Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 04-24-16, Fifth Sunday of Easter

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 04-24-16 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

Arlington Catholic Herald

GOSPEL COMMENTARY JN 13:31-35

Broken but undivided

FR. MATTHEW H. ZUBERBUELER

Darkness of night and the sound of a door closing (if there was a door to the Upper Room) put us into the context of the powerful five verses (31-35) of chapter 13 of John’s Gospel. Judas has just left Jesus and the others, but we know that Jesus has not left Judas. Jesus, who is love, has the capacity to be with each of His disciples and with each of us — no matter where we are or what we choose. The undivided love in Jesus’ heart goes with Judas into the night. Judas goes to accomplish the darkest deed ever done, but Jesus continues to love him. In a way, we can say that Jesus’ heart is torn by this betrayal. Yet we know that His torn and broken heart remains undivided. Once Judas departs, Jesus speaks to the 11 remaining apostles with full attention and love. His final steps toward the cross have begun: “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified with him.”

Removed, as we are, from this scene, it is good for us to try to enter into it by our prayer and our imagination. The five verses we are considering took only a brief time, but it seems probable that the time would have seemed much longer when the apostles recalled it later. The words that were spoken by Jesus are of tremendous importance. The words that He spoke carried with them the great love of His heart — for each of them, for all people, even for Judas.

“My children,” He said, “I will be with you only a little while longer.” We can imagine the apostles finding and feeling within themselves the honor He paid them by calling them His children. But their gladness about that had to give way to the discomfort and unpleasant thought of His departure. Whatever their understanding of His words were at that moment, it is certain they did not want to hear that He was soon to leave them. We all know the way we pay attention to words spoken to or by loved ones when a departure is at hand. We can imagine their unspoken objections to His leaving. As well, we can appreciate their focus on what He said next. Naturally, they would hold dearly all of His last words to them.

His next words are words that have changed the world; they are words both old and new: “I give you a new commandment: Love one another.” The commandment wasn’t totally new, of course, but Jesus gives it now with His own authority and with the power of His own example. He had just washed their feet to show them the depth to which their humility, service and love for each other (and for all people) should go. The more striking example would come the next day when He gave His own life for them (and for all people). The impression His words and this commandment made on them would change them. The whole experience of “His hour” was to show them the reality and depth of His love. They experienced the love of His heart in His words and then again in His actions. Looking back, they knew that He did all of it for each of them — and for all of them.

For the apostles and for us, the belief in Jesus’ total love for each of us as individuals makes possible our understanding and application of the words He added after the new commandment: “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Our love for Him should translate into love for each other. Can we really claim to love and follow Him if we place limits on whom we will love? Of course, we begin with the people around us. If we love them and it shows, then we will be accomplishing an honored part of the work of His heart full of love. We will help the many people who are part of the “all” to discover what we have that is so special. We can help them discover their place in His heart.

Fr. Zuberbueler is pastor of St. Louis Church in Alexandria.

[Salvation]

http://www.theworkofgod.org/Devotns/Euchrist/HolyMass/gospels.asp?key=66
Year C - 5th Sunday of Easter

Love one another, as I have loved you
John 13:31-35
31 When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.
32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.
33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’
34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (NRSV)

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The moment Judas left our company with the purpose of betraying me, had been already predestined by the Divine Will. He was adamant in his resolution and nothing would make him change his mind. God the Father glorified me by confirming my mission to save the world and at the same time I glorified Him by accepting to carry out his Divine plan.

The bond of love between the apostles and me was very strong; I was already feeling sorry for them, because they would have to suffer on account of my passion and death. The moment had come to leave them my commandment of love.

Love one another as I have loved you. When I ask you to love, I ask you to go beyond the normal love of friendship, beyond the love of family members and beyond the love of a man and a woman. I ask you to love to the point of suffering.

As I have explained, there is no greater love than to lay one’s life for another, and this is what I have done for you. I have paid the infinite offence of the sins of mankind with the infinite love of my Sacred Heart through the total suffering of my humanity.

I ask you to be prepared to suffer for others in order to express your love. Do anything in your power to help those in need, deny yourself in order to emulate my mercy. True love involves commitment, surrender and suffering. It ultimately involves dying to the self in order to live for me: Love.

When you love others unconditionally, you are loving me.
Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

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Sunday Gospel Reflections

5th Sunday of Easter
Reading I: Acts 14:21-27 II: Rev 21:1-5

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Gospel
John 13:31-35

³¹When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified;
³²if God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.
³³Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going you cannot come.'
³⁴A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
³⁵By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

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Interesting Details

• These verses are part of Jesus' last discourse to His disciples at the Last Supper. Judas has departed into the darkness (13:30) and Jesus begins His journey into the light of the Father's glory.
• (v.31) "now" - Jesus sees His "glorification" as already present. It has actually begun with the betrayal of Judas.
• (v.33) "children" - It is a phrase that the Father could use. On the lips of Jesus, it is precisely that, a phrase the Father speaks through the Son, for the Father and the Son are one (10:30).
• (v.34) "a new commandment" - Love was also commanded in the Old Testament, but it was restricted to other members of the inner circle, the fellow-Jews. The new love commanded by Jesus has to extend to all mankind. It must be spontaneous, unmotivated, directed to sinners and others unworthy of love as well.

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One Main Point

We are to love because Christ has loved us and as Christ loved us.

