Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 10, 2015
Gospel (Jn 15:9-17)
Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love
you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my
love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “I
have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love
than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you
do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not
know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told
you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I
who chose you and appointed (1) you to go and
bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he
may give you. This I command you: love one another.”
The difficult
words
(1) To appoint means to put someone in charge of doing something
important.
This week’s
spotlight
Why does Mass take
place on Sunday?
The Gospels tell us that Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday. This is
why we go to Mass on Sunday, which has been the first day of the week for two
thousand years. At Mass, we praise and thank God for his marvels. We remember
Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection. We adore him in the
consecrated bread and wine because Jesus becomes present for us in the
Eucharist at every Mass.
The new commandment
In the Bible, when we hear about the "commandments," this
refers to the law, the ten commandments that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai.
The people of God had to follow this law. Jesus gives us a new commandment:
"Love one another as I have loved you." This commandment does not
replace the law, but it gives it all its meaning. We obey the ten commandments
because we love God, who gave them to us. The law of love is the most important
commandment of all. By loving others, we are not forgetting about God, because
we show our love for God by loving others as he does.
Reflection
He calls
us his friends
Jesus calls us his friends. He wants to fill us with
joy - he wants our happiness. In return, he asks us to obey his commandments.
Perhaps you don't really like being “commanded” to do something. Read the
Gospel carefully. You will see that Jesus gives one single commandment: “Love
one another as I have loved you.” it is a commandment of love. How has Jesus
loved us? He lived as one of us on earth and loved us to the very end - to his
death on the cross. With his commandment, Jesus also gives us some advice:
“There is no greater love than to give one’s life for one’s friends.” Does that
mean we have to die for our friends in order to follow Jesus’ example? No!
There are many ways we can “give our lives” for our friends. How? By looking
out for their happiness before our own, by giving them a gift or some help...
There are many ways to make your loved ones happy - it’s up to you to discover
the right ones!
Discussion questions
1.According to today’s
Gospel, what does Jesus call us to remain in?
2.To remain in Jesus'
love, what do we have to keep?
3.What commandment does
Jesus give us in today’s Gospel?
4.What will Lord the
Father give us if we keep the commandments?
5.What should you do to keep and live that commandment?
5.What should you do to keep and live that commandment?
Praying after Communion
After receiving Holy Communion, you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in communion with the whole
Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. I thank you for the new life you
give to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus. May this communion with
his body and blood help us to love each other in our thoughts and in our
actions, so that we can love you more and more.
Crossword Puzzle
