ANECDOTE
LAYING DOWN ONE’S LIFE FOR ONE’S FRIENDS
In 1941, the German Army began to round up Jewish people in Lithuania. Thousands of Jews were murdered. But one German soldier objected to their murder. He was Sergeant Anton Schmid. Through his assistance, the lives of at least 250 Jews were spared. He managed to hide them, find food, and supply them with forged papers. Schmid himself was arrested in early 1942 for saving these lives. He was tried and executed in 1942. It took Germany almost sixty years to honor the memory of this man, Schmid. Said Germany’s Defense Minister in 2000, saluting him, “Too many bowed to the threats and temptations of the dictator Hitler, and too few found the strength to resist. But Sergeant Anton Schmid did resist.” This is the central of theme of today’s Gospel. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — The hero Schmid went beyond what even Jesus encouraged. He laid down his life for strangers. (Fr. James Gilhooley).
FIRST READING: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48
Apart from the persecution that later engulfed the early Christians, another challenge they had at the beginning was the internal struggle. It was difficult for Christians of Jewish background to associate with the Gentile converts. In fact the first council of Jerusalem presided by the Apostle James was to resolve the problem of circumcision which the Jewish Christians were imposing on the Gentiles as a “certificate of fitness” to validate their faith in the early Church.
In today’s first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we see the start of the process. The episode begins earlier in Acts, in Chapter 10, where Peter and the Roman centurion Cornelius (a good pagan), are given interlocking visions. Acts describes how the Heavenly messenger instructed Cornelius to send to Joppa for Peter. In a trance, Peter heard a Voice bidding him to eat non-kosher foods. Peter called this unthinkable, but the Voice insisted that what God had purified no one might call unclean.
The eventual meeting of Peter with Cornelius was not just a turning point for the whole gentile world but also a conversion of mind for Peter and many who were formerly stereotyped about the legitimacy of the faith of the Gentiles.
During his meeting with Cornelius, the Holy Spirit mediated through its power and made manifest the all inclusive plan of God to save all. Prompted by the descent of the Holy Spirit on Cornelius and his household, Peter declared an immediate baptism to Cornelius and his household.
This story teaches four lessons:
1) Authentic changes must be expected as part of the Church’s ongoing mission under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
2) New directions result ultimately from the Holy Spirit’s guidance rather than from merely human decisions.
3) The ecclesiastical leadership has the right and obligation to teach and carry out Divinely willed new instructions.
The Church is for all irrespective of ones place of origin; for God can call and choose whoever He wants and from wherever He wants.
SECOND READING, 1 John 4:7-10
This passage contains the greatest single statement about God in the whole Bible, namely, God is Love. This statement means that:
(i) Love has its origin in God (1 Jn 4:7). According to Clement of Alexandria, the real Christian “practices being God.” God is love and, therefore, to be like God and be what he was meant to be, man must also love.
(ii) Love has a double relationship to God. It is only by knowing God, and in this “knowing” He always takes the initiative in loving us first, that we learn to love Him and it only by loving God that we learn to know Him (1 Jn 4:7-8). In other words, love comes from God first, and His love received leads us back to God.
(iii) It is by love that God is known, and the best demonstration of God comes, not from argument, but from a life of love.
(iv) God’s love is demonstrated in Jesus Christ (1 Jn 4:9). When we look at Jesus we see two things about the love of God.(a) It is a love which holds nothing back (even giving His Son in sacrifice). (b) It is a totally undeserved love because God loves poor and disobedient creatures like us.
(v)God’s love also explains many things:(a) It explains creation (God wants to love someone who can love Him back). (b) It explains free-will. Unless love is a free response it is not love. (c) It explains Providence. Since God is love, His creating act is followed by His constant care. (d) It explains redemption. The very fact that God is love meant that He had to seek and save that which was lost. He had to find a remedy for sin. (e) It explains the life beyond. The fact that God is love makes it certain that the chances and changes of life do not have the last word and that His love will readjust the balance of this life.
(vii)This passage also teaches us that Jesus is:(a) the bringer of life, (b) the restorer of the lost relationship with God, (c) the Savior of the world (1 Jn 4:14) and (d) the Son of God (1 Jn 4:15). (Fr. Anthony Kadavil).
GOSPEL: John 15: 9-17
Today’s Gospel reading comes from the middle of Jesus’ so-called “Farewell Discourse,” a lengthy section (Jn 14—17). It is the heart-to-heart, after-dinner “table-talk” of Jesus with his disciples. Fundamentally, the first half of chapter 15 is about love: the love of God for Jesus, the love of Jesus for his disciples and the love of the disciples for Jesus. Verse 9 declares that there is no distinguishing difference between the love of the Father for the Son and that which the Son has for his chosen disciples. But, even though this love is steadfast and sure, it is also a love that may be lost. Thus, Jesus urges his disciples to “abide” or “remain” in his love. The “condition” for receiving and keeping this unconditional love is spelled out in verse 10 – “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.”
Jesus equally reminds them of some key things they needed to know about their discipleship
“I CHOSE YOU THAT YOU MAY BEAR FRUIT ” (John 15:9-17).
