Monday, May 10, 2021 - Homily

 Believing in Jesus is not easy. It is one thing to verbally profess faith in him and another to live out all that he taught and did.

Monday, May 10, 2021 - Will you persevere in love today? When you are repaid with ingratitude for your kindness, will you continue to love?

To read the texts click on the texts: Acts 16:11-15; Jn15:26-16:4

This is the third promise of the coming of the Paraclete in the Gospel of John. Jesus had made the first promise in 14:16-17, and the second one in 14:26. The Paraclete or Advocate is sent by Jesus and the Father. The Paraclete is sent by Jesus, but is sent from the Father. The Paraclete is sent here to testify or bear witness to Jesus. This means that the teaching of the Paraclete will not be new teaching but a confirmation of what Jesus has already taught and done. Just as the Paraclete bears witness, so must the disciples, since they have seen and heard Jesus from the beginning. The Paraclete will give strength to the disciples in their time of trial so that they will not fall away. The Paraclete will work in and through the disciples. The work of Jesus continues through the Paraclete working in the disciples.

Because of this work of Jesus, the disciples will have to face persecution from those who do not accept them. As a matter of fact, those who engage in such persecution will think they are right and, by so persecuting the disciples, will think they are, in effect, worshipping God. This is because they have not understood the meaning of the incarnation and so, have not been able to recognize God’s unconditional and gratuitous love made manifest in Jesus. Jesus predicts these happenings, to both prepare the disciples in advance for what is to come and also, to warn them about the consequences of following him. Their perseverance and standing firm, even in the midst of persecution, will reveal their love for him and the Father and will be the tangible expression of their faith.

Believing in Jesus is not easy. It is one thing to verbally profess faith in him and another to live out all that he taught and did. It is especially difficult to follow him when things do not go the way we want them to and when things happen contrary to our expectations. When those to whom we are good repay us with goodness, we are not surprised, because we expect them to do just that. However, when those to whom we have reached out in love are ungrateful and sometimes openly hostile to us, we get shocked at their behavior, simply because we did not expect them to react in that way. It is at times like these that we must remember the predictions of Jesus made here. His love for the world, shown in the most tangible manner on the cross, was spurned by most of his contemporaries, yet that same love continues to be made new, even today, two thousand years later. We, too, are called not to fall away but to persevere in love.

Sunday, May 9, 2021 - Homily

 

We show that we have received the gift of love when we, like Jesus, also dare to reach out in love.

Sunday, May 9, 2021 - Sixth Sunday of Easter - If you love like Jesus .....

To read the texts click on the texts: Acts10:25-26, 34-35,44-48;; 1 Jn 4:7-10; Jn15:9-17

A man went to his pastor to say that he felt there was a lack of friendliness among the parishioners and that people were reluctant to greet one another in church. The pastor agreed with him and said that he had devised a plan to change things. During services the next Sunday, the pastor described the situation to the parishioners and said that the following Sunday they would have a brief pause to allow parishioners to turn to those seated near them and greet them with a friendly hello. After the announcement, the man turned around to the woman behind him and said, “Good morning.” She looked at him in shocked indignation and snapped, “That doesn’t start until next Sunday!”

The American author and poet, Stephen Vincent Benet, who won the Pulitzer Prize twice, wrote, “Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small, uncaring ways”. The penultimate verse of the Gospel text of today, in which Jesus tells his disciples, “I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last:, serves as an antidote to this way of living and ensures that one will continue to live even after death.

The disciples can be fruitful primarily because the love which the Father has for Jesus is the same love that Jesus has shown for his disciples. It is a love that is unconditional, a love that is totally caring, a love that places the other before self and, a love without end. It is a love that is shown tangibly and in every action that Jesus performs. There is only one commandment that Jesus gives his disciples. That is the commandment of love. If the disciples keep this commandment, they will resemble Jesus, their master, who revealed God’s love for the world tangibly, in the most perfect of ways, by willingly dying.

