After Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed the good news
to that city
and made a considerable number of disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples
and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,
“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the kingdom of God.”
They appointed elders for them in each church and,
with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord
in whom they had put their faith.
Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached
Pamphylia.
After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to
Attalia.
From there they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to the grace of God
for the work they had now accomplished.
And when they arrived, they called the church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
Ps 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13
Responsorial Psalm
R. (cf. 1) I will praise your
name for ever, my king and my God. The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works. R. I will praise your name for
ever, my king and my God. Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might. R. I will praise your name for
ever, my king and my God. Let them make known your might to the
children of Adam,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations. R. I will praise your name for
ever, my king and my God.
Rev 21:1-5a
Reading 2
Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth.
The former heaven and the former earth had passed away,
and the sea was no more.
I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race.
He will dwell with them and they will be his people
and God himself will always be with them as their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes,
and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or
pain,
for the old order has passed away.”
The One who sat on the throne said,
“Behold, I make all things new.”
Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35
Gospel
When Judas had left them, Jesus
said,
“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified
in him.
If God is glorified in him,
God will also glorify him in himself,
and God will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while
longer.
I give you a new commandment: love one another.
As I have loved you, so you also should love one
another.
This is how all will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.”
Today we hear from Jesus, a message
about love, and perhaps we might be inclined to think:
“Now love is something I can sure relate to.”
After all, there are expressions of love all around us
throughout our life. The joy and wonder of the
love that a newly wedded couple have for each other, and
how such a love can sustain them for many years to come;
the tender love a mother and father have for their
newborn child, a life born because of their love for
each other. There are expressions of love for
parents, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers and
sisters, and the friends we have in our life. We
enhance our love up with Christmas trees and presents,
with Easter baskets and chocolate bunnies, with red
roses and chocolates hearts on Valentines Day, Mother’s
Day and Father’s Day, Secretary’s Day, Birthdays and
Anniversaries; all of which include expressions of love
like a hug, a kiss, or a warm embrace, or perhaps a
gift.
As wonderful as these expressions of love are,
they are expressions born out of our deep feelings
associated with love. But sometimes these feelings can
just come and go. They may not always last unless they
are rooted in the level of love that Jesus talks about
today in this reading. He talks about remaining in his
love by keeping his commandments, for that’s how he
remains in his Father’s love, by keeping His
commandments, which result in Jesus giving up his life
for us. His expression of love was then, born out of a
commitment, a decision to love, a conscious decision to
lay down his life for all of us, which reflected his
love for us, because he called us his friends.
And now love is associated with the expression
of love for his disciples as friends. We too, are his
disciples, his friends. And so how do we love?
Certainly with all the previous mentioned expressions of
love. But on a level that really means anything more?
That really sets us apart as friends, by keeping his
commandments? For, therein lies the challenge. We are
asked to put ourselves on the line for the sake of
friendship, to be willing to give our all so we can
remain in Jesus’ love, to love one another, to decide to
love one another despite differences, races, creeds,
weaknesses, strengths; to love one another because
deciding takes the most effort and is not based on a
feeling.
How we feel is who we
are at any given moment, and that is the real us at that
moment, but how we react to those feelings determine if
it results in a decision to love, despite those
feelings. The love that Jesus has for us and that the
Father had for him is a "perfect" love. We are not
capable, as human beings, to achieve such a love on our
own merit, if ever. We are only asked to strive to love
in such a way as best we are able to. My best may be
less than another’s best, but the fact that I try to
love, as Jesus calls me to love is all that is
important, and so it is with each person, only to be
understood and defined by that person as that person is
living the commandments that Jesus taught.
Our
human love must be a response to the commandments that
Jesus taught. That is not to say that our response will
necessarily come from our own direct understanding of
those commandments, for there are many ways that our
Lord’s commandments are taught, or that people have come
to know His love by. For example it may be because of
another’s person’s own knowledge and understanding.
Certainly, as a child, I did not have such
understanding, but through the guidance of my parents
and by their love that was made possible, until an age
that I was able to understand. And it has been a life
long journey of understanding. And perhaps, aside from
the scripture message itself, our life experience
continues to give us more and more opportunities to
realize those commandments. In the end, as Jesus himself
showed us, living out the call to love is the greatest
way to share it.
Deciding to love as Jesus decided to do . . . is living
out that commandment to love!
We will only
know and achieve "perfect love" in Heaven.
“Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace” (Daniel O’Donnell) by
snakeeyesss11
If By Chance . . . !
If by chance, the road you trod - seems long and rough, and
without end, listen to the knock to the door
of your heart; there is someone who wants to be
your friend.
If your life seems to be on a
course - where all you experience is
pain, listen to the knock on the door
to your heart; Jesus is calling your very name.
If you cannot see beyond the
grey clouds - and the sunshine no longer
shines, if by chance, you should need a
friend - I'll gladly give you this heart
of mine.
If by chance, you exist in a
void - and you just don't know where to
start, listen to that voice in your
ear, And open the door to your heart.
If Jesus sees that the hinges
are rusty - His angels will apply holy oil
on each one, so the door to your heart will
open easily - for Jesus our Savior of your
life has come.
He will gift you with friends
who care - and paint a smile upon your
face. God will love you
unconditionally - Forgive your sins and give you
grace.
Listen to the song birds singing
- For their melody is so pleasant
to hear, And find that new life in you
will grow - And no longer will you have
anything to fear.
If by chance, joy is replaces
all the sadness - the emptiness is now full of
love; and you now feel the warmth of
the Son - He is showing you His Father
from above.
No longer is it just by chance -
that your life can indeed turn
around,
Stay the path with our Lord Jesus - for His journey for you is
heaven bound!
Stay close to those who love you
- your friends will help you along
each day. Feel the Holy Spirit gracing you
with new life - Jesus is the Truth, the Light,
and the Way!
