Sixth Sunday of Easter, 5/9

My friends!

There can be no doubt that love is the overarching thread of this Sunday’s Gospel. The word “love” is used eleven times in this passage, both as the verb agapaô(“to love”) and as the noun agápê (love). The passage is taken from the middle of Jesus' so-called "Farewell Discourse" (Jn 14—17), which is the heart-to-heart, after-dinner "table-talk” of Jesus with his disciples. Visualize yourself sitting there, in front of The Lord.

You have just heard Jesus saying that He is the vine and we are the branches, this means you are a branch in which runs the same sap that flows in the heart of Jesus. Jesus then stares at you lovingly and says “remain in Me, because without Me you can do nothing”. Maybe you can question yourself, but “what does remaining in You mean?” Then He goes on saying something even more striking: “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love.”  Wait, what??!!  there is no distinguishing difference between the love of God the Father for the Son and that which the Son has for us, for me, a selfish creature??  Yes, as crazy as it sounds… maybe just stop... and ponder this reality. 

This is so crucial!! I think this is the first commandment of God in the whole Bible, “receive and abide in my love”. It really makes sense, because how can we love God with all our heart (1st of the Ten Commandments) if we first don’t welcome his love for us?? The Lord Jesus is telling us: “Receive my love, let yourself be loved in an incredible, unexpected, superhuman manner. Swim in my love, breath in my love, navigate in it, abide in it. Exercise this blessed receptivity every day, in the morning, in the midst of your duties, before going to bed, welcome my love. The more you do so, the more you will bear fruit, the more you will have my same Joy”. 

He is simply urging us: “Trust, rest in My love, please…”

Fr. Remi Morales, SCV