fifth sunday of easter

Posted on by Cassie

Throughout the Old Testament, the glory of the Lord was experienced in fire, a cloud, and a host of other tangible appearances.  As Jesus prepares for His death, the truth of His life as a manifestation of the Father will be made clear.  When he is lifted up in crucifixion as the ultimate and perfect sign of Gods love for us, His glorification will be accomplished.

The heart of todays reading is the new commandment that Jesus gives to His followers: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (Verse 34).  The commandment is at once very old and totally new.  It is based on God’s ancient commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18).  It is new because the standard of love is now the love with which Jesus has loved us.  Though God has shown His love for us in many ways in the past, no one could dream that it would reach the point where the Son of God would die for us.  Yet, love is more than a commandment; it is also a gift.  We could never observe the commandment were it not for the fact that we have been created to share in God’s life, which is love.

Spend some time today thinking about God’s love for you and thank Him by telling Him how much you love him.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell

 

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Cassie

Shepherds were a common sight at the time of Jesus.  There is still a sheep market in Jerusalem, where shepherds come every Friday morning to buy and sell sheep.  Jesus’ characterization of Himself as the Good Shepherd is full of meaning for us, even though we never see shepherds leading their flocks through the cities.

Jesus speaks about sheep following their shepherd.  To follow Jesus is an image for discipleship.  What draws us to Jesus as His disciples? We have heard His voice and recognized it.  We have heard Him calling us by name.  We are bound to Jesus, our Shepherd, by a personal relationship.

Jesus repeatedly speaks of His laying down His life for His sheep.  He says that only the shepherd, who has a personal stake in his sheep would be willing to risk his life to protect his sheep.  Jesus is intimately connected with His followers, just as the Father is united with him.  He is willing to lay down His life for us so that we may have abundant life.

Jesus came into the world to give His life for you and me.  His coming and His death and resurrection is God’s demonstration of His love for us.  That is why we know we can entrust ourselves into the hands of our Good Shepherd.

Jesus tells us that it is His Father’s will that He freely sacrifice His life for us so that we may receive eternal life.  Since Jesus and His Father are one, Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself manifests just how greatly God loves the world.  God could give up nothing greater than His own Son to deliver us from death and give us eternal life.

What we celebrate during this Easter Season is God’s great love for us.   What we commit ourselves to during this Easter Season is to respond to God’s love for us by truly loving Him in return and asking Him to help us grow in His love.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell

Third Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Cassie

In John’s Gospel, Jesus performed His first sign at Cana in Galilee (2:11), and now He performs His last sign in Galilee, at the Sea of Tiberius, which is another name for the Sea of Galilee.  Just as in Cana, He had supplied a superabundance of wine for a wedding feast, so He now gives His disciples a great catch of fish.  From first to last Jesus loves us with superabundant love.

When they finish breakfast, Jesus questions Peter three times about his love.  Here Jesus is providing Peter the opportunity to reverse the three fold denial on the night before Jesus died.  A charcoal fire is only mentioned two times in John’s Gospel.  This charcoal fire with the fish and bread recalls the charcoal fire of the denial of Peter.

Jesus three times asked Peter if he loved Him.  That is also His constant question to us. Do we obey Him out of fear, or out of duty or out of love.  Peter’s service was to feed and tend the sheep of Jesus, as the leader of the Apostles.  Jesus also asks us to carry out our own forms of service.  There are many ways of feeding the flock of Jesus.

You and I are being asked by Jesus if we love Him.  Our Lord calls each of us to acknowledge our love for Him and give ourselves to full service of His flock by the way we live our lives.

At the end of the Gospel, Jesus looks at Peter, who has committed himself to the loving service of Jesus and His sheep.  Jesus then says to Peter the same invitation the Lord made to Him at the beginning of their work together.  Jesus says to Peter “follow me. “

At the end of our encounter with Jesus in this Gospel, He looks at us and also invites us to follow him. May God give us the grace to respond whole heartedly by how we live our life.

God Bless

Msgr. Powell