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Reflections

1. Jesus' disciples have proven their love for their non-Christian fellows by enduring the hardships and even death while bringing the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles. Has my love for others been tested?
2. Who does Jesus command me to love, and how?
3. Is your community of faith (or group) clearly a community of love in Christ?

[Salvation]

'She does not indulge in slothful slumbers after the morning bell, but obeying its sound as the call of God himself, she instantly rises. On receiving a precept, she makes no reply, offers no excuses, manifests no repugnance, as some do, by a silence which often afflicts the Superior, but instantly and with external joy shows her readiness to obey, and immediately fulfills the command. She is not like those who are with difficulty made to submit to authority, and who by their reluctance to obey lose the greater part of the merit of obedience. No; to insure her compliance with every duty, neither entreaties, nor arguments, nor repeated commands are necessary. She fulfills at once, and without reply, every obligation of obedience.'

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

[Salvation]

Regina Coeli 

Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. / For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.

Has risen, as he said, alleluia. / Pray for us to God, alleluia.

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. / For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

[Salvation]

Archdiocese of Washington

The Legacy of Love – A Homily for the 5th Week of Easter

Msgr. Charles Pope • April 24, 2016 •

The title of this sermon uses the word legacy, which refers to something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor.

Perhaps the most accessible image of this is money. If I receive 100 million dollars from a dying relative, I can use those funds to start living differently. My bills, which now seem overwhelming, can be paid with just the interest earned from my newfound wealth. I can start enjoying things I thought I could never afford in the past. In other words, a legacy can completely change the way I live and open up new possibilities.

It is in this sense that we explore today’s Gospel, wherein our Lord sets forth for us a new power, the power of love. If we tap into it and draw from its riches, we are able to live differently. If we will but lay hold of it, there is a kind of legacy, a deposit of riches from which we can draw.

Let’s look at this Gospel in three stages and discover what the Lord has done for us and has left us, by way of a legacy.

I. The Provision and Pivot of the Passion – The text says, 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.

Note how the text speaks in the present: the Son of Man is glorified. The aorist tense of the verb (used in the Greek translation) indicates something that has begun and is underway. Judas’ going forth has started a process that is now underway and will, by God’s grace, result in liberation and glorification for Jesus and for us. The Lord Jesus is no mere victim. Everything is unfolding exactly as foretold. The Son of Man will suffer, but in the end will be glorified.

And this glory will make available for us a whole new life.

Now this leads us to a question: What happened when the Son of God died and rose for me? This question is not posed in order to receive merely the answer from the catechism. Expressed more deeply, the questions are these: What difference does the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ make for me today? Are they just ancient historical events that is meaningful only because others say so? Or have I grasped and begun to lay hold of what Jesus has done for me?

Scripture says that Jesus’ death is glorification and new life for us: We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin…We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might have a whole new life (Rom 6:4-7).

In other words, Jesus, the Son of Man, is glorified in His passion and is destroying the power of sin and death by His cross and resurrection. Each of us needs to spend our life pondering what happened when the Son of God died for us. What we ponder is not some mere historical event. It is that, but it is far more. To the degree that we will lay hold of this saving work, we will come to see and experience the power of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ to put sin to death and to bring new life forth in Christ.

Of this, I am a witness, for I have seen the power of the cross and its power to quell sinful fears, worldly lusts, and endless preoccupations. On account of what Jesus endures for us, He ascends on high not to leave us, but to open the way for us to a greater and fuller life. It is a life in which we see sin put to death and many graces and charisms come alive: charisms of confidence, joy, and hope; it is an increasingly victorious life. It is up to us to grasp this saving work and the new life it offers us by the power of the cross of Christ and Him crucified.

This is the moment of glory, the pivotal point of all things. This the glory and the basis of a new life. Because of what Jesus does at this moment, His glory and ours is ushered in, it is all premised on this.

II. The Power and Produce of the Passion – The text says, I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.

When we hear the phrase “Love one another as I have loved you.” we can fall into the trap of thinking, “Uh oh, I have to do more! I have to try harder. Because He loved me, now I, with the power of my own flesh, have to love others.” But this is not the gospel. The phrase is not about rules; it’s about relationship. Jesus is not just saddling us with more responsibilities. He is equipping, empowering, and enabling us to love with the same love with which He has loved us.

The point here is to let Jesus love you, to experience His love. And with this love, experienced and embraced, be empowered to love others.

The Lord does not just say, “Love.” Rather, He says, “Receive love and then love with the love that you have received.” Scripture says,

– We love, because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).
– As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love! If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love (John 15:9).

In other words, we have the power to keep His commandments and to love others to the degree that we receive and abide—that is, remain—in His love. We love with His love, not merely with our own love.

Do not miss this point! Do you see it? This is the Gospel: by the power of His love and grace we are empowered to love and keep His commandments and to see our lives changed. The Gospel is not a moralism that tells us to obey a bunch of rules. The Gospel is that God has sent His Son, who died for us and rose to give us a wholly new and transformed life, a life that keeps the commands and loves others with the power of God’s own love, received and experienced.

III. The Proof Positive of the Passion – The text says, This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

We have discussed many times on this blog the fact that the usual Greek word for “know” is richer than our modern notion of “intellectual knowing.” The Greek word for merely knowing something intellectually is oida. But the Greek verb used in this Gospel is γινώσκω (ginosko), which refers to experiential knowing, to knowing in a deep, personal, and experiential way.

Thus, the point is that others will notice the legacy of love living us in a very real and experiential way. The faith, hope, and love that we proclaim will not, and cannot, be a mere intellectualism; it is to be something that others can see and experience at work within us.

