THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

JOHN 13: 31-35

Dear Friends, As I never tire of repeating, the Church gives us seven weeks to celebrate, ponder and pray over the reality of the Resurrection. This event taps into the most basic human realities, life and death, sin and grace. We tend to miss the profound message.

In today’s second reading from Revelations (21:1-5) we read this, “Behold God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.” (Rev21:3-4)

This is just one more way of expressing the beauty and the wonder of the Resurrection. God has spoken and the last word is not pain and suffering, but healing. The last word is not injustice, poverty and war but reconciliation, peace and justice. The last word is not hate and division but love. The Lord has conquered death and called us to eternal life.

This message of eternal life engulfs the entire Easter message. This is what the passage from Revelation is telling us. We find it so hard to believe when we face the reality of our daily life and our world or simply read the front page of the LA Times.. This is why we have to move slowly and steadily into this great event of our faith, this great final expression of God’s love, this final word of life and love and healing. This is what we mean that Chlrist is risen, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Last week, we were invited in the Scriptures to embrace the greatest of the gifts of Christ’s victory, eternal life. Today, we are called to realize with new insight and wisdom that that eternal life for us begins right now. When we love as Jesus did, we are living the Pascal Mystery of the Death and Resurrection. We begin eternal life now when we love. When we love as Jesus did, we break loose of the bonds of sin and death and give expression to that seed of life that is Christ within us. We begin our eternity now when we walk in the way of love with Jesus. “As I have loved you, so should you love one another. (John 13:34)