Father Rick Bolte's Homily

A: Sixth Sunday of Easter

John’s Gospel is hard to just hear and get an appreciation for, there is so much depth.  Today’s reading is no exception.  It’s good to note that today’s reading follows last week’s reading where Jesus tells the disciples, “If you know me, then you will also know my Father.  From now on you do know him and have seen him.”  Philip asks to see the Father and Jesus repeats, after expressing disappointment, that he has seen the Father in him.  We some what understand this.  Jesus was about the will of the Father and all that he did reflected who the Father is.  They experienced the Father through their experience of Jesus.

Today’s Gospel builds on that idea.  “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.  In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live.  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.”  We have a hard time catching this because I think we just can’t believe it is true.  What Jesus is saying quite clearly is we will see Jesus in ourselves and one another and through him we will see the Father.

The “How” is explained in the way today’s reading is framed.  It begins with, ““If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” and ends with, “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me.”  Jesus gave us the commandments to love God and love our neighbor.  We encounter God when we love and when we receive love and when we witness love.  “God is love!”

Jesus was quite radical in his command to love.  At his time, everything centered on the extended family.  Within the family there were numerous expectations regarding relationships, vocation, marriage, etc.  Beyond one’s kin, everyone was suspect and not to be trusted.  Jesus starts a new idea of family.  “My mother, brothers and sisters are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”  Jesus broke the bonds of clan expectations and established a new family.  Here all were equal.  Jesus’ family is not based on biology or social status but upon a choice to love.

Jesus was even more radical.  Jesus used a story about a Samaritan helping a robbed and beaten Jew to describe what it means to love one’s neighbor.  He went so far as to call us to love our enemies.  Why so radical a call?  Jesus reminds us that if we only love those who love us, there is no merit in that.  To love those who are ungrateful and unworthy exposes the true nature of love, it is a gift.  God gives himself to us, it is never something we deserve or can earn.  The clearest expression of God’s presence in our midst is in the free gift of love.

Sometimes, as Catholics, we forget where Jesus really is.  It is true Jesus is really present on the altar during Mass and remains present in the form of the Host even when Mass is over.  But the main purpose of the Eucharist is to do what Jesus said, “Take this and eat.  Take this and drink.”  We are to receive the Body and Blood of Christ into ourselves.  We celebrate that Christ is alive in us and works through us to be his presence in the world.  We don’t leave Christ behind when we leave church, rather we have just been clearly reminded that we are Christ as we move out into the everyday world.