Hence, the proof, the evidence, the picture of God’s love, is not some vague feeling or a mere intellectual attribute in us. It is a powerful and dynamic force that equips, empowers, and enables us to love. The Lord says here that His love is something that changes us in a way that others will notice. It changes our relationships in a palpable, tangible, and noticeable way. We notice and experience its power and so do others.

Yes, we will love even our enemies. And we will do this, not out of the power of our own flesh or because have to, but because we want to receive, and have received from the Lord, a new heart and the power to love.

Note also that the love we have will not be a merely sentimental one. It will be a true love, a love rooted in truth. It will be a love like Jesus has, a love that does not compromise the truth or water down its demands. It will be a love that speaks the truth but does so not to win an argument, but to summon the other to fulfillment and flourishing. This is what Jesus did. He loved, but He loved in truth and integrity. Nothing would compromise His love for His Father or the glorious vision and plan of the Father for all His children to abide in truth and holiness.

And thus for us the proof positive that the legacy of love is at work within us is, first of all, our own transformed lives, which other people can see. Second, it is the love that others can and do experience from us. Granted, this love will sometimes challenge and irritate others (as it did with Jesus’ love for the world), but it is a love that is difficult to deny, an integrity that is hard to impugn, a love that even if disconcerting is real, palpable, and obvious.

This, then, is the legacy of love. It is a treasure, an inheritance that the Lord Jesus has left us to draw upon. This love is not our work; it is not our wealth, not our power. It is all His. He has left it for us to draw upon. Will we? Or will we make excuses about how we are not able to do the things to which He has summoned us? But don’t you get it? It is not our power, not our love; it is His, and He has left us this legacy, this inheritance to draw upon.

Lay hold of this power, this love, and let it transform your life. Let it turn you into proof positive of the power of the cross to transform lives and to bestow new life.

Here are some of the lyrics from the song “Love Lifted Me”:

Souls in danger look above, Jesus completely saves,
He will lift you by His love, out of the angry waves.
He’s the Master of the sea, billows His will obey,
He your Savior wants to be, be saved today.

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me!

And here is a performance of it:

[Salvation]

Video

[Salvation]

Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest, Religious & Martyr

Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen,
Priest, Religious & Martyr
Optional Memorial
April 24th

Capuchin prayer card

 

History:

St. Fidelis was born in 1577, at Sigmaringen, Prussia.

He was ordained a priest in 1612, and immediately afterwards was received into the Order of Friars Minor of the Capuchin Reform at Freiburg, taking the name of Fidelis. He has left an interesting memorial of his novitiate and of his spiritual development at that time in a book of spiritual exercises which he wrote for himself. This work was re-edited by Father Michael Hetzenauer, O.F.M. Cap., and republished in 1893 at Stuttgart under the title: "S. Fidelis a Sigmaringen exercitia seraphicae devotionis".

From the beginning of his apostolic career he was untiring in his efforts to convert heretics nor did he confine his efforts in this direction to the pulpit, but also used his pen. He wrote many pamphlets against Calvinism and Zwinglianism though he would never put his name to his writings. Unfortunately these publications have long been lost. Fidelis was still guardian of the community at Feldkirch when in 1621 he was appointed to undertake a mission in the country of the Grisons with the purpose of bringing back that district to the Catholic Faith. The people there had almost all gone over to Calvinism, owing partly to the ignorance of the priests and their lack of zeal. In 1614 the Bishop of Coire had requested the Capuchins to undertake missions amongst the heretics in his diocese, but it was not until 1621 that the general of the order was able to send friars there. In that year Father Ignatius of Sergamo was commissioned with several other friars to place himself at the disposal of this bishop for missionary work, and a similar commission was given to Fidelis who however still remained guardian of Feldkirche. Before setting out on this mission Fidelis was appointed by authority of the papal nuncio to reform the Benedictine monastery at Pfafers. He entered upon his new labors in the true apostolic spirit. Since he first entered the order he had constantly prayed, as he confided to a fellow-friar, for two favors: one, that he might never fall into mortal sin; the other, that he might die for the Faith. In this Spirit he now set out, ready to give his life in preaching the Faith. He took with him his crucifix, Bible, Breviary, and the book of the rule of his order; for the rest, he went in absolute poverty, trusting to Divine Providence for his daily sustenance. He arrived in Mayenfeld in time for Advent and began at once preaching and catechizing; often preaching in several places the same day. His coming aroused strong opposition and he was frequently threatened and insulted. He not only preached in the Catholic churches and in the public streets, but occasionally in the conventicles of the heretics. At Zizers one of the principal centers of his activity, he held conferences with the magistrates and chief townsmen, often far into the night. They resulted in the conversion of Rudolph de Salis, the most influential man in the town, whose public recantation was followed by many conversions.

