5th Sunday of Easter, May 2, 2010
The theme that dominates the readings of today is love and service.
Where is God? Where there is love, there is God.
A couple had two little boys, aged 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that, if any mischief occurred in the school, their sons were probably involved.
They boys' mother heard that a pastor in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The pastor agreed, but asked to see them individually. So the mother sent her 8-year-old son first in the morning to see the pastor.
The pastor, a huge man with a big voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?".
They boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide-eyed. So the pastor repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer. So the pastor raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and yelled, "WHERE IS GOD!?"
The boy screamed and ran directly home and went in to the room, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him, he asked, "What happened?"
The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, “We are in BIG trouble this time, dude. God is missing - and they think WE did it!"
God is missing. Is God missing in our life? If so why and how is God missing?
1. The readings answer the question. In the First Reading, from the Acts of the Apostles tells us about the early missionary journeys of Paul and Barnabas. They went through all hardships and misunderstandings while communicating the message and vision of Jesus to all. It shows the life and commitment of the apostles who had deep and personal experience of Christ are willing to suffer for the love of him. That was Paul and Barnabas’ way of living the love commandment and the signs of presence of God. The people saw their lifestyle and commented, “See how they love one another.” God was in their midst.
2. The Second Reading from the Book of Revelation helps us to understand the purpose of the progressive development of the spiritual wonders of God within the Church. In his vision John sees the picture of the end time, indicated in a new heaven and a new earth. It is the glorious arrival of the long awaited “salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah.” It is a picture of new heaven and new earth.
3. On a very personal level there is one question we can ask. Who are the people who most need to feel love from us these days? To us Jesus says, 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’s Gospel in the next step towards our spiritual growth as we are called to reflect on our service of love in the Lord Jesus. Here we have the new commandment of Jesus, “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” To this he adds, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” By shining in love towards one another, all will come to know that we Christians are the disciples of Jesus. These Words of Jesus remind us of the First Letter of John: “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Again John says “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.”
He reminds the disciples that “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from Jesus is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.”
God is missing if we forget to love and be his disciples. If we forget to love and serve others, God will be missing.
This Eucharist is a celebration of love. It is a feast of love.
