Reception 3 p.m. Raymond at crossword |
Gospel John 15:9-17
Sun 6 Easter 2015
Fr. Raymond Homily
Fr. Raymond Homily
Jesus
said to his disciples: "As the Father
has loved me, so I have loved you."
Then he launches into an all embracing description of love. His description
covers not only love as found among men, love as the world knows it, but also
that love which is the source and the origin of all love: the love that is the
inner life of the blessed Trinity itself; This is as much as to say that
"The Love that binds the Blessed Trinity itself together is the blueprint
for all created love, whether it is found among men or even among angels. There
is no other source or fountain of true love. There is no other way we can genuinely
love other than as the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father.
We are made in God’s image and likeness.
We are made in God’s image and likeness.
The next
point Jesus makes is to say that love and joy go together, where one
is
loved and knows oneself to be loved, then although the whole world may collapse
around us, we will still be at peace deep within ourselves, because the very
groundwork of our existence, the sense of our self worth is assured for us. "My joy will be in you" He
says.
But then
comes another aspect of the picture of love: Jesus teaches us the essential altruism of love. "A
man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends"
he says. Love gives and doesn't count the cost, and who was to be a greater
example of this than himself on Calvary? "And it is you who are my
friends" He says. I will not call you servants any more. You are my
friends.
Jesus
then defines this friendship in terms of the intimate knowledge and sharing
that true friends have with each other. And again he compares this knowledge with
the mutual knowledge that exists between himself and his heavenly Father. "I have made known to you everything I
have learnt from my Father" he says. The mind boggles and the heart
misses a beat at the import of these words: "I
have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father". They
underline and confirm for us those other 'unbelievable' words of St John: "We will be like Him for we shall see
Him as he is."
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