Fifth Sunday of Easter

Fr Dominic’s Homily

If you knew that you only had a few more hours to live what message would you give to your nearest and dearest?

The scene today in the Gospel is that of the last supper. Maundy Thursday. These are the last few hours that Jesus is spending with his disciples and so it is the last will and testament that he is giving them of his teaching.

Jesus speaks about his glorification. Of course he means this in a wonderful sense but also he is referring to his passion, death and resurrection. 

He speaks to his disciples and offers them not so much a new commandment but more of a commandment that is the very essence of all the others. The commandments that God gave to Moses were about how we love God and how we love our neighbour. Jesus then adds to this as only God can.

Now Jesus is saying that we must love one another as he has loved us. But what does this actually mean? Love has so many different connotations in this society now. It seems to be as far as it possibly can be from what Jesus actually wanted it to mean.

Today it means doing whatever you want. Even to the very detriment of your body and soul. Whereas what Jesus was alluding to was loving in a sacrificial way towards another. This is the highest form of love. He says that this is how people will know that you are believers in me.

To be a believer of Christ is so much more that simply an intellectual concept. There’s a difference between knowing the path and walking it. It’s possible to believe in Jesus but not to follow him.

Satan and all his minions are profound believers in the person of Jesus Christ and in God’s whole plan of salvation. They are far greater believers in Jesus than any of us here today. But the difference is that they choose not to follow Christ with all their will.

Angels are composed of intellect and will. They are pure spirit. Demons have free will and choose against Christ. But in order to do this in such a profound way they must first believe in a profound way.

So we must believe as well as following Jesus as closely as possible. This is a true sign of our authenticity.

To love our neighbour ultimately means to help bring salvation to them. And this is the very essence of the Church. To evangelise. When we do this we do not offer our own ideas and opinions but we offer the objective and true faith that was handed down to us by the apostles.

You hear many people say these days that they are spiritual but not religious. In other words they believe in God but they don’t feel that they should follow any specific rules like going to Church for example.

I see more and more that for people who attend funerals it’s the first time they have been in a church since they were baptised. And then I speak to them afterwards and they say how much it moved their hearts..

So we must embrace this sacrificial love of Jesus to be a true disciple. But this can often involve a degree of suffering. It is said that if you don’t like suffering then join any denomination you like - apart from Catholicism.

This is because in the Catholic Church we are drawn closer to the person of Jesus. The mystical body of Christ. And he suffered for us.

There is no resurrection without the cross. There is no Easter Sunday without a Good Friday. But any suffering that we endure is given profound and eternal meaning. This is the love that Jesus is talking about.

And Jesus didn’t say that you will know my disciples by the miracles they perform but by the love that they show. You can always doubt a miracle but you can never doubt someone giving their life for another.

Think of the martyrs that were executed on the Tor here above us. This is ultimately the essential characteristic of an authentic Christian. It’s not about what you can get out of another but it’s about what you can give.

Jesus loved everyone. Regardless. Even Judas who he knew would betray him.

So perhaps instead of trying to avoid our difficulties lets embrace them. Let the Lord use them and turn them around. It might be that through these very sufferings we are being brought closer to Christ.