FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER ( C )
The readings:
1st Reading: (Acts 14:21b-27)
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 145:8-9.10-11.12-13ab (R. cf. 1)
2nd Reading: (Revelation 21: 1-5a)
Gospel Reading: (John 13:31-33a.34-35)
In the Gospel, Jesus gave a new commandment, saying, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35). What makes this commandment new? Were people not required to love before Jesus came? The love of neighbour enunciated in Leviticus 19:18 was a commandment restricted to the love of fellow Jews. A Jew had no business loving a Roman or a Samaritan. Not only was he not required to love his enemy, he was even entitled to exact an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
The newness of the love demanded by Jesus in today's Gospel lay in its range and application. This love has to extend to all mankind (cf.Luke 19:29-37). It must be like the real love that Christ himself had. One must therefore be ready to go as far as laying down one's life for one's fellowmen (John 15:12-14).
This commandment is new because the reasons for it are new: the neighbour is one with Christ, the neighbour is the object of the special love of the Father. It is new because it is radical. It gives a new definition to the meaning of authority. Authority here is a role of service and the power of those who exercise authority is the power of love which continues to ask: what can I do for those I love? How can I help them to be fulfilled, to grow, to achieve and to be truly happy? It is new because the way Christ loves us is radical. He loves us selflessly, sacrificially, unconditionally, understandingly and beyond forgiveness.
According to Jesus in today's Gospel, that is how "all men" will know that we are his disciples. Love for one another first, and then for all people, was to be proof of the true Christian. "See how these Christians love one another" was a remark passed concerning the early Christians. And their love for their non-Christian brothers and sisters was proved by the hardships, and even death, endured by the Apostles and their followers, in order to bring the Gospel of Christ, the knowledge of their eternal destiny, to Jew and Gentile.
We must like them, live out the message of love and sacrifice which has been exemplified by Jesus our Master and by our ancestors in faith. It is love and sacrifice that are the summation of Christianity.
May God grant us the grace to love one another as Christ loves us through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
The visit of Paul and Barnabas to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch can be likened:
To a Bishop's official or episcopal visit to a parish (or a station or a deanery). A visit to the parish, he had erected and dedicated to God. To encourage the congregation of that parish to continue to walk in the faith.
It can also be likened to a godfather/godmother calling to check on their godson/goddaughter to see how they are faring and to encourage them to continue to uphold the baptismal promises they had made at the time of their baptism. I can bet that some "godparents" don't even know the whereabouts of their "godchildren". It's time to return. The church has entrusted them to you. It's a serious business, and not for show off. God will hold you accountable.
It can also be likened to parents and elderly ones visiting their children and younger siblings in their schools or residences to check on them and to encourage them to continue in their faith...
Brothers and sisters. We all can be like Paul and Barnabas
LET US RETURN...
LET US CHECK UPON..
LET US PICK UP OUR PHONES AND CALL.
To ensure those who have been entrusted to us are still living the faith and to ensure they have not been misled or carried away by the things of this world.
My Reflection :
Behold the New Jerusalem is at hand, and I asked, as a candidate for the New Jerusalem , how are you preparing for it? As Christians, we are sent on a mission to ensure that everyone is carried along. This New Jerusalem is not just about us it's for everyone, and the only way we can carry others along is to spread love, show mercy, and be patient with one another. Stop judging people from their past life, let us begin to see Christ in everyone, and relate with them in the way that we would please our Lord and want others to relate with us. In all things, let love lead. Shalom.
When Christ told the Apostles He was giving them a new Commandment (MANDATUM NOVUM DOVOBIS) when translated means A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE YOU, it doesn't mean He was teaching them *Love* for the first time but ' *making it a new commandment now* means reiterating the need and importance of loving One another more than ever before, the language of love had been the center of their teaching and learning, this He said to them so they'll form the habit of loving amongst themselves which would foster peace, unity, togetherness and a formidable bond in order to withstand the persecution out there.
I believe the Commandment is for all of us today as Body of Christ.
Shalom.
The Outstanding Debt
_“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another” – Romans 13:8_
In the Gospel, Jesus gave His followers a clear command: “TO LOVE"...by this, everyone will know that you are my disciples.
Being a disciple of Jesus is not an easy task/ calling. It demands complete surrender: _“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me” – Luke 9:23._
The journey of discipleship can only be accomplished by the grace and power of God. Think about how difficult it is to love someone who is your enemy (someone who doesn't wish you well), let alone pray for them. As the Enduring Word commentary puts it, _"walking with the Lord through years of trials takes a resilient spirit and unwavering faith—yet we overcome, not by our strength, but because God is the one working in us._ with all the tireless efforts of Paul and Barnabas to nurture the early church, they ultimately entrusted the believers to God's care, confident in His power to preserve and grow them.
John’s vision gives us a beautiful promise of what awaits those who remain faithful: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man… He will wipe every tear from their eyes… and make all things new.” This reward is reserved for those who persevere through trials, tribulations, and continued in their faith.
Therefore, we are reminded to remain steadfast and faithful in the Christian walk we've embraced. Let us look ahead with hope to the eternal crown prepared for those who endure to the end.
May God's Word bring forth abundant fruit in our lives. Amen.
My brothers and sisters, I'm taking my sharing from the 2nd reading, it says : "behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them
Here the good Lord is assuring us of his ever loving and abiding presence with us, it doesn't matter what am passing through now, the trials and tribulations surrounding me, my only assurance is, and should always be upon his promises , "that he is with me in every circumstances of life" and he also assured me that if am to persist in trusting him, that he will wipe away my tears, take away all pains, and make all things new for me. His promises and assurances always soothe me even in the darkest moment of life, for I know that with him there's always light at the end of the tunnel for those that believe.
May we continue to imbibe the culture of loving One another just as Jesus Christ our Leader and Commander has commanded.
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