Fr. Luigi Brioni sx
Fifth Easter Sunday, Year B
May 3rd 2015
What a powerful statement of Jesus to us this Sunday!
He could hardly have chosen a more familiar reference to tell us how much and fully He wants to be with us. For a home is where we are born, where we live best, where we want to die. A person without a home is a person without true life and true love. We are created to be together, to make homes, as it was well expressed at the very beginning of humanity by Adam’s desire to have a companion, “a bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”
Thus Jesus’ invitation to us to be a home with him easily reminds us of the meaningful time in and with our human family, when we felt comfortable, happy, totally satisfied. In those moments we needed nothing else but to keep that fullness forever, to no end.
We must remember that this Jesus’ gift of his homely presence to us was given at the Last Supper, when all the powers of evil wanted to make God homeless. And He knew this so painfully that He would sweat blood of agony in the Garden a few hours later. Nonetheless He would not lessen his love for us, even when we were temporarily to deny Him.
To be home with Jesus is an extraordinary challenge of life for us his disciples. For Jesus does empower us with his saving sap to bear much fruit “to the glory of the Father.”
With Him we need to be fruitful in order to be alive; otherwise we cut ourselves away from the Father, from the source and purpose of our humanness.
But how can we remain fruitful in our everyday realities when we are often tossed around by difficulties and palavas and sorrows, not to mention the “normal” enemies of body and soul? It’s St. John in today’s second reading that answers us clearly when he writes, “That we love one another as He told us to.”
I pray.
Yes, Lord, it is easy, to love them if they also love me, care for me, welcome me. But what can I do when they do not love me, or are indifferent to me, or, even worse, they insult me and persecute me (Mt 5:11)? You need to remind me over and over again of your other words on the Mount of the Beatitudes, “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father …” (Mt 5:44-45).
You need to remind me to go to all creation and share your Good News to everyone in “a fraternal love capable of seeing the sacred grandeur of our neighbour, of finding God in every human being, of tolerating the nuisances of life in common by clinging to the love of God, of opening the heart to divine love and seeking the happiness of others just as their heavenly Father does.” (Evang. Gaudium 92)
Thank you, Lord, for being at home with me and with many; thank you for making me fruitful of fraternal love to all; thank you for remaining at our side always.
No one is like You, Jesus, and “we believe only in your Name.”
Amen.
Fifth Easter Sunday, Year B
May 3rd 2015
What a powerful statement of Jesus to us this Sunday!
He could hardly have chosen a more familiar reference to tell us how much and fully He wants to be with us. For a home is where we are born, where we live best, where we want to die. A person without a home is a person without true life and true love. We are created to be together, to make homes, as it was well expressed at the very beginning of humanity by Adam’s desire to have a companion, “a bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”
Thus Jesus’ invitation to us to be a home with him easily reminds us of the meaningful time in and with our human family, when we felt comfortable, happy, totally satisfied. In those moments we needed nothing else but to keep that fullness forever, to no end.
We must remember that this Jesus’ gift of his homely presence to us was given at the Last Supper, when all the powers of evil wanted to make God homeless. And He knew this so painfully that He would sweat blood of agony in the Garden a few hours later. Nonetheless He would not lessen his love for us, even when we were temporarily to deny Him.
To be home with Jesus is an extraordinary challenge of life for us his disciples. For Jesus does empower us with his saving sap to bear much fruit “to the glory of the Father.”
With Him we need to be fruitful in order to be alive; otherwise we cut ourselves away from the Father, from the source and purpose of our humanness.
But how can we remain fruitful in our everyday realities when we are often tossed around by difficulties and palavas and sorrows, not to mention the “normal” enemies of body and soul? It’s St. John in today’s second reading that answers us clearly when he writes, “That we love one another as He told us to.”
I pray.
Yes, Lord, it is easy, to love them if they also love me, care for me, welcome me. But what can I do when they do not love me, or are indifferent to me, or, even worse, they insult me and persecute me (Mt 5:11)? You need to remind me over and over again of your other words on the Mount of the Beatitudes, “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father …” (Mt 5:44-45).
You need to remind me to go to all creation and share your Good News to everyone in “a fraternal love capable of seeing the sacred grandeur of our neighbour, of finding God in every human being, of tolerating the nuisances of life in common by clinging to the love of God, of opening the heart to divine love and seeking the happiness of others just as their heavenly Father does.” (Evang. Gaudium 92)
Thank you, Lord, for being at home with me and with many; thank you for making me fruitful of fraternal love to all; thank you for remaining at our side always.
No one is like You, Jesus, and “we believe only in your Name.”
Amen.