Fifth Sunday of Easter: 4-24-16
Peace be with You,
My friends, last week, we spoke about the importance of recognizing the voice of the Good Shepherd in order that we may follow Him amidst all the noise and confusion that the world surrounds us with. Today, we hear the voice of that Shepherd giving us our mission.
Today’s gospel reading from John gets to the heart of the call to Christian discipleship. What does it mean to follow Christ? Jesus tells us, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34). If you are not intimidated by these words, something is wrong. Jesus doesn’t say love one another, but As I have loved you, so you should love one another. How does Jesus love? One look at a crucifix tells the whole story: Jesus loves completely. With every action and until the very end, Jesus Loves. Today, Jesus commands us to do the same, to love selflessly and continually, and not just love a few, but all. No doubt, this is a monumental task. We are fallen human beings, and thus, we love imperfectly much of the time. But it is the active pursuit of living and growing in a life of love that imitates that of Christ that is the mark of a Christian disciple. The accompanying mark…suffering.
Now, we might ask, if I love all won’t I get along with all? Well, the lives of Paul and Barnabas attest to the answer, NO. They went about preaching the saving Love of God as lived in Jesus and in return they faced all types of maltreatment. As a result of their experience they tell us today that “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” WHY? The Love of Christ is antithetical to that of the world. The world tells us: be most concerned with and love yourself most; and Jesus tells us: love others completely! My friends, the life you are called to will not always be welcomed by those around you, but rest assured, He Who calls you will not leave you to face your struggles alone! Rather, it is He who both loves and suffers through you and with you.
Your Servant in Christ,
Tony
Tony Crescio is the founder of FRESHImage Ministries. He holds an MTS from the University of Notre Dame and is currently a PhD candidate in Christian Theology at Saint Louis University. His research focuses on the intersection between moral and sacramental theology. His dissertation is entitled, Presencing the Divine: Augustine, the Eucharist and the Ethics of Exemplarity.
Tony’s academic publications can be found here.