By Fr Francis Gonsalves, SJ –
Sixth Sunday of Easter – Cycle B – May 9, 2021
Readings: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; 1 Jn 4:7-10; Jn 15:9-17
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13)
Hint for Homily: “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8) is the only definition we have of God in the Bible. This love is neither an abstraction nor simply an emotion, but finds embodiment in the love that Jesus has for us. The second reading as well as the gospel passage describe this love in very concrete terms, as seen in Jesus’ way of loving—even unto laying down his life for us, his friends.
Three Scriptural Signposts:
1. Deus caritas est — meaning, ‘God is love’ — was the first encyclical letter of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI published on Christmas Day, 2005, wherein he used these words from today’s second reading to explain what love expresses and entails. Indeed, all human love springs from this foundational fact, ‘God is love’. He says in n.1, “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” The gospel according to John, as well as his Letters explain this event—the Christ event—seen in his loving embrace beginning with “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (Jn 3:16) and culminating with what we hear in today’s gospel, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (v.13). The gospel passage is part of Jesus’ ‘Farewell Discourse’ before his death, resurrection and ascension to heaven. Jesus gives us a glimpse of his Abba-Father’s love by saying, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you” (v.9), adding, “abide in my love”. This is Jesus’ invitation to us to enter into the intimate love-bond between him and his Abba-Father. Prior to the incarnation of God’s Son, Jesus, Yahweh was a faceless, nameless and bodiless divinity. But, with and in Jesus, we see God’s face, call upon God by name, and have access to God’s heart. This is a call to intimacy, oneness and communion. By saying “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (v.10), Jesus shows his faithfulness to doing God’s will in his life, and exhorts us, his friends, to do likewise.
- Evangelist John writes his gospel and letters not only for the believing Christian community, but also as a caution to the heretical Gnostics for whom ‘to know’ God with one’s mind was sufficient to attain salvation. By stark contrast, John reminds us that, for Jesus, ‘to know’ was but the start of the love-relationship. True love has to proceed much further—by being concretely manifest not merely in knowing but in doing. Therefore, Jesus says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (v.14). At first sight, the love-commandment that Jesus gives sounds simple, “that you love one another as I have loved you” (v.12). However, Jesus further specifies the second part of the love-commandment, explaining, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (v.13). Herein lies the catch, the call and the challenge. If the lover truly loves the beloved, they experience such deep oneness, intimacy and communion, that the lover is ready to lose herself/himself so that the beloved may live and continue the unstoppable process of loving others till there is nothing more to give. True love never ends. Love sets no conditions, breaks all boundaries and only results in overwhelming joy. Jesus says, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” (v.11).
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The second reading—from John’s First Letter—exhorts us “to love one another, for love is from God” (v.7). John seeks to drive his point home, namely, that all human love finds its origin and its final fullness in God. Remember, “not that we loved God [first] but that God loved us” (v.10). Once one is aware of this foundation and fountain of love, one cannot but be grateful, joyful and eager to spread this love with all others—who belong to God’s Family. In fact, to love others is the one and only criterion by which one will know whether someone is truly God’s child, for: “everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (v.7). The horizontal and vertical aspects of love must always and everywhere be held together; for one can neither love God without loving one’s neighbour, nor can one love one’s neighbour without loving God, the source and summit of all authentic human love. Holding the readings together, we can think of the Christian community, and indeed, of the whole human family, as “friends” of Jesus. Moreover, for many of us who might mistakenly think that we have chosen to follow Jesus, he says, “You did not choose me but I chose you.” Isn’t that a consoling assurance given by Jesus? Despite my/our sins, failings, denials and weaknesses, he chooses me/you, not vice-versa. And, if I/you abide in Christ’s love, thanks to his initiative, choice and appointment, you and I will “bear fruit, fruit that will last” (gospel, v.16).
Linking the First Reading to the Theme: The first reading tells us “the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.” This passage (Acts ch. 10) is also called ‘Pentecost of the Gentiles’. Apostle Peter—like any other devout Jew—initially has apprehensions about associating with and baptizing Gentiles (see Acts 10:14,28). However, on account of the vision that he has (Acts 10:9-16), he experiences a turnaround in his thinking and says, ““I truly understand that God shows no partiality …” (v.34). What is striking here is that “While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word” (v.44), meaning, the Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius and his Gentile friends before they are baptized. In all other passages in the Acts as well as in the Second Testament, the Holy Spirit is given after baptism. This only indicates that the Spirit “blows where it wills” (Jn 3:8) and no one can ever constrain or condition God’s Spirit. As a link to our theme, we can say, for God’s Spirit, there are no ‘insiders’ or ‘outsiders’, Jews or Gentiles, but everyone, everywhere, is a child of God, sister/brother of Jesus and has access to the Holy Spirit. That, precisely, is the beauty and blessedness of Christian love!
Bending and Breaking Antecedents to Jesus’ Love-Commandment: Let’s not forget that, prior to Jesus’ ‘Farewell Discourse’ and giving of his greatest love-commandment, he first bent down to wash his disciples’ feet and said, “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” (Jn 13:17). Second, he broke a loaf of bread, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body!” Bending one’s back to serve and breaking one’s body is Christ’s selfless, ready-to-die love.
An Apt Story: Rita was dying of a disease from which her nine-year old brother, Roshan, had just recovered. The surgeon said to Roshan, “Only a transfusion of your blood will save your sister. Are you ready to give her your blood?” Roshan was terrified but finally said, “OK, Doctor!” After the transfusion, Roshan asked quietly, “Doctor, when will I die?” It was only then that the doctor understood Roshan’s fear: he thought that by giving his blood he would die for Rita. Is our love a ready-to-die love?
In Lighter Vein: To the garrulous lover who kept repeating, “I love you; I love you; I love you,” his beloved asked, “Do you really love me?” He repeated, “Yes, I love you, love you …” She then asked, “Will you die for me?” He replied, “No! Mine in an undying love!”
Fr. Francis Gonsalves, SJ is the Executive Secretary, CCBI Comm. of Theology & Doctrine and President, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune and former Principal of Vidyajyoti College, Delhi. He is also the Executive Secretary of the CCBI Commission for Theology and Doctrine. He has authored many books and articles and is a columnist with The Asian Age and The Deccan Chronicle national dailies.