FIFTH SUNDAY OF
EASTER, May 18, 2025
(Acts 14:21-27; Revelation 21:1-5; John 13:31-33, 34-35)
The Catholic Church has always considered the Gospel
according to Saint John to be its richest gospel treasure. More than any other
book of the Bible, this gospel portrays Jesus as the incarnate Son of God. The
phrase Thomas uses when Jesus offered his hand and side to test him resonates
on every page: “My Lord and my God.”
Before we discuss today’s brief gospel reading, it would be
helpful to examine a little of the gospel’s make-up. Biblical scholars teach us
that after the prologue and before the final conclusion, the work can be
divided into two parts: what is called the “book of signs” and the “book of
glory.” The first part tells of Jesus performing seven miraculous signs and
interpreting each one with the dialogue surrounding it. It is no coincidence
that the famous Bread of Life Discourse occurs immediately after the
multiplication of the loaves.
The “book of glory” itself shows what the “book of signs”
implies. That is, in the words of the Gospel: “God so loves the world that he gave
his Son so that whoever believes in him… may have eternal life.” In his
Farewell Discourse, Jesus carefully explains the implications of this
sacrificial love for his disciples.
Today's reading is taken from the beginning of the Farewell
Discourse. Jesus has just washed the feet of his disciples, even those of Judas
Iscariot, his betrayer. It was such a humble act that not even the Jewish
slaves were required to do it. Then Jesus gave the reason for his service. He
said, “As I have done for you, you ought to do for one another.” He did not
mean that they should literally clean the soles and ankles of one another, but
rather that they should serve one another wholeheartedly.
Now Jesus continues to interpret his service. He gives his disciples
the commandment of love: “… love one another, as I have loved you.” In other
words, that they render service with consideration, care, and self-denial. In
Greek, the word most often used for this kind of love is agapan. It is the love that seeks nothing but the good of the other
person. Agapan describes best God's
love for humankind.
It has been noted that this commandment of love in the
Gospel of John is for members of the same community. According to this
perspective, Jesus does not command us to love our enemies as in the Sermon on
the Mount. However, when he gives the commandment, Jesus has just washed the
feet of the same Judas, who already intends to betray him. Jesus does not shy
away from loving his enemy here. Nor should we in our service.
The Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote of agapan love that it is different from
the love in our dreams. According to him, it is “love in action,” a “hard and
terrible” thing. However, let us not waste time worrying about how we can love
those who have offended us. The challenge that agapan presents to us is to visit the elderly in nursing homes and
to stop and lend a hand to a stranger in need. We learn to love one another,
whether our relatives or enemies declared by our government, by seeing in them
the likeness of Christ. For, like Jesus, they are images of God, whom we must
love above all else.
