-35
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34)
It has been five weeks since we celebrated Easter. Let us ask ourselves: “Has anything changed in me since Easter day?” In other words, as today’s opening prayer hints, “Am I bearing many fruits as I ought to?” On the second Sunday of Easter, we reflected on the forgiveness and mercy displayed by Jesus. Am I more forgiving of others now? On the third Sunday of Easter, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. Do I love Jesus more than the things of this world? On the fourth Sunday of Easter, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, said: “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” Can I say I am a true sheep of Christ?
Today, the fifth Sunday of Easter, our Gospel passage takes us back to Holy Thursday night. Jesus is at the table with His disciples, having the Last Supper meal. Jesus announces with pain that one of His disciples would betray Him. They were sad, and one by one, they asked Jesus, “Is it I, Master?” Knowing what he was planning to do, Judas Iscariot joined the chorus, “Is it I, Master?” Jesus dipped the bread and gave it to him, saying: “What are you going to do, do quickly.” Judas ate the bread and went out, determined to continue his plan to sell Jesus.
One would have expected Jesus to become angry since He knew what Judas would do, but Jesus preferred to consider the glory after the cross. Jesus went on to say: “I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34). This brings us to our lessons for today:
1. What is “New” about this Command?
When Jesus was asked to summarise the Ten Commandments, He said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.” (Luke 10:27, Cf. Matthew 22:37-40 & Mark 12:29-31). Take note, Jesus said, ‘love your neighbour as yourself’, but now Jesus is saying, ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ While the previous commandment depends on yourself, this new commandment is based on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us. The newness of this commandment is that even if you don’t love yourself, you should try to love others by sacrificing for them.
2. When we love like Jesus, God Dwells in our Midst.
In today’s second reading, John speaks of a new heaven and earth. The hallmark of this new heaven and earth is God dwelling among men. Then there shall be no more tears, no more pain or sorrow, no more death or mourning. In his first letter, John writes: “No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:12). The new heaven and the new earth come into play once we love one another as Jesus himself loved us. Imagine a world where everyone is willing to sacrifice for the good of others; would our news headlines be filled with all these sad events?
3. Our Ability to Love like Jesus Makes us His Disciples.
In the last line of today’s Gospel passage, Jesus said: “By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34). This means without this sacrificial love for one another, there is no way the world would know that we are disciples of Jesus. The trademark of a faithful Christian is love.
Jesus noted: “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:32-36)
From Jesus’s statement above, we can see that forgiveness is at the heart of loving like Christ. We can only say we have loved like Christ when we can pray like Christ on the Cross: “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). No matter what anyone has done to you, it can never be greater than the power of love. A Christian who cannot forgive cannot love.
4. To Love Like Christ, We Must See Christ in Others.
In today’s first reading, the mention is made of several towns Paul and Barnabas visited, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. One unique thing about these towns mentioned in this passage is that they were not traditionally Jewish.
Today’s First Reading ends by saying: “When they arrived, they gathered the Church together and declared all that God had done with them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” What was behind the drive of Paul and Barnabas? What propelled them to visit these Gentile towns and speak with strangers? A straightforward answer is love, which is the love that does not discriminate and that can see Christ in everyone, regardless of tribe, colour, or language.
Conclusion
At the beginning of today’s reflection, we asked if anything has changed in us since Easter Sunday. If there is one thing that must change today, it should be the nature of our love for others, especially for those from whom we do not hope to gain any benefits. As Jesus said, only when we love others as He loved us will the world come to know we are His disciples. One of the great scandals of Christianity today is that many of us claim to be followers of Christ, but we practice selective love.
Mahatma Gandhi said, “I like your Christ, but I don’t like your Christians because they are so unlike your Christ.” St. Paul says: “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, understand all mysteries and knowledge, and have all faith to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions and hand over my body so that I may boast but not have love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
We cannot even call ourselves Christians if our hearts are so full of hate. St. John teaches, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love…. Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.” (1 John 4:7-8,20)
Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, teach us to love one another as you have loved us. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (5th Sunday of Easter Liturgical Colour: White. Bible Study: Acts 14:21-27, Ps. 145:8-13a, Rev. 21:1-5, John 13:31-33,34-35).
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu