Sixth Sunday of Easter

Sunday May 5, 2024

Sixth Sunday Of Easter

1. A Love without Boundaries

2. As I Have Loved You

Greeting (see Second Reading)

Love comes from God
and everyone who loves
is born from God and knows God.
May Jesus, the Son of God,
who made God’s love known to us,
be always with you. R/ And also with you.

1.   A Love without Boundaries

We are again reminded today that the heart of Christianity is love: love of God, love of one another. Jesus tells us that we have to love one another as he has loved us. This is a very demanding love, for it commits us to love not only those we like and who love us or like-minded fellow Christians, but also the difficult ones, the “unlovable,” people far from perfect, outsiders... That is not so easy, and this is probably why he calls it a commandment. Let us ask our Lord in this eucharist that we may grow in this openness of genuine love.

2.   As I Have Loved You

We are often surprised how inventive love can be and to discover it where we had not expected it. It makes a dour husband surprise his wife with an unpredictable gesture of tenderness or a couple in the slums adopt a child found abandoned in the street. God’s astonishing love is the source of it all. He shows it when he gives up his own Son for us. Jesus kept giving a human shape to God’s love when he cared for people and gave new chances even to outcasts, the unloved and the unlovable. Today he calls us his friends and he tells us: “Love one another as I have loved you.” With these words he challenges us in today's Eucharist.

Penitential Act

We are still far from loving people
the way Jesus wants us to love them.
We ask the Lord and one another to forgive us.
                        (pause)
Lord Jesus, you have loved us
as the Father has loved you.
Keep us in your love:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, the way you have loved us
is that you laid down your life for us.
Make us live for one another:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you loved the weak,
sinners, those hard to love.
Open our love and make it like yours:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

In your goodness forgive us, Lord,
and make committed love
the characteristic of us, your people.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us ask the Father
that we may put no boundaries to our love
                        (pause)
God, love is your name
and you have revealed all its depth
when you sent your only Son into the world
and let him be the sacrifice that took our sins away.
Through Jesus, who calls us his friends,
make our love as strong as life and death,
let it always have the last word in us
and be given for free, like yours.
May we always remain in your love
and love one another
as Jesus has loved us,
he who is our Lord for ever and ever. R/ Amen.

First Reading: God’s Love Open to All

God’s sign to Peter and the Church that believers from paganism are accepted and loved by God is that the Holy Spirit comes down on pagans too.

Reading 1: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48

When Peter entered, Cornelius met him
and, falling at his feet, paid him homage.
Peter, however, raised him up, saying,
"Get up. I myself am also a human being."

Then Peter proceeded to speak and said,
"In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him."

While Peter was still speaking these things,
the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word.
The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter
were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit
should have been poured out on the Gentiles also,
for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God.
Then Peter responded,
"Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people,
who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?"
He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4

R. (cf. 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Second Reading: God Loves Us; So, We Love One Another

God loves us so much that his love took a human form in Jesus Christ. Since that time our love for one another is the sign of God’s love and of his presence among us.

Reading 2:  1 Jn 4:7-10

Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

Alleluia: Jn 14:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,
and my Father will love him and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Love One Another As I Have Loved You

Jesus loves us and wants us to stay in his love and joy by keeping his commandments of loving one another. 

Gospel: Jn 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples:
"As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father's commandments
and remain in his love.

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another."

Intercessions

Since Jesus is our friend, we can commend to him all those we love and the needs of all those whom we should learn to love. Let us say: R/ Lord, give us the gift of love.

–   Lord Jesus, let there be love and friendship and trust in the community of your Church between its leaders and the faithful, we ask you, Lord: R/ Lord, give us the gift of love.

–   Lord Jesus, let there be love and friendship among all the people and the churches that claim that you are their Lord and shepherd; may they become really one in you, we pray you, Lord: R/ Lord, give us the gift of love.

–   Lord Jesus, let love and friendship reign in all our communities of religious, that they may be good witnesses to your love, we pray you, Lord: R/ Lord, give us the gift of love.

–   Lord Jesus, let love and friendship reign in all our Christian families, that parents and children may be living cells from which understanding and love may grow in our world, we pray you, Lord: R/ Lord, give us the gift of love.

–   Lord, let there be love and friendship among us that opens our eyes and hands and hearts to the needs and the persons of the sick and the lonely, of the poor and the victims of injustice, we pray, you Lord: R/ Lord, give us the gift of love.

–   Let there be love and friendship in all our Christian communities, that people may come to believe in you when they see how we love one another, we pray you, Lord: R/ Lord, give us the gift of love.

Jesus, our friend, let us remain in your love and warm one another with it, for you are our Lord for ever and ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God, loving Father,
your love appeared with a human face
in your Son Jesus Christ.
He showed all the depth of your love and his
by laying down his life for us, his friends.
As he gives himself to us
as the bread of life,
may he be our food
on the road of life and love,
not only when it is easy to love
but also when it is hard to be faithful
and when love demands much sacrifice.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

Let us raise our hearts and voices to our loving Father in heaven for having loved us before we could love him. With Jesus, God’s sign of love to us, let us offer the Father our desire and will to let his love overflow on everyone.

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

With Jesus, our brother,
let us pray together to our Father in heaven
who loves us with so great a love
as to give us his own Son: R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord from all forms of selfishness
that close us to our people.
Keep us free from all sins
that endanger love among us
and grant us the peace of unity.
Make us attentive and open to all,
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ: R/ For the kingdom...

At the Sign of Peace

Let the sign of peace today be the expression of our genuine love for one another, and may it be followed by many signs and tokens of love in the life of every day.

The peace of the Lord be with you always. R/ And also with you.

Invitation to Communion

This is our Lord who said:
‘‘Love one another
as I have loved you.”
Happy are we to be invited
to the Lord’s table of love and unity. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
in this Eucharistic celebration
you have given us new proof of your love
by giving us your Son and his Spirit.
Jesus has strengthened our love.
Accept our thanks
and bring out the best in us,
that we may bear rich fruit
of faithful, reliable love.
Let your Holy Spirit unite us
to build community with one another
and to live in your love and joy
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Blessing

We know that God loves us
and wants to live among us.
He calls us his friends, his chosen ones.
Let us respond to his love without measure.
We are sure that we love God
and that he is present among us
when we love one another.
May God give us the strength to do so,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go in peace, live in the Lord’s love, and serve him in people.

R/ Thanks be to God.

Commentary

Servant of the Lord was the highest title of honour, a title reserved to the great personages that we find in the Old Testament: Moses, David, Joshua and the like. In the New Testament, St. Paul would present himself as a servant of the Lord. We also have a woman, the only one, to whom the early Christian community, attributed the title – ‘servant of the Lord’ – that was Mary. St. Luke in his Gospel puts this beautiful expression in her mouth, saying: “ 'Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord,' to indicate the complete availability of Mary to serve the plan of God.

But today, Jesus introduces a new title of honour: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. This is new title of honour: 'friend of Jesus.'

Jesus emphasizes the difference between the servant and the friend and says: the servant does not know what are the plans of his master. Relationship between friends is completely
different. Imagine what it meant at the time of Jesus to be a friend of Caesar; Caesar's friend had free access to the palace without following the check-points and schedules. He could meet with the emperor at any time. In the Old Testament: Abraham is called the friend of God. He is the one with whom the Lord discusses his issues. We remember the case of Sodom and Gomorrah: God discusses with his friend Abraham and tells him: "Look, I am compelled to do away
with these two cities."

Jesus does not want servants but disciples who are friends; Jesus cannot call his disciples 'servants' because he has revealed to them God's design of love upon the world. Only friends are entrusted with these family secrets while servants remain in the dark.

Unfortunately, there are still many who are stuck in the relationship that of obedient subjects to a lawgiver, that of the employer who pays his employee at the end of the day. Many still prefer this spirituality because they are convinced that by doing good and following the rules, they accumulate merit in front of this boss that is God.

But Jesus rejects this kind of a spirituality. He wants us to involve in his projects not out of compulsion but out of our free will. This is the friendship that Jesus wants to establish with his disciples, this joy of loving and giving freely.

We know that God loves us and wants to live among us. He calls us his friends, his chosen ones. Let us respond to his love without measure. We are sure that we love God and that he is present among us when we love one another. May God give us the strength to do so.

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5 May 2024

John 15:9-17

 Abiding in Divine Love 

After having compared Himself to the vine and us to the branches, Jesus invites us to abide in his love so that his joy may be in us and our joy may be full (vv. 9-11). To abide in Jesus’ love.

How do we abide in his love? He says that if we keep his commandments, we will remain in his love. Jesus simplified his commandments into one single commandment: to love one another as he has loved us. This means serving others as Jesus did when he washed his disciples' feet. It also means going beyond our own selves, letting go of our own comforts and certainties, and reaching out to those in need. We must make ourselves available to others with what we have. This love should not just be spoken but should also be shown through our actions.

To love like Christ means rejecting other 'loves' that the world offers us, such as love of money, success, vanity, and power. Those who love money do not love as Jesus loves. These deceptive paths of "love" distance us from the Lord's love and lead us to become more and more selfish, narcissistic, and overbearing.

Being overbearing leads to a degeneration of love, abuse of others, and making our loved ones suffer. I am thinking of the unhealthy love that turns into violence, and how many women are victims of violence these days. This is not love. To love as the Lord loves us means to appreciate the people beside us, respect their freedom, and love them as they are and not as we want them to be. "We must love one another without any expectation of receiving something in return.”.

Abiding in Divine Love - Youtube