The disciples are indeed friends of Jesus, as has been manifested in their keeping his command to love. Jesus is not placing a condition for friendship here (you can be my friends only if…); rather, he is stating who the disciples are (because you are my friends, you do what I command). Keeping the commandment of Jesus is not a chore or burden but something done willingly because one has experienced his love first. The outcome of this sharing of love is unbounded joy.

As Jesus treats his disciples as his friends, he reveals to them all that they need to know. His primary revelation to them has been of God as a loving and compassionate Father. It is Jesus who has taken the initiative in calling and choosing the disciples and this fact reinforces the idea of grace. It is not one’s effort that can earn discipleship but the grace of God which enables one to live out daily the call to discipleship. Jesus’ self-emptying love points back to the self-emptying love expected of us. We are to love one another in the way he loved us.

However, this kind of self-emptying love does not always come easily, as today’s first reading from Acts demonstrates. Initially, Peter was reluctant to have anything to do with Cornelius because he was a Roman centurion. However, he soon learned that, because God does not hold back from anyone his self-emptying and unconditional love. When genuine love was present, all distinctions of caste, creed, colour, and race disappeared, John reiterates this point in the second reading of today and goes even further. He states very clearly that it was not we who first loved, but God. God took the initiative and sent a part of himself, his son. It is in Jesus, the Son that love has its origin and finds its fulfillment.

Love is not just an emotion – but reality. As a matter of fact, the only reality is love. Fear, which is regarded as the opposite of love, is not real, it is only an illusion. If there is fear, there cannot be love, and where there is love, there is no fear (1 Jn 4:18). While Paul gives a beautiful definition of love in 1 Cor 13:1-9, my own definition of love is, I believe, simple, but not simplistic. “In love, there is no ‘I’”.

As love keeps giving, Jesus continues to give, even today. However, the giving is only one side of the story. Without a receiver, the gift has no value. This is why, while the grace of God given as a gift in Jesus is first, our reception of that gift is important. We show that we have received this gift when we, like Jesus, also dare to reach out in love. When we speak a comforting word, perform a loving action, behave less selfishly and more selflessly, then the gift is given and received, again and again.

Saturday, May 8, 2021 - Homily

 

In a world in which the resonating message is to “have more”, it is not always easy to speak and live Jesus’ message to “be more”. Those who do this are labelled as crazy and out of touch with reality.

Saturday, April 8, 2021 - How often has your comparison with what others have led you to feel jealous of them? Will you realize that you can be the most contented person if you so decide today?

To read the texts click on the texts: Acts 16:1-10; Jn15:18-21

These verses of the Discourse on the Vine and the Branches focus not on the relationship of Jesus and the disciples, like the earlier verses did, but on the relationship of the disciples with the “world”. Here, the word “world” is used to represent, not the physical world, but those who are opposed to God’s revelation in Jesus.

The challenge of love will be truly encountered when the community faces the “world”. The “world” will hate the disciples because of their relationship with Jesus and because they live out his teachings. If the disciples want the world to love them, they must give up the teachings of Jesus. However, because they have been chosen by Jesus and set apart from the “world”, they too, like Jesus, will have to endure the “world’s” hatred.

The disciples must realize that following and obeying Jesus, as servants obey their masters, will lead to persecution. What has happened with Jesus will be repeated in the disciples’ lives. While the authority of the one sent is the same as the sender, it is also true that the response to the one sent will be the same as the response to the sender. Those who do not accept the word of truth, spoken by God in Jesus, will indulge in persecution. Those who accept the word will respond by living out that word in their lives.  Rejection of the disciples means rejection of Jesus because it is Jesus who sends them.  Rejection of Jesus means rejection of God who sent him.

In a world in which the resonating message is to “have more”, it is not always easy to speak and live Jesus’ message to “be more”. Those who do this are labeled as crazy and out of touch with reality. Possession of things has so possessed us that we do not even realize that, most of the time, it is things that possess us rather than the other way round. We are held by the things we want to possess and they will not let us rest. Often, it begins with a small possession and then goes on to something bigger and soon gets so big that we lose control of ourselves and who we are. Our identity is linked with what we have and what we have achieved. In a situation like this, we need to take stock and decide when enough is enough. We need to ask ourselves whether we will live our lives moving from one possession to the next, often not even having the time or energy to enjoy what we possess.

