May 19 - Fifth Sunday of Easter

+ In the gospel passage we have just heard, Jesus is telling his disciples of all generations that the way they will be recognized and regarded as members of his community is if they truly “love one another” – as He himself loves everyone! This has to be so or else there is no unity, there is no community, there is no Mystical Body, there is no Church.

If Jesus is these things, then the essence of Jesus, which is amazing love, must be the outstanding characteristic and essential essence, and being, of his family, his group, his friends. How could it be otherwise?

The goal of everything, all life, human and otherwise is to become part of an entirely new creation which already exists in shadow form: the Resurrection of Jesus has already accomplished the transformation of everything: amazing grace has been introduced onto the planet, but, the problem from day one (Pentecost) was that the people have to hear about it, so they can take it into their hearts, believe what they hear, and come to know what they believe,  and bring their own loving response to this tremendous love-story between God and his people by the action of loving service – by loving as Jesus loved.

This was not always easy, not at the beginning (as Paul and Barnabas knew), and it is particularly not easy today, with the surging tide of of people who are so caught up in the speed, glamour and excitement and me me me perspective, that they don’t know even what they don’t know – that the belong to a vast a wondrous outer level – an already formed community of love.

So, the mindless, soulless insistence, is not the way that it is supposed to be, the way that God intended: and so we must be brave, we must be courageous; because the Father is a family man; he likes to gather with his children and grandchildren, and with all of the creation that are the work of his hands for family times at great feasts and happy times together.

May we this day rededicate ourselves to using the powerful Easter Grace that God has given us to welcome the Gospel Message – the Good News that EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT NOW! everything is essentially OKAY! into our own lives more deeply, and to proclaim him in a variety of forms and shapes with all we meet every day – as prompted by the Spirit within.

Quite frankly, if you are not telling the Jesus story (evangelizing) - which is about the power of love over death, the promise of eternal life in a kingdom glorious - then you are not being a real Christian, a real Catholic – and we would not want that to be so!

I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.