Monday, May 19, 2025

 

Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter

(Acts 14:5-18; John 14:21-26)

As often happens in John’s gospel, in today’s passage someone questions Jesus and receives an indirect answer.  In today’s passage Judas queries the Lord regarding why he does not reveal himself to the world.  Jesus’ response is typically oblique.  He reiterates what he said about his and the Father’s love abiding in whoever keeps his commandments.  His hidden plan is to use this loyalty to reveal himself to the world.

The first reading shows two ardent lovers of the Lord preaching salvation to the world.  Paul and Barnabas.  They showed their love of Christ by enduring a stoning while preaching his name.  They pick themselves up from the failure in Iconium to proclaim Jesus in Lystra and Derbe.  There they attract people by their authority over evil spirits.  When the people naively think that the two are gods, they credit the God of Israel for their power.  The pagan people, so accustomed to thinking of the divine as having capricious power, have a hard time grasping the new teaching.

Hopefully, we do much better, but there is reason to wonder. Like the pagans of Lystra and Derbe we often show more deference to physical than to spiritual power.  Many, both young and old, watch cartoons and cartoonish movies featuring characters with disproportionate muscles.  Rather than show awe for this inanity, let us show our love for God by loving one another.