No limit

No Limit

"Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." Jn 13. 34-35

Gospel for the 5th Sunday of Easter:  John 13.1, 31-35

No more Chocolate bunny....

  So here we are in the fifth week of Easter. By now the lilies have been thrown out, there is no trace of chocolate bunnies, and well, it feels like "ordinary time". Take a quick look into your local Catholic school. Are there any signs to indicate that we are  "in Easter"? Hopefully the prayer tables still have white table cloths, but are there fresh flowers, bright colours, or any signs of "Alleluia"? Is this too long to be feasting?

Even when we look to the Gospels of the past two Sundays, we might wonder why there are no "Resurrection stories" proclaimed. Last week we recalled the image of the Good Shepherd. And now this Sunday, John's Gospel is set during the Last Supper! Why not carry on with appearance stories??

A couple of reasons.

 Within and Without Time...

The first is found in the wisdom and the beauty of the liturgical calendar. In the Catholic Church, and many of the other Christian churches, the liturgical year is on a cycle of readings- in our case, a three year cycle. In a three year cycle of Sundays, all four Gospels will be proclaimed. This year, during Easter, the majority of the Gospel readings are from John. So we shouldn't expect all the Resurrection stories being packed into one Easter season.

The second reason has to do with John's Gospel. Written about 100 AD, this is a Gospel that is not quite as concerned about the "story" as it is about the "message". There is a certain ebb and flow to when things happen. The Resurrection and the divinity of Christ are the lenses by which everything is seen in John. 

 Glory at the Last Supper...

So, at the Last Supper, we will encounter Jesus who says, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified..." (13.31) We, who are so caught up in time and history will say "How can this be? He has not even been crucified yet!!" It is because Jesus is revealing to us what is, and what is to come.  Judas has just left the Last Supper, and the glory that is Passion, Death and Resurrection are about to take place. Jesus is also telling us of the present glory found in the Eucharist. It is why this Gospel is proclaimed during the Easter season.

Jesus' first will and testament...

 This is another Resurrection story. So, keeping this in mind, we hear Jesus giving his disciples (us) what I would call his "first will and testament" not his last. Jesus gives us " a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another..." (13.34).

Two important messages here:

1. Why does he call it a new  commandment? We know from the very beginning about this commandment (See Leviticus 19.18 for example). This was the center of the Law. 

What makes it new is that the "Law" has been made flesh in Christ Jesus. To "fulfill" the Law, to "obey" the commandment, is to enter into the life of Christ.

2. Because of this, "loving one another" takes on whole new meaning. We can all love our friends, our family, our community, and our country. That is very true. Every atheist can do that. When Jesus says "just as I have loved you"   shows something more.

 It is that "agape"  love that Peter struggled with on the beach (see the blog from two weeks ago). 

 A Love too far...

I'm reminded of a story told to me by a former parish priest who was asking a grade two class about the love Jesus had for us. He took the crucifix down from the classroom wall, and said to the children "Jesus died for us because He loved us sooooo much!" To which a little girl, wide-eyed and a little teary, responded, "He went way toooo far!!!"

The Church has been built on the saints and martyrs who went "way too far". 

The secular world will proclaim, "but what about the soldier who dies for their country? What about the parent who gives up their life for their children? You don't have to be a Christian to do those things!"

Here is the difference, one that even us who call ourselves Christians have a tough time with. 

As it says in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, " Christ died out of love for us, while we were still "enemies". The Lord asks us to love as he does, even our enemies, to make ourselves the neighbour of those farthest away, and to love children and the poor as Christ himself." (article 1825)

Is this a love too far for us? By ourselves, yes. "But with God all things are possible..." (Luke 18.27)

For this week:

For Catholic educators: Do you sigh in relief when you that the "tough" student is not in school today? Do you find yourself blurting out "Thank God!" Do you recognize the sinfulness of your attitude? If he, she, or even, they are in class, say a prayer of gratitude. They are the graced gifts that God has given you to love like Christ.

For all of us:  Praying for victims of tragedies like the recent ones in Bangledesh and Boston is important- so to is praying for those responsible for the suffering