Through the winter Fidelis labored indefatigably and with such success that the heretic preachers were seriously alarmed and set themselves to inflame the people against him by representing that his mission was political rather than religious and that he was preparing the way for the subjugation of the country by the Austrians. During the Lent of 1622 he preached with special fervor. At Easter he returned to Feldkirch to attend a chapter of the order and settle some affairs of his community. By this time the Congregation of the Propaganda had been established in Rome, and Fidelis was formally constituted by the Congregation, superior of the mission in the Grisons. He had, however, a presentiment that his laborers would shortly be brought to a close by a martyr's death. Preaching a farewell sermon at Feldkirch he said as much. On re-entering the country of the Grisons he was met everywhere with the cry: "Death to the Capuchins!" On April 24, 1622, being then at Grusch, he made his confession and afterwards celebrated Mass and preached. Then he set out for Sevis. On the way his companions noticed that he was particularly cheerful. At Sevis he entered the church and began to preach, but was interrupted by a sudden tumult both within and without the church. Several Austrian soldiers who were guarding the doors of the church were killed and Fidelis himself was struck. A Calvinist present offered to lead him to a place of security. Fidelis thanked the man but said his life was in the hands of God. 0utside the church he was surrounded by a crowd led by the preachers who offered to save his life if he would apostatize. Fidelis replied: "I came to extirpate heresy, not to embrace it", whereupon he was struck down. He was the first martyr of the Congregation of Propaganda.

He was beatified in 1729, and canonized in 1745. St. Fidelis is usually represented in art with a crucifix and with a wound in the head; his emblem is a bludgeon.

(Principal source - Catholic Encyclopedia - 1913 edition)

 

Collect:
O God, who were pleased to award
the palm of martyrdom to Saint Fidelis
as, burning with love for you, he propagated the faith,
grant, we pray, through his intercession,
that, grounded in charity,
we may merit to know with him
the power of the Resurrection of Christ.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

First Reading: Colossians 1:24-29
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ. For this I toil, striving with all the energy which he mightily inspires within me.

Gospel Reading: John 17:20-26
"I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. The glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as We are one, I in them and Thou in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me and hast loved them even as Thou hast loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, may be with Me where I am, to behold My glory which Thou hast given Me in Thy love for Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known Thee, but I have known Thee; and these know that thou hast sent Me. I made known to them Thy name, and I will make it known, that the love with which thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

[Salvation]

Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen

[Salvation]

Information: St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen

Feast Day: April 24

Born: 1577 at Sigmaringen, Hohenzollern, Germany

Died: 24 April 1622 at Grusch, Grisons, Switzerland

Canonized: 29 June 1746 by Pope Benedict XIV

Major Shrine: Capuchin Convent of Weltkirchen (Feldkirch), Austria

[Salvation]

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen

Feast Day: April 24
Born: 1578 :: Died: 1622

Mark Rey was born at Sigmaringen in Germany. He studied at the well-known University of Freigburg to become a lawyer. Even as a student, he liked to visit the sick and the poor and daily spent time in prayer. When Mark, finished his studies he became a famous lawyer.

His brother George chose to become a Capuchin Franciscan priest.

As a lawyer, Mark often took on the cases of poor people who had no money to pay. He was nicknamed, "The Poor Man's Lawyer." Now, because he was very honest, Mark was shocked at the dishonesty of the law courts and gave up the law.

Instead, he gave away all his wealth to the poor and followed his brother to priesthood. When he became a priest, he took the name Fidelis, which means "faithful."

Father Fidelis was filled with joy when he was asked to go preach in Switzerland where there were many enemies of the Catholic faith. He wanted to win these people called the Calvinists and Zwinglians back to the Church. His preaching brought wonderful results and many people were converted.

Enemies of the Church grew angry at his success. St. Fidelis knew that his life was in danger, but he went right on preaching. In the middle of a sermon one day, someone shot at him, but the bullet missed.

Father Fidelis knew he had to leave town at once and he did. But as he was walking down the road to the next town, a mob of angry men stopped him. They ordered the priest to give up the Catholic faith. St. Fidelis firmly refused.

The men then attacked him with spiked clubs and crude tools. The wounded priest pulled himself up to a kneeling position. He prayed: "Lord, forgive my enemies. They do not know what they are doing. Lord Jesus, have mercy on me! Holy Mary, my Mother, help me!"

Then the men attacked him again until they were sure he was dead. St. Fidelis died a martyr in 1622 at the age of forty-four at Grusch, Grisons in Switzerland.

[annalex]

John
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	John 13
31.	When he therefore was gone out, Jesus said: Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.	Cum ergo exisset, dixit Jesus : Nunc clarificatus est Filius hominis, et Deus clarificatus est in eo.	οτε εξηλθεν λεγει ο ιησους νυν εδοξασθη ο υιος του ανθρωπου και ο θεος εδοξασθη εν αυτω
32.	If God be glorified in him, God also will glorify him in himself; and immediately will he glorify him.	Si Deus clarificatus est in eo, et Deus clarificabit eum in semetipso : et continuo clarificabit eum.	ει ο θεος εδοξασθη εν αυτω και ο θεος δοξασει αυτον εν εαυτω και ευθυς δοξασει αυτον
33.	Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You shall seek me; and as I said to the Jews: Whither I go you cannot come; so I say to you now.	Filioli, adhuc modicum vobiscum sum. Quæretis me ; et sicut dixi Judæis, quo ego vado, vos non potestis venire : et vobis dico modo.	τεκνια ετι μικρον μεθ υμων ειμι ζητησετε με και καθως ειπον τοις ιουδαιοις οτι οπου υπαγω εγω υμεις ου δυνασθε ελθειν και υμιν λεγω αρτι
34.	A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.	Mandatum novum do vobis : ut diligatis invicem : sicut dilexi vos, ut et vos diligatis invicem.	εντολην καινην διδωμι υμιν ινα αγαπατε αλληλους καθως ηγαπησα υμας ινα και υμεις αγαπατε αλληλους
35.	By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.	In hoc cognoscent omnes quia discipuli mei estis, si dilectionem habueritis ad invicem.	εν τουτω γνωσονται παντες οτι εμοι μαθηται εστε εαν αγαπην εχητε εν αλληλοις

[annalex]

31. Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
32. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.

