Today’s Gospel is set in the context of Jesus’ last words to his disciples the night before he died.  Here Jesus is speaking not only to the disciples, but to the heavenly Father.  In his prayer, Jesus asks that his followers be united as one, more specifically, as he and the Father are one. The unity of his followers will give witness to the world that the Jesus in whom they believe, and whose teachings they follow, was indeed sent by the Father.  The unity of the Father and the Son, the love between the Father and the Son – this is the same unity and love that Jesus prays will be the experience and the witness of all who believe in him.

 

Two weeks from today, we will celebrate Pentecost. We will have the possibility of receiving in a new way the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, Whom the Father will send in Jesus’ name (Jn 14:26). The Spirit plans to instruct us in everything and remind us of all that Jesus told us (Jn 14:26). This instructing and reminding from the Spirit, if discerned and heeded, will have such an effect on our lives that our decisions will also be the decisions of the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:28). Therefore, our decisions will be correct, life-changing, life-giving, miraculously wise, and fruitful for God’s kingdom.

Some of us may have messed up our marriages, finances, employment, family life, and lifestyle by a series of bad decisions. The way out of this situation is to make good decisions by the power of the Spirit. Therefore, we must receive the Holy Spirit. We must go into the upper room of prayer, repentance, and conversion. There we will receive the Spirit, Who will change our lives, hearts, minds, and decisions.

 

The first part of today’s Gospel, spoken by Jesus to the disciples at the table with him the night before he died, takes us back to the painful moment of Judas’ betrayal and Jesus’ imminent death on the Cross.  In John, this is the moment of Jesus’ glorification.  This same reality must be lived out by his missioned disciples, as heard in today’s First Reading.  It is interesting to hear the “love commandment,” the second focus in today’s Gospel, in these last days of Easter Time (“the little while”) prior to Jesus’ Ascension.

No matter what happens in our lives, we care called to love one another as Jesus did.  We are known as Christ’s disciples by how we love through the pain and rejection in our lives.  Under some circumstances, to love in such a way requires extraordinary faith.  Jesus loved even the one who betrayed him.  He forgave those who hanged him on the cross.  We are to forgive, too.

To love on another as Jesus loved them is the parting command that the Risen Christ gives us today.

 

Having listened to the accounts of the appearances of the risen Jesus in the Gospel of John we now consider some of the words of Jesus from earlier in the gospel, which richly illustrate his mission and identity. We read from the Gospel of John throughout the Easter period due to its profound insights into the person and work of Jesus. It is most appropriate to reflect on these deep truths and rich images as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and his gift of new life to us.

Today’s passage is taken from the tenth chapter of the gospel, which is renowned for Jesus’ words: ‘I am the good shepherd’. In fact, the chapter includes various sayings of Jesus relating to the image of the shepherd and his sheep. The use of this image, or parable, takes us back into the books of the Old Testament, where God is on several occasions described as a shepherd who has care for the sheep. The most famous instance of this is of course Psalm 22 (23), which begins with the words ‘The Lord is my shepherd. There is nothing I shall want.’

Despite the brevity of today’s passage from John’s gospel, several important themes of the gospel occur. ‘Belonging to Christ’ as sheep to a shepherd presupposes hearing and accepting the word. In John’s gospel we know Jesus himself as ‘the Word’.

Finally, Jesus speaks of his relationship with the Father. ‘The Father and I are one’ is a statement of enormous importance in helping us to understand the person of Jesus and the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

 

We receive the same call as Simon Peter to feed the Lord’s sheep.  Three times Christ questions Peter’s love and then Christ questions Peter’s love and then directs him to care for the flock.  How many times do we need to be told?  How is our love for God evident by the way we live?  Consider who needs to be fed in your life and who needs your loving attention.

 

The octave of the first Easter was disappointing and uneventful for the apostles. On the evening of the day of Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus sent His apostles to proclaim His Gospel (Jn 20:21), but eight days later they were still paralyzed by fear and behind locked doors (see Jn 20:26). Thomas, not present a week earlier, did not believe that Jesus was risen from the dead. Perhaps this is because Thomas saw no change in the lifestyle of those who had seen the risen Jesus. However, the Lord had mercy on the apostles after they were unfaithful to Him so many times. He came to them once again and was even willing to subject Himself to Thomas prodding His wounds (Jn 20:27).

Possibly the octave of Easter has been disappointing for you also. You may have even sinned against the risen Lord. You may be concealing Jesus’ Resurrection more than revealing it. Nevertheless, Jesus comes to you once again with rays of mercy coming from His wounded heart.

The Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of truth” (Jn 16:13). He will move us to be true to the Lord and not unfaithful. The Holy Spirit will produce the fruit of love in us (Gal 5:22), and we will stop our sinful rejection of the Lord and our disobedience to Him. By Jesus’ mercy and the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be witnesses for the risen Christ and truly celebrate Easter. “Lord, have mercy. Come, Holy Spirit!”

 

Alleluia! Jesus is risen! “Death has no more power over Him” or over us (Rm 6:9). Alleluia forever!

We are “raised up in company with Christ” (Col 3:1) and begin to live a risen life by being baptized into Christ and thereby into His death and Resurrection. Because we entered the life of the risen Christ through Baptism, on this first day of Easter the Lord through His Church challenges us to renew our baptismal promises. Today, we proclaim our faith in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, for we were baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. To live our faith in the Holy Trinity, we must reject Satan completely — all his works and all his promises. To have faith in the Trinity is to believe in the divinity of Jesus. He is the only Way to the Father (Jn 14:6) and the One Who baptizes us in the Spirit (Mk 1:8). To have faith in Jesus’ divinity spurs us to love His Body, the Church, serving the members sacrificially (see Eph 5:25), and to obey all that has been revealed by the Lord and taught by His Church.

On this Easter day, make the deepest act of faith you have ever made. Renew your baptismal promises. Live your Baptism fully. Meet the risen Christ. Alleluia!

 

“As [Jesus] rode along” today’s Gospel reading begins.  All of us go on a journey with Christ, burdened with our cross.  Though our travel is joyful, it also contains frustrations, disappointment, betrayals, and challenges.  On each step of the way toward Jerusalem, Jesus is close at hand, united in our passion and sacrifice.  Though this Holy Week, we have the opportunity to be transformed.  Will you be open to being led to something new?

 

The mercy of God is apparent in our Scripture today as Jesus ministers to the woman caught in the act of adultery.  The Gospel is a start reminder of the contrast between God and humanity, for still in our time we are ready to seek out vengeance or condemnation rather than lift up others in mercy.  We have opportunities to help others experience God’s grace by loving the sinner while condemning the sin.  It is our choice to assist in brining about new things and eradicating old ways that call for punishments that equate to seeking “an eye for an eye.”  We are called to be agents of mercy.

 

This Gospel is often called the return of the prodigal son.  Many people assume the word “prodigal” means lost.  But the original meaning of the word is “yielding lavishly” or “abundant.”  Knowing the word’s meaning gives us another take on this parable.  How are we “prodigal”?  Are we yielding with mercy like the Father?  Or are we abundant with revenge like the son who stayed put and grew stonehearted?  Theses 3 characters show ways of being prodigal.  How do you choose to live?