Deacon Tom Anthony

Fifth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 54

Reading 1 Acts 14:21-27

After Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed the good news
to that city
and made a considerable number of disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples
and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,
"It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the kingdom of God."
They appointed elders for them in each church and,
with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord
in whom they had put their faith.
Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia.
After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia.
From there they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to the grace of God
for the work they had now accomplished.
And when they arrived, they called the church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13

R. (cf. 1) I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
 and speak of your might.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them make known your might to the children of Adam,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Rev 21:1-5a

Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth.
The former heaven and the former earth had passed away,
and the sea was no more.
I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"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 every tear from their eyes,
and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain,
for the old order has passed away."

The One who sat on the throne said,
"Behold, I make all things new."

Alleluia Jn 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:
love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35

When Judas had left them, Jesus said,
"Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
If God is glorified in him,
God will also glorify him in himself,
and God will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
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."

My Brothers and Sisters,

We as Christians glorify God by loving everyone just as He loves us. It is through our love for one another that Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. When Jesus was asked what is the greatest Commandment, part of His answer was to love God with all of you heart, soul, mind, and body while loving your neighbor as yourself. This is twofold. By loving God we are then able to love everyone else by reacting to His presence in our lives. Many times this will come naturally while at other times it may present a challenge, yet it is something that we are told to do continuously. This is not limited only to the Christian Community but needs to be taken beyond that and into all of God’s Creation. Experiencing life without the realization of God’s Love and what He wants us to do with it is like experiencing life without the influence of God. God’s Love and God’s influence cannot be separated. It is what propels us forward into action. Accepting God’s Love and recognizing that it is the foundation of all things enables us to do the most profound and amazing things as long as it is always done in His name and for reasons that include Him. This then makes it part of His Divine Plan.

The Second Reading today can be viewed through the lenses of a relationship with God.  A new Heaven and a New Earth are revealed when we are participating in a relationship with God. Old habits and old ways of doing things slowly fade away and a higher awareness of reality is experienced. We become blind to the past and witnesses to a new life through Divine Revelation. Each day becomes an opportunity to do God’s work instead of our work and to walk in His ways instead of our ways. His kingdom is both revealed and built by us in relationship with Him.

We are creatures of habit. We are comfortable to routine and naturally develop patterns of living that become hard to break. When these habits do not include God is when we can find ourselves unsatisfied and experiencing challenges which prevent us from experiencing a fulfilling and joyous life. Including God and walking with God brings about good experiences and produces results in our lives that are all positive. We are able to reach our highest potential because we are functioning as we were created to function. When we ignore God we are like an engine with the Check Engine Light on: something is not working right even if do don’t know exactly what it is at the moment. Doing anything without God is dysfunctional. It cannot be viewed any other way and will always lead to the same result which is failure.

Over the past few weeks some of the readings in Sacred Scripture have been taken from the Acts of the Apostles. We have been reading about the successes and failures of the Apostles as they started to build up the Early Church. There were many successes and failures as they evangelized the faith. When confronted with adversity and failure they approached it with the same joy as when they encountered success because God was with them in all of their experiences good and bad. It is no difference in our lives. God is with us regardless of our condition and in what circumstances we find ourselves in. He is our advocate and our protector. He is also our biggest supporter.

As the Apostle John professed:

"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.”

This is now. This is how it always was and how it always will be. Where there is God there is love. Where there is love there is us for we were created out of love to love. All for God so that we might live with God and experience God.

Deacon Tom