ORIGEN. After the glory of His miracles, and His transfiguration, the next glorifying of the Son of man began, when Judas went out with Satan, who had entered into him; Therefore when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. For it is not the eternal only-begotten Word, but the glory of the Man born of the seed of David, which is here meant.

Christ at His death, in which He glorified God, having spoiled principalities and powers, made a show of them, openly triumphing over them (Col 2:15). And again, Made peace by the blood of His cross, to reconcile all things to Himself, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven (Col 1:20). Thus the Son of man was glorified, and God glorified in Him; for Christ cannot be glorified, except the Father be glorified with Him. But whoever is glorified, is glorified by someone.

By whom then is the Son of man glorified? He tells you; If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify if Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him.

CHRYS. i.e. by Himself, not by any other. And shall straightway glorify Him, i.e. not at any distant time, but immediately, while He is yet on the very cross shall His glory appear. For the sun was darkened, rocks were rent, and many bodies of those that slept arose. In this way He restores the drooping spirits of His disciples, and persuades them, instead of sorrowing, to rejoice.

AUG. Or thus: The unclean went out: the clean remained with their cleanser. Thus will it be when the tares are separated from the wheat; The righteous shall shine forth as the sale in the kingdom of their Father (Matt 13:43). Our Lord, foreseeing this, said, when Judas went out, as if the tares were now separated, and He left alone with the wheat, the holy Apostles.

Now is the Son of man glorified; as if to say, Behold what will take place at My glorifying, at which none of the wicked shall be present, none of the righteous shall perish. He does not say, Now is the glorifying of the Son of man signified; but, Now is the Son of man glorified; as it is not that rock signified Christ, or but, That Rock was Christ (1 Cor 10:4).

Scripture often speaks of the things signifying, as if they were the things signified. But the glorifying of the Son of man, is the glorifying of God in Him; as He adds, And God is glorified in Him, which He proceeds to explain; If God is glorified in Him - for He came not to do His own will, but the will of Him that sent Him - God shall also glorify Him in Himself, so that the human nature which was assumed by the eternal Word, shall also be endowed with eternity.

And shall straightway glorify Him. He predicts His own resurrection, which was to follow immediately, not at the end of the world, like ours. Thus it is; Now is the Son of man glorified; the now referring not to His approaching Passion, hut the resurrection which was immediately to follow it: as if that which was so very soon to be, had already taken place.

HILARY. That God is glorified in Him, refers to the glory of the body, which glory is the glory of God, in that the body borrows its glory from its association with the Divine nature because God is glorified in Him, therefore He will; glorify Him in Himself, in that He who reigns in the glory arising from the glory of God, He forthwith passes over into God's glory, leaving the dispensation of His manhood wholly to abide in God.

Nor is He silent as to the time And shall straightway glorify Him. This referring to the glory of His resurrection which was immediately to follow His passion, which He mentions as present, because Judas had now gone out to betray Him; whereas that God would glorify Him in Himself, He reserves for the future. The glory of God was strewn in Him by the miracle of the resurrection; but He will abide in the glory of God when He has left the dispensation of subjection.

The sense of these first words, Now is the Son of man glorified, is not doubtful: it is the glory of the flesh which is meant, not that of the Word But what means the next, And God is glorified in Him? The Son of man is not another Person from the Son of God for, the Word was made flesh (John 1:14). How is God glorified in this Son of man, who is the Son of God?

The next clause helps us; If God is glorified in Him, God also will glorify Him in Himself. A man is not glorified in himself, nor, on the other hand, does God who is glorified in man, because He receives glory, cease to be God. So the words, God is glorified in Him, either mean that Christ is glorified in the flesh, or that God is glorified in Christ. If God means Christ, it is Christ who is glorified in the flesh; if the Father, then it is the Sacrament of unity, the Father glorified in the Son. Again, God glorifies in Himself God glorified in the Son of man.

This overthrows the impious doctrine that Christ is not very God, in verity of nature. For how can that which God glorifies in Himself be out of Himself? He whom the Father glorifies must be confessed to be in His glory, and He who is glorified in the glory of the Father, must be understood to be in the same case with the Father.

ORIGEN. Or thus: The word glory is here used in a different sense from that which some Pagans attach to it, who defined glory to be the collected praises of the many. It is evident that glory in such a sense is a different thing from that mentioned in Exodus, where it is said, that the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Exod 40:34), and that the face of Moses was glorified. The glory here mentioned is something visible, a certain divine appearance in the temple, and on Moses' face; but in a higher and more spiritual sense we are glorified, when with the eye of the understanding we penetrate into the things of God.

For the mind when it ascends above material things, and spiritually sees God, is defied: and of this spiritual glory, the visible glory on the face of Moses is a figure: for his mind it was that was defied by converse with God. But there is no comparison between the excellent glory of Christ, and the knowledge of Moses, whereby the face of his soul was glorified: for the whole of the Father's glory shines upon the Son, who is the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His Person (Heb 1:3). Yea, and from the light of this whole glory there go forth particular glories, throughout the whole rational creation; though none can take in the whole of the divine glory, except the Son.

But so far as the Son was known to the world, so far only was He glorified. And as yet He was not fully known. But afterward the Father spread the knowledge of Him over the whole world, and then was the Son of man glorified in those who knew Him. And of this glory He has made all who know Him partakers: as said the Apostle: We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory (2 Cor 3:18), i.e. from His glory receive glory.

When He was approaching then that dispensation, by which He was to become known to the world, and to be glorified in the glory of those who glorified Him, He says, Now is the Son of man glorified (Matt 11:27). And because no man knows the Father but the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him, and the Son by the dispensation was about to reveal the Father; for this reason He said, And God is glorified in Him. Or compare this with the text below: He that has seen Me, has seen the Father. The Father who begat the Word is seen in the Word, who is God, and the image of the invisible God. But the words may be taken in a larger sense. For as through some the name of God was blasphemed among the Gentiles, so through the saints whose good deeds are seen and acknowledged by the world, the name of the Father in heaven is magnified.

But in whom was He so glorified as in Jesus, Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth? Such being the Son, He is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. And if God is glorified in Him, the Father returns Him more than He gave. For the glory of the Son of man, when the Father glorifies Him, far exceeds the Father's glory, when He is glorified in the Son: it being fit that the greater should return the greater glory. And as this, viz. the glorifying of the Son of man, was just about to be accomplished, our Lord adds, And will straightway glorify Him.

33. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. you shall seek me: and as I said to the Jews, Whither I go, you cannot come; so now I say to you.
34. A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another.


AUG. After He had said, And shall straightway glorify Him, that they might not think that God was going to glorify Him in such a way, as that He would no longer have any converse with them on earth, He says, Little children, yet a little while I am with you: as if He said, I shall indeed straightway be glorified by My resurrection, but I shall not straightway ascend to heaven. For we read in the Acts of the Apostles, that He was with them forty days after His resurrection. These forty days are what He means by, A little while I am with you.

ORIGEN. Little children, He says; for their souls were yet in infancy. But these little children, after His death, were made brethren; as before they were little children, they were servants.

AUG. It may be understood too thus: I am as yet in this frail flesh, even as you are, until I die and rise again. He was with them after His resurrection, by bodily presence, not by participation of human frailty. These are the words which I spoke to you, while I was yet with you (Luke 24:44). He says to His disciples after His resurrection; meaning, while I was in mortal flesh, as you are. He was in the same flesh then with them, but not subject to the same mortality. But there is another Divine Presence unknown to mortal senses, of which He said, Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world (Matt 28:20).

This is not the presence meant by, A little while I am with you; for it is not a little while to the end of the world: or even if it is a little while, because that in the eye of God, a thousand years are as one day, yet what follows shows that it is not what our Lord is here alluding to; for He adds, Whither I go you cannot follow Me now. At the end of the world they were to follow Him, whither He went; as He said below; Father, I will that they be with Me, where I am

ORIGEN. But may there not be a deeper meaning in the words, yet a little while &c. After a little while He was not with them. In what sense not with them? Not because He was not with them according to the flesh, in that He was taken from them, was brought before Pilate, was crucified, descended into hell: but because they all forsook Him, fulfilling His prophecy: All you shall be offended because of Me this night. He was not with them, because He only dwells with those who are worthy of Him. But though they thus wandered from Jesus for a little while, it was only for a little while; they soon sought Him again. Peter wept bitterly after his denial of Jesus, and by his tears sought Him: and therefore it follows, you shall seek Me, and as I said to the Jews, whither I go, you cannot follow Me now. To seek Jesus, is to seek the Word, wisdom, righteousness, truth, all which is Christ. To His disciples therefore who wish to follow Him, not in a bodily sense, as the ignorant think, but in the way He ordains, Whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. Our Lord said, Whither I go you cannot follow Me now. For though they wished to follow the Word, and to confess Him, they were not yet strong enough to do so; The Spirit was not yet given to them, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.

AUG. Or He means that they were not yet fit to follow Him to death for righteousness' sake. For how could they, when they were not ripe for martyrdom? Or how could they follow our Lord to immortality, they who v ere to die, and not to rise again till the end of the world? Or how could tines follow Him to the bosom of the Father, when none could partake of that felicity, but they whose love was perfected? When He told the Jews this, He did not add now. But the disciples, though they could not follow Him then, would be able to do so afterwards, and therefore He adds, So now I say to you.

ORIGEN. As if He said, I say it to you, but with the addition of now, The Jews, who He foresaw would die in their sins, would never be able to follow Him; but the disciples were unable only for a little time.

CHRYS. And therefore He said, little children; for He did not mean to speak to them, as He had to the Jews. you cannot follow Me now, He says, in order to rouse the love of His disciples. For the departure of loved friends kindles all our affection, and especially if they are going to a place where we cannot follow them. He purposely too speaks of His death, as a kind of translation, a happy removal to a place, where here mortal bodies do not enter

AUG. And now He teaches them how to fit themselves to follow. Him: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. But does not the old law say, you shall love your neighbor as yourself (Lev 19:18)? Why then does He call it a new commandment? Is it because it strips us of the old man, and puts on us the new? That it renews the hearer, or rather the doer of it? Love does do this; but it is that love which our Lord distinguishes from the carnal affection: As I have loved you, that you also love one another. Not the love with which men love one another, but that of the children of the Most High God, w ho would be brethren of His only-begotten Son, and therefore love one another with that love with which He loved them, and would lead them to the fulfillment of their desires.

CHRYS. Or, as I have loved you: for My love has not been the payment of something owing to you, but had its beginning on My side. And you ought in like manner to do one another good, though you may not owe it.