“Bearing fruit” is an easy image. A healthy branch of a fruit tree will do what it is intended to do: i.e., produce good fruit by being attached to a healthy tree. Using this metaphor, Jesus is saying that a “healthy disciple” must DO what Jesus intends ALL good disciples to do – manifest good “fruit,” the results intended by Jesus that come from being “attached to” Jesus. The example is modeled by Jesus himself: he shared everything with his followers, and even willingly gave up his life for them – the deepest expression of love available to a human. One of the fruits of the Spirit is Love (Galatians 5:22-23). The “fruit” that Jesus wants to be seen in the life of every one of his disciples is Love. In fact, Jesus commands his followers to manifest this love at all times, and that love is expressed in the way they care for one another within the community. That is how we “remain on the tree” of life forever! (Bishop Clarke).
YOU ARE NOT SLAVES BUT FRIENDS:
Jesus tells his followers that he does not call them slaves anymore but calls them friends. In the Bible, doulos, the slave, the servant of God was no title of shame; it was a title of the highest honor. Moses was the doulos of God (Deuteronomy 34:5); so was Joshua (Joshua 24:29); so was David (Psalm 89:20). It is a title which Paul counted it an honor to use (Titus 1:1); and so did James (James 1:1). The greatest men in the past had been proud to be called the douli, the slaves of God. But Jesus says: “I have something greater for you yet. You are no longer slaves; you are friends.” Christ offers an intimacy with God which not even the greatest of men knew before Jesus came into the world. The idea of being the friend of God also has a Biblical background. Abraham was the friend of God (Isaiah 4 1: 8). In Wisdom 7: 27, Wisdom is said to make us the friends of God. In Rome in the first century, the Friends of the king, or the emperor, were those who had the closest and the most intimate connection with him. Jesus has called us to be his friends and the friends of God. Jesus has given us this intimacy with God, so that He is no longer a distant stranger, but our close friend.
“ALL YOU ASK THE FATHER IN MY NAME HE WILL GIVE YOU ” (Jn 15:16).
This is not “prosperity gospel” (!) because the sentence immediately preceding the one quoted above, Jesus told his disciples that he chose them to “go forth and bear fruit.” So, in this context we are talking about mission work, about continuing the mission of Jesus. By virtue of (and empowered by), our Baptism and Confirmation, we are called to spread the Good News – to participate in the mission of Jesus Christ our Savior. Jesus is promising that every gift we need for this mission will indeed be given to us. In fact, attempts at fulfilling our mission will fail if we do not first seek the help of the Lord. We are talking about spiritual gifts, gifts from the Holy Spirit, the gifts needed to build up the Body of Christ. So a request for a Cadillac or a Hummer would not fall under the umbrella of that mission-oriented promise of Jesus! Normally our mission is not to leave for some far-off continent to evangelize. Instead, our mission area is our neighborhood, workplace, and home. This is where we spread the Good News of the love and mercy of Christ, which he manifested fully by laying down his own life for our redemption! (Bishop Clarke).
LIFE MESSAGES:
1) LET US CULTIVATE AN ABIDING AND LOVING FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS:
a) The qualities we normally expect from our friends are trust, mutuality, faithfulness, equality, forgiveness, joy, and sacrifice. Jesus offers us all these qualities in our friendship with him.
b) As a friend, Jesus has trusted us by sharing with us everything that he has heard from his Father. Hence, we have to trust him as a friend by listening to him through the Bible and talking to him by prayer.
c) As our friend, Jesus will be always faithful to us. Let us return this fidelity by being faithful to him in doing His will.
d) By calling us his friends, Jesus makes us equal to him. Let us be proud of this and lead lives worthy of our unique status.
e) As an understanding friend, Jesus is ready to forgive us time and time again. Let us also forgive those who offend us.
f) As a friend, Christ has told us everything so that our joy might be complete in him. Let us enjoy Jesus’ Divine friendship.
g) Jesus declared that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend. He has done it for us. Hence, let us also love others sacrificially.
2) LET US BE PERSONS FOR OTHERS:
Jesus demonstrated the love God, his Father, has for us by living for us and dying for us. Hence, as his disciples, we are to be persons for others, sacrificing our time, talents, and lives for others. This is what parents spontaneously do for their children by sacrificing themselves, their time, talents, health, and wealth for them. That is, they “spend” themselves for their children. The most effective way of communicating God’s love to others is by treating everyone as a friend, giving each the respect he or she deserves as a human being, God’s creation. In moments of trial and stress, when people are hostile or ungrateful and we feel the pull of bitter resentment in our hearts, it is important for us to remember that Christ’s own love was not limited to the people he liked. Hence, we should close our minds to thoughts of revenge. (Fe. Anthony Kadavil).
3) THE LOVE FOR OTHERS CAN ONLY COME FROM LOVING JESUS
There is no shortcut to living a genuine and unconditional love if one is not “in love with Jesus”. It takes a lot to love. Love can cause us pains, especially when we are betrayed by the one we have always loved and sought for his/her good. But let us remember this: though Jesus said “love one another”, it does suppose that our love for the other depend on their love for us. It is a command given to every individual. In other words, I am bound to love the other even though he/she does not love me. If we want to understand this, then we have to get the words of Jesus in full: “love one another as I have loved you”. It simply suggests that Jesus loves us even when do not deserve his love. In the same way we are to love the other even as they do not deserve our love. This is quite difficult.
We cannot be able to achieve this if we are not in Jesus. Such type of love does not come from our human strength, rather from Him in whose love we abide.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus grant that we may Love you, so that in you we may draw the strength to love one another as you have always loved us. Amen.
PAX VOBIS!