Friday, May 7, 2021 - Homily

 Without a receiver, the gift has no value. This is why, while the grace of God given as a gift in Jesus is first, our reception of that gift is as important if the act of giving is to be completed. We show that we have received this gift when we, like Jesus, also dare to reach out in love.

Friday, April 7, 2021 - Have you received Jesus’ gift of unconditional love? Does this show in your sharing of that love?

To read the texts click on the texts: Acts 15:22-31; Jn15:12-17

The first verse of today’s reading repeats the love commandment of 13:34, which there, was referred to as a new commandment. This love is expressed in the most perfect of ways in the willingness to go to one’s death for the sake of a friend. The disciples are indeed friends of Jesus, as has been manifested in their keeping his command to love. It is important to note that Jesus is not placing a condition for friendship here (you can be my friends only if…); rather he is stating what and who the disciples are (because you are my friends, you do what I command).

The friendship that the disciples share with Jesus is grounded in love. This means that Jesus keeps back nothing from his disciples and reveals to them all that they need to know. His primary revelation to them has been of God as a loving and compassionate Father.

It is Jesus who has taken the initiative in calling and choosing the disciples and this fact reinforces the idea of grace. It is not one’s effort that can earn discipleship but the grace of God which, when received, results in one living out the call to discipleship. The living out of the call is not merely a once for all act, but something that is done constantly and with perseverance. This will ensure that the effects of their love are abiding and lasting. The last verse of today, with its reminder to “love one another”, forms an inclusion with the first.

The relationship that we share with God because of Jesus is one of sons and daughters. We are Jesus’ brothers and sisters, even friends. This is because he has given us everything in all its fullness. He held nothing back, not even his own self. The manifestation of this self giving, which began with the incarnation, was completed and continued on the cross, and through his resurrection and ascension. He continues to give, even today. However, the giving is only one side of the story. Without a receiver, the gift has no value. This is why, while the grace of God given as a gift in Jesus is first, our reception of that gift is as important if the act of giving is to be completed. We show that we have received this gift when we, like Jesus, also dare to reach out in love. When we speak an enhancing word, perform a loving action, behave a little less selfishly, and a little more selflessly, then the gift is given and received, again and again.

 

Thursday, May 6, 2021 - Homily

 

In the Gospel text of today, Jesus makes four points. He begins by offering a revelation. This is that the love which he has for the whole world is exactly as the love that God has for him. This love is unconditional and eternal. He then exhorts us to remain in that love. We do that be keeping the one commandment which is to love God by loving others.

Thursday, May 6, 2021 - How often has fear ruled your actions? Will you dare to act from love today?

To read the texts click on the texts: Acts 15:7-21; Jn15:9-11

The love which the Father has for Jesus is the same love that Jesus has expressed and shown for his disciples. It is a love that is unconditional, a love without end. It is not merely a verbal expression, or an emotion, but a love that is shown tangibly and in every action that Jesus performs. The disciples have to act in the same manner as Jesus in order to make this love visible. There is only one commandment and that is the commandment to love. If the disciples keep this commandment, it will result in their being like Jesus, their master, who before them, revealed God’s love for the world.

Keeping the commandment of Jesus is thus not a chore or burden but done willingly because one has experienced this love first. The outcome of this sharing and manifestation of love is unbounded joy.

The word “love” has been a word that is used so often that it has been abused. We speak of our love for the good things of life, and of our love for the members of our family, and of our love for God in the same breath. “I love mixed vegetables” we might tell our spouse and, in the next breath, say “I love you”. Love is not primarily an emotion; it is not even a feeling, but reality. As a matter of fact, the only reality is love. Fear, which is regarded as the opposite of love, is not real, it is only an illusion. If there is fear, there cannot be love, and where there is love, there is no fear (1 Jn 4:18). While Paul gives a beautiful definition of love in 1 Cor 13:1-9, my own definition of love is simple, but not simplistic. “In love, there is no “I””.