AUG. But; do not think that that greater commandment, viz. that we: should love the Lord our God, is passed by. For, if we understand the two precepts aright, each is implied in the other. He who loves God cannot despise His commandment that he should love his neighbor; and he who loves his neighbor in a heavenly spiritual way, in the neighbor loves God. That is the love which our Lord distinguishes from all human love, when He adds, As I have loved you, what did He, in loving us, love, but God in us; not who was in us, but so that He might be? Wherefore let each of us so love the other, as that by this working of love, we make each other the habitations of God.

CHRYS. Passing over the miracles, which they were to perform, He makes love: the distinguishing mark of His followers; By this shall all men know that you are My disciples' if you have love one to another. This it is that evidences the saint or the disciple, as He calls him.

AUG. As if He said, Other gifts are shared with you by those who are not mine; birth, life, sense, reason, and such good things as belong alike to man and brutes; nay, and tongues, sacraments, prophecy, knowledge, faith, bestowing of goods upon the poor,; giving the body to be burned: but forasmuch as they have not charity, they are tinkling cymbals, they are nothing: nothing profits them.

Catena Aurea John 13

[annalex]

Last Supper

Jörg Ratgeb

1519
Wood
Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart

[Salvation]

Sunday

April 24, 2016

The Way

In the Gospel of John, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”

“Without the Way,
there is no going,
Without the Truth,
there is no knowing,
Without the Life,
there is no living.”
~ Thomas à Kempis

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Year of Mercy Calendar for Today: “Jubilee for Young Boys & Girls ( ages 13-16)”

[Salvation]

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Sunday, April 24

Liturgical Color: White

Pope Sixtus V was elected pope on
this day in 1585. He invested vast
sums of money in religious
construction projects. Some of his
projects included completing the
dome of St. Peter's Basilica, the
Lateran Palace and hospices for the
poor.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Easter: April 24th

Fifth Sunday of Easter

MASS READINGS

April 24, 2016 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

Almighty ever-living God, constantly accomplish the Paschal Mystery within us, that those you were pleased to make new in Holy Baptism may, under your protective care, bear much fruit and come to the joys of life eternal. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Recipes (1)

• Chocolate Pecan Pie

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Activities (2)

• Family May Crowning
• Marian Hymn: Bring Flowers of the Fairest

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Prayers (3)

• Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Easter Season (2nd Plan)
• Prayers for the Easter Season
• Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Easter (1st Plan)

  Old Calendar: Fourth Sunday after Easter

  "I give you a new commandment: love one another; just as I have loved you, you also must love one another. By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples."

  Love is man's first and constant vocation. Love is the summary of the whole Bible. Love is the secret of the saints, the necessary way to God. It is the means to reveal God's heart to other men. But the beauty of God's love must show itself fresh and new in every Christian; for beauty, to delight and attract, must be fresh as the morning. Every deed of vital love, performed by us in our personality which nature and grace have fashioned, is like the morning of time itself. "God is love" in its mysterious fullness and infinite freshness. Utterly King and Lord, He unites the baptized of every nation in the one Mystical Body of Christ, by the one Holy Spirit, under the one Mother Mary.

  Today is the feast of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen which is superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

  Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

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  Sunday Readings
  The first reading is taken from Acts 14:21-27. Last week we heard of St. Paul's experiences at Antioch in Piscidia during his first missionary journey. Their visit had ended on a sour note as Paul and Barnabas were expelled. The reading ended with "the two shook the dust from their feet in protest and went on to Iconium. Their disciples knew only how to be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit". Today we hear of the conclusion of this first missionary journey where Paul and Barnabas retrace their steps back through Antioch in Piscidia on their way back to Antioch in Syria where they had begun their journey.

  The second reading is from the Book of Revelation 21:1-5a. For the past three weeks we have had as our second reading an account of John's privileged vision of the heavenly liturgy where he has seen the eternal sacrifice being offered to God the Father by His Son, The New and Eternal High priest and sacrifice. We have heard also the prayers being offered by the faithful. We now go to the end of John's account as he describes the Heavenly Jerusalem. It was Jesus' mission to go to the earthly Jerusalem to offer His sacrifice — this shows us the path that we must follow to reach the Heavenly Jerusalem so that we can dwell with Him there forever.

  The Gospel is from John 13:31-33a, 34-35.We are disciples, followers of Christ, but how many of us would pass the test that Christ himself lays down for deciding who are his true followers? The word "charity" unfortunately has come to have a very restricted meaning in our present-day vocabulary. It signifies giving an alms, a gift of money to a needy person. This is but a very small part of the true charity, true love of neighbor which Christ made the distinguishing mark of the true Christian. He who truly loves his neighbor must be interested, first and foremost, in those things which concern that neighbor's most important purpose in life, his eternal salvation.

  Here is where so many good Christians fail in true charity. Effective interest in missionary activity is a case in point. Practical help in parochial matters, taking part in the various societies which are intended to build up and strengthen the faith and the devotion of the members of the parish is another obligation of true charity. So many seem to think it is no concern of theirs but it is. Advising and encouraging, with true Christian kindness, a neighbor who is beginning to grow lax in his attendance to his Christian duties, or who is forming habits or alliances which, if unchecked, will bring misery and suffering to his family, and scandal to the neighborhood, and even the possibility of his own eternal destruction, is also an exercise of real Christian charity.

