FIFTH (5TH) SUNDAY OF EASTHER (Yr. C)"CHRIST’S CIVILIZATION OF LOVE"

Readings// Acts 14:21-27; Rev 21:1-5; John 13:31

Today, Christ is inviting us to be part of his new empire where all things are made new by the power of love. It is a new civilization where old things, old life and thinking are no longer fashionable. In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we see the disciples committed in building this kingdom. The second reading from the book of Revelation depicts a blueprint of this empire—a state of lasting love, joy and peace. In the gospel, Jesus reveals the identity of the inhabitants of this kingdom and the visa for entrance. He said to his disciples in the gospel, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.”

What is new about love since it is already in existence before Christ?. In Leviticus 19:18, it is written, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. More so, the Greco-Roman civilization of Jesus’ time is filled up with different notions of love en vogue at the time. However, Christ’s commandment of love is new because it is sacrificial. Christ raised love from the level of parasitism and symbiosis to the level of self sacrifice —“No one has greater love than this, to lay down his life for one’s friends” (Jn. 15:13).

Every country, organization and occupation has a badge or emblem for identification. Christian identity is not in badges or in uniforms. We cannot be identified as Christians by just saying we are Christians. Love is the only evidential identity that makes us belong to Christ: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn. 13:35).

One day an American journalist, watching Mother Teresa as she cared for a dying, dirty man in a street of Calcutta, commented: “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars.” Mother Teresa sharply responded: “Neither would I. I am doing it for the love of Christ.” This is Christ’s civilization of love—a love that expects nothing in return from the beloved but hurts the lover. But as Mother Teresa once said, if we love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt.

My dear friends, in our society today where love is almost synonymous with selfishness and lust, Christ is calling us to have a rethink on the meaning of love. St. Paul summarizes the meaning of love in few words: “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never ends” (1Cor. 13:4.8).These days, we hear a lot of people talking about their “ex-”. Why do we have many “ex-boy friends’, “ex-friends”, “ex-wives” and “ex-husbands”? It is because a lot of people have wrong understanding of love. Many relationships are parasitic; money and sex are the driving force.  Everyone is looking for what to gain from his/her partner and not what to sacrifice. Consequently, there are so many broken homes, broken hearts and broken destinies. If money and sex are what keeps your relationship now, you are a potential “ex-” and a candidate of brokenness. Without sacrifice there can be no love, and without love the world is equal to hell!

Love can be compared to flowing river which enriches everything it comes across and makes them ever new. This river can be polluted and even dried up by hatred, envy, prejudice, selfishness, inordinate desire, indifference to the sufferings of others, etc. When this water is polluted and dried, everything around it suffers. The worst of these is being indifferent at the sufferings of others. Mother Teresa once remarked that the greatest disease in the world is not tuberculosis, leprosy or even AIDS.; it is being unwanted, uncared for and unloved. ASK YOURSELF TODAY, “WHAT HAVE I DONE FOR LOVE?” May Christ help us to love one another as he has loved us so that the world will be a better place to live and a foretaste of the heavenly Jerusalem in Revelation 21:1-5. Amen.

 

 

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THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER—Jesus makes the difference

Gospel: John 21:1-19

The gospel reading of today contains two significant episodes that unveil the futility of human effort without God and the difference it makes when Jesus comes into our struggle. Firstly, Peter was about giving up on Jesus for the guilt of denying him three times during his trial; and again this man he has followed for three years is now dead. And so he returned to his old habit of fishing. The Disciples labored all the night without catching anything in spite of their skill and professionalism. However, when Jesus came ashore and ordered them to dip their net into the sea, the difference was clear for their net caught what they could not carry.

Secondly, Jesus invites the disciples for a breakfast with him. Here, Jesus welcomes Peter back into friendship with him which was soiled during his trial. Three times Jesus asks Peter “Do you love me?” This corresponds to the three times Peter denied him before a servant girl during his trial. This is probably Peter’s first dialogue with Christ after his resurrection. It’s quite amazing how Jesus entrusted his flock to the man who denied him three times. Peter’s encounter with Christ filled him with such a relief from guilt and gave him fresh zeal. It was this encounter of the risen Christ that strengthened him and other disciples to preach fearlessly before the authorities and defiling all human threats and warning to stop preaching Christ. As we see in the first reading of today.

Brothers and sisters, Like Peter and the other disciples we have our difficult moments when all our efforts yield no positive results. Sometimes we labor had to restore our marriage or friendship which is collapsing but things are getting worse. We toil daily under the heat of the sun but we hardly can foot our bills. Many who are graduates walk from one office to another seeking for employment, all to no avail. Think about those who have sat for the same examination several times without good result. May be we have been doing it in our own way. We think the power to restore our lives to normalcy lies in hands

Remember that Jesus showed up when the fishing has gone bad. As soon as he told them what to do, they did it and the result was bounteous. Jesus makes the difference. Christ has not hid his presence from us since he rose from the dead. He is always beside us in our struggle. But do we recognize and listen to him in our difficult moments? Unless we humble ourselves and bend ourselves to the way God wants it, we shall continue to run round the circle. Remember that the disciples were professionals when it comes to fishing. They applied all their skills in fishing all through the night without making any catch until Christ entered. Without doubt, you are intelligent and smart; you are hard working and you got all it takes to be at the top. But these cannot guarantee your success. Only God can.

More so, today Jesus is inviting us to a new love relationship with him like Peter. It doesn’t matter how dirty the road we have trodden in the past is. Peter’s encounter with Jesus made him a new creature.  This new Peter started a new life of grace and power after meeting with the resurrected Christ. Our safety is always guaranteed when we love God. Christ will always be there for us to deliver us from every obstacle.

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BEDTIME REFLECTION: Lighten the Load…

Life is a journey. We all carry some loads in this journey. The heavier the load, the slower the journey. But we can move faster if we drop some loads that we hold so dear and in high esteem; some of which are in reality inconsequential to our success. More still, we can move faster when we travel with people who can help us with some loads. Ironically, when we lift the load of others, ours are also lightened too. May God help us to find people to travel with who can lighten our loads and not those who will add to the much we already have; may our hands be ever ready to lift each other’s load.

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