HOMILY 5TH SUNDAY OF EASTER 2025
JESUS, UNITED WITH THE FATHER, CALLS US TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER
Jn 13.31-33,34-35 AA 14.21-27 Rev/Apoc 21.1-5
After preaching to the cardinals gathered after his election, Pope Leo addressed the Vatican diplomatic corps, with an emphasis on 3 fundamental values, of peace, justice and truth. At the heart of it all, of course, is the call to love, which we hear in today’s Gospel. As he had said earlier, on Twitter or X, when cardinal Bob Prevost, there is no preferential or hierarchical order of love, but rather a love of neighbour which is universal and horizontal, as we look around the world.
From the start, he speaks of mission and service with sacrifice, humility and compassion, illustrating a clear continuity with the message and example of Francis, his predecessor. He concludes: “Walking together in the Church, let us ask the Lord to give us this grace of being able to listen to his Word, to serve all his people.” This, to my mind, also implies listening to one another.
Then to the assembled diplomats, he later spoke of the Catholic Church’s universal mission, under his leadership, to “reach out and embrace all individuals and peoples on the Earth, who need and yearn for truth, justice and peace!… Peace is built in the heart, by eliminating pride and vindictiveness, and carefully choosing our words… Working for peace requires acting justly… It is the responsibility of government leaders to work to build harmonious and peaceful civil societies… Truly peaceful relationships cannot be built, also within the international community, apart from truth… From the christian perspective, truth is not the affirmation of abstract and disembodied principles, but an encounter with the person of Christ himself, alive in the midst of the community of believers. Truth, then, does not create division, but rather enables us to confront all the more resolutely, the challenges of our time, such as migration, the ethical use of artificial intelligence and the protection of our beloved planet Earth. These are challenges that require commitment and co-operation on the part of all, since no-one can think of facing them alone.” And so, he provides a positive and hopeful framework and outlook for working towards a more just and peaceful world, at a time when there is so much injustice, division and ongoing conflict.
Now we return to Jesus’ farewell discourse at the Last Supper, where what might be called ‘last orders’ are being given. Today’s words follow the ominous departure of Judas into the darkness. John has Jesus speaking of his glorification, which seems paradoxical, given what is about to come, with his own suffering and death imminent. Yet, he is giving instructions for the future, assured that the Father is with him and that his presence will be ongoing, despite appearances to the contrary.
John’s perception of Jesus’ glory is in his human presence walking this earth with his disciples, leading them by word and example, with his death the culmination of his earthly ministry, but drawing all to himself through the Cross. And so we continue in our fidelity to his mission, to be fulfilled with love. As Brendan Byrne SJ puts it: “The love which the members experience from one another, is an extension of the love they have received from Jesus, which is itself and extension of the divine love, reaching out to share eternal life with the world.” At the same time, this is a world to be lived in, with the active application of the call to love God and neighbour.
Meanwhile, the activity of the early church in Acts of the Apostles, continues as the universal mission fans out into the broader world, beyond Jerusalem and the Jewish people, with an openness to, and inclusion of those who respond in faith, to all. Paul and Barnabas are not constrained by any boundaries, and are back, to give an update in Antioch, where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians, and I think the name has stuck, with the many varying strands and traditions of Christianity in the wide world today (1.3 billion Catholics, 2.4 billion Christians!! – 30% of the world’s population), with always more work to be done, in proclaiming the Good News! And let’s remember the early Christians stood out for the way they were seen to reflect God’s love in their active love for one another.
As Franciscan Sylvester O’Flynn puts it: “As an electric current is rendered ineffective if there is any break in the circuit, so the energy of God’s love is cut off from people when we fail to love them… The energy flows when we bring his love to one another.”
The conclusion is that the law of love is at the heart of it all; for believers, living it out reveals God’s love for us, as identified in Jesus, his words, actions and enduring presence in Word, Eucharist and each other, and where we gather in his name.
My friend Claude Mostowik MSC sums universal love up well: “The needs of the poor, the aged, people with disability, the homeless, the indigenous people, the asylum seekers and the fragile environment cannot be ignored.”
And also, this last week, I did one to one Reconciliation (or in the old terms First Confession!) with about 120 of our grade 3’s in our 2 primary schools, and it seems to me that they are getting a good sense of who Jesus is, and how his message of love is to be lived in their lives, starting at home and at school, realizing too, that his forgiveness is part of the deal, when we acknowledge our faults and sins.
So here we are, back to reflecting on the fundamental law of love, from the Christian perspective, amplifying the ethics of reciprocity, as described in the universal ‘Golden Rule’ of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
And we welcome our St Therese’s Grade 6 students at Masses this weekend, as they prepare for Confirmation, called to produce the good fruits of the Spirit, as Paul describes them: peace, love, joy, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience, and self-control, the last two getting more challenging, the older we get, I find!!
john hannon 18th May 2025