  There are thousands of broken homes today which would not be broken if there was true charity in those homes not only in the heart of the offender but in the hearts of the offended. There are thousands in jails and in hospitals of rehabilitation today who would not be there if their families and neighbors fulfilled their obligation of Christian charity. There are many, far too many, lapsed Catholics in the world today, who would not have lapsed had true charity been practised by their relatives and neighbors. And, last but not least, there are millions of people who have remained outside the Church of Christ because the hall-mark of charity which Christ said was its distinguishing mark was tarnished or invisible. Each one of us could, with great profit, spend a few moments today looking into ourselves and comparing our thoughts and our words and our actions with the thoughts, words and actions of love which Christ expects from his followers.

  It is never too late to mend. Begin today to take a true Christian interest in the spiritual fate of your family and neighbors. Where words have already failed perhaps, try prayer and example. The grace of God will cooperate with your sincere, charitable effort.

  Excepted from The Sunday Readings, Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
  

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: John 13:31-35

5th Sunday of Easter

Love one another. (John 13:34)

What would you say if you knew you had only one day left to live? The last words of a dying person tell us what he is most concerned about and what is most important to him. When Jesus told his disciples to love one another, he knew he didn’t have much time left. So this “new commandment” must have meant the world to him (John 13:34).

Did Jesus know his apostles were all sinners? Did he know they all had personal weaknesses? Of course he did! Nonetheless, he commanded them, as well as us, to do the one thing that sin, weakness, and selfishness find very hard: love one another. Why is this so important to Jesus? Because as far as he is concerned, people matter most.

So let’s not make any excuses. Let’s not hold back our love or give it only to the people who are like us. If Jesus had loved only those who thought the way he thought, then Peter, Mary Magdalene, John, and James would all have been left out in the cold.

Let’s also not allow the wrongs done to us keep us from loving. If Jesus had held onto everything that was done to him, he would have found no reason to sacrifice himself on the cross. But he put aside the desire for revenge and chose instead to live in love—the deepest and greatest love we will ever know.

Love makes all the difference, and Jesus knows that. He knows that all the sin in the world and all the divisions that come from sin came about because love was either misplaced or lost. And so Jesus asks us to love so that we can undo the reign of sin.

Nowhere is this call to love more vital than in our own families. “Without family,” Pope Francis has said, “life grows empty.” So today, decide to make a difference in your family by expressing your love. Don’t let disagreements get the upper hand. Try to bring people together. If we can just express love and kindness at home, we’ll see challenges melt away!

“Jesus, reduce me to love!”

Acts 14:21-27
Psalm 145:8-13
Revelation 21:1-5

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

BALANCE IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

23 Apr

BALANCE IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

(A biblical refection on THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER [YEAR C] – 24 April 2016)

 

Gospel Reading: John 13:31-35 

First Reading: Acts 14:21-27; Psalms: Psalm 145:8-13; Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-5 

The Scripture Text

When he (Judas) had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of man glorified, and in Him God is glorified; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  (John 13:31-35 RSV) 

Balance is essential for the Christian life. If we do not develop a healthy sense of balance and a realistic understanding of the human condition, it is for us to fall. We become disillusioned and stop growing in the love of Jesus. Our readings for this Sunday call for a sense of balance.

Jesus, in our reading from John’s Gospel, is gathered with His disciples at the Last Supper. He has washed the disciples’ feet and has explained this “parable in action”. Jesus now gives the disciples a new commandment: “Love one another. Such as My love has been for you, so must your love be for each other. This is how all will know you for My disciples; your love for one another.” These words of Jesus are quite profound and moving. However, we must wonder: Who can live up to such words? Can we really love in such a way?

Without a sense of balance we may easily rush in (like the rich young man whom Jesus asked to sell all) where prudence would counsel a more humble approach. For we must admit that our capacity to love often falls short of the example of Jesus. At times our actions give little evidence that we are the disciples of Jesus. We grow weary and greatly limit “the finer angels” which live within each of us. We know well the temptation to give up and simply go along in order to get along. The words of Jesus do nothing but frustrate us and make us aware of how greatly we fall short of God’s glory.

Are we simply better off just forgetting the words of Jesus? Not unless we also want to forget about discipleship and true peace. The command to love is not an all or nothing proposition. To love as Jesus loved is a lifelong process into which we are continually invited to grow and be matured.

Jesus spoke about love, not to cause us to despair but to inspire and empower us. None of this is easy. We must balance the all to love with realization that this involves a cost. To follow in the way of love means, in the words of Paul and Barnabas, the “We must undergo many trials/tribulations if we are to enter into the Kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). The present trials can deepen our love and strengthen our commitment to love because He who first loved us is the One who says, “Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5). The promise of the new heaven and the new earth (Revelation 21:1) is not an idle one. It comes from the One who dwelt among us as enduring love. It comes from the One who invites us to love in the same way.

Note: Adapted from Rev. William F. Maestri, GRACE UPON GRACE, Makati, Philippines: St. Paul Publications, 1990, pages 250-251.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You have returned to the Father’s glory. Your divine light, like the sun, is too bright for our eyes to take. But the warmth of Your presence is here for us through the mutual love of Your disciples in the Christian community who follow Your commandment to “love one another just as You have loved us”. Thank You for Your continuing presence, dear Lord Jesus. Amen. 

[Salvation]

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for April 24, 2016:

“The former heaven and the former earth had passed away and the sea was no more” (Rev 21:1). If all earthly matters are pushed aside, what does your marriage look like? Talk with your spouse about it.