Cycle A - Year II:  

25 May 2014: Sixth Sunday of Easter 

(Liturgical color: White)

John 14:15-21

To love Jesus, and to follow his commands!

Last Sunday we just celebrated Mother's Day. And when we think of our mothers we think about love, mother's love.

Mothers are God's way of sharing Love with us in person. For God is love, and anyone who does not love does not know God. (1 Jn 4:8)

On the sixth Sunday of Easter we hear Jesus speak about love. His discourse to his disciples is part of his farewell to them as he is about to undertake his passion on Calvary.

Jesus challenges his disciples in this week's Gospel passage:"If you love me, you will keep my commandments." That is very clear as it can be.

To all of us who profess to truly love Jesus will obey his commandments and teachings because they enable us to make the love of God real in our lives.

One of the most spiritual destructive ideas that has infected the world today is the fallacy of claiming to love Jesus Christ while at the same time ignoring, and even rejecting, the commandments and teachings of his Church. It is like "double-talk". 

The real test and testimony of our love for a person lies in our acceptance of what that person we love holds dear. In other words, authentic love means cherishing and honoring what the person we love cherishes and honors. That is what our Lord is telling us today: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" through the teachings of his Church.

Following Jesus is a real challenge indeed. But the Good News is that Jesus himself promises to send "another Advocate to be with us always." The Person of the Holy Spirit is with us always to empower us to love and to fulfill God's law and commandments. The Holy Spirit comes and remains with us in order to engender within us a filial trust in the Lord and so the certainty of being loved by Him in return.

With the Holy Spirit within us, we are then filled with the light of truth so that we can embrace and live the Gospel freedom that comes to us through the blessing of the Lord's commandments: the freedom to love, the freedom to choose what is good in every situation, even when doing so is difficult and challenging.

The most important is what results from our observance of Jesus' commandments, as the Lord promises: "Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him."

In the Holy Eucharist at Mass, let us open our hearts to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that we can truly love our Lord Jesus Christ and follow all his commandments, through the teachings of his Church.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!