Fr. Raymond Sunday 10th, Homily

Reception 3 p.m.
Raymond at crossword

Gospel   John 15:9-17

 

Sun 6 Easter 2015
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.

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."