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Jesus says: Love others 'as I have loved you'
When I was in seventh grade, not long after Christmas I remember dressing up for church in some knee-high leather boots and a "hip hugger" skirt - very avant garde for 1968.
I thought I was quite stylish and in sync with the fashion of the time (in a word, "cool"). That's why it amuses me to see boots, flared-leg pants and low-waist jeans make such a comeback. Clothes that I got rid of decades ago are now "retro" or "vintage," and they're in high demand (even polyester shirts!).
Some of what's considered "new" is actually quite outdated but it's being appropriated and reinterpreted by a whole new clientele.
Fifth Sunday
of Easter
(Sunday, May 6, 2007)
Acts 14:21-27
Psalms 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13
Revelation 21:1-5
John 13:31-33, 34-35
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Likewise, the "new commandment" that Jesus gives his disciples in today's Gospel - to love one another - isn't really new at all. It's actually rooted in the Torah, or Jewish law, according to Leviticus 19:18: "Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself." So what's so new about it?
For one thing, Jesus invites his disciples to broaden the scope of that commandment. Not only are Christians to love their "fellow countrymen" or those who are like themselves. They are to embrace all people, even enemies.
Furthermore, Jesus calls us to love others, not only as we would love ourselves (truth be told, we don't even love ourselves all that well!), but "as I have loved you."
Big difference.
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Reflection questions
• How have you trivialized Jesus' commandment to "love one another"?
• In what situation or relationship are you called to love as Jesus loves you?
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The danger of hearing anything spoken many, many times is that it can become stale, trivial and inconsequential, like "yesterday's news." Yet the good news of the risen Lord
is that even an "old" commandment becomes new, acquiring an even broader meaning and taking on fresh significance.
Loving one another as the Lord loved us never goes out of style, nor is it finished once and for all. It is an attitude, a choice, an action that is renewed every day.
This column is offered in cooperation with the North Texas Catholic of Fort Worth, Texas.
This week's readings
Week of May 6 - 12, 2007
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Reading I: Acts 14:21-27
Reading II: Rev 21:1-5a
Gospel: Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35
Monday, May 7, 2007
Reading I: Acts 14:5-18
Gospel: Jn 14:21-26
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Reading I: Acts 14:19-28
Gospel: Jn 14:27-31a
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Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Reading I: Acts 15:1-6
Gospel: Jn 15:1-8
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Reading I: Acts 15:7-21
Gospel: Jn 15:9-11
Friday, May 11, 2007
Reading I: Acts 15:22-31
Gospel: Jn 15:12-17
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Reading I: Acts 16:1-10
Gospel: Jn 15:18-21
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Pope's Prayer Intentions
May General Intention
Attentiveness to God: That, like the Virgin Mary, all Christians may be guided by the Word of God and remain attentive to the signs of the Lord in their own lives.
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May Mission Intention
Seminary teachers: That in mission territories there may be good and enlightened teachers in the major seminaries and institutes of consecrated life.
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Prayer for St. Raphael Cathedral
O God,
Whose word is like fire,
who spoke to Your servant Moses in the burning bush;
who led Your people Israel out of bondage
with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night:
hear Your people as we call upon You
in both need and gratitude.
May the Cathedral fire purify Your Church
in the Diocese of Madison
so that our hearts may burn with the knowledge
that Your Church is built upon the bedrock
of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through the intercession of Saint Raphael,
Your messenger of healing,
in union with our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI,
and with our Bishop, Robert C. Morlino,
may we find comfort in our affliction
and the courage to proclaim
the Good News of Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever.
Amen.
For more prayer resources visit the Office of Worship's Web page at www.straphael.org/~office_of_worship/
(Click on the link on the main page.)
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