In
the gospel passage, Jesus tells the disciples that there are two
prerequisites for membership “on the vine” –
having the commandments of God, and observing them. Now for the “new people
of God,” the “commandments” shift from the Decalogue
(the Ten Commandments) to the single
law of Love: love one another as I have
loved you, as you have been loved first by God. But, of course, if you do
this loving of others fully and as prescribed, then you will also be doing the
Ten Commandments: because I have come not
to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.
And to ensure that you are in
tune with the new fullness of the Law, to ensure that you are pleasing to God,
to ensure that you are specially loved children of my Father – the Advocate, the Holy Spirit will be sent
by the Father, in my name – to teach you exactly how all these things came
to be and are – and he will remind you of
all that I told you.
And for us today, as we find
ourselves members in the assembly of those who believe in God, accept his
commandments and try to live them out in love – we will feel an unusually close
identity with Jesus, his Father and their Spirit – because they abide deep
inside of our souls, and we find ourselves doing great things for God, great but in an ordinary sort of way: just
as Paul and Barnabas simply spoke words, simply proclaimed Christ Crucified and
Risen. This ordinary proclamation, however produced the result of their being
considered “gods” by the Greeks, after accompanying the preaching with healing
of a cripple in Jesus’ name – but they were simply
as human as anyone else – imbued however, with the powers of belief.
May we always remember that the glory that comes from good deeds done
does not go to us, but rather to God!
Amen!
Alleluia!
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