Fifth Sunday of Easter
Gospel according to John 13.1, 31-33a, 34-35
Before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world to go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Reflections
On the Fifth Sunday of Easter, we look back at the last days that Jesus spent with His disciples in Jerusalem and remember His words that echo in our midst: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (John 13:34).
Jesus has loved his disciples to the very end. He invited them, shared his meals with them, walked with them and taught them wisdom from the Father. He knew that his time was near, when Judas would betray him and he was to be turned over to the authorities to be tortured and crucified with all the apostles scattered. (Matthew 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:1-6). But he also knew of the immense love of the Father through which He was raised from the dead and lifted to the Right Hand of the Father (Ephesians 1:20-21). God’s love for the world strengthened and fortified these fallible men, the first Apostles, for a service to all humanity. In this radical change of heart, which is sort of a miracle, we see the first fruits of Jesus’ love.
Jesus says that his commandment is a “new commandment,” even though he taught the disciples self-giving love during the three years he has been with them. He turned the other cheek when he was mocked, he did not return insults with insults, he healed the sick, and fed the hungry, welcomed all those who came to him (Matthew 4:23-24). It was the hearts of the disciples that has not yet fully grasped this message: that to be the first in the Kingdom of God, one needs to be of service to the others (Matthew 20:26-28). Their fellowship and care toward each other and in the first Christian communities, despite the persecution, a sort of a miracle, is the ongoing fruit of Jesus’ love.
Jesus’s entire mission was rooted in love and aimed at perfecting our love for one another. (1) Surely, love cannot be ordered and commanded. We cannot be forced to love. According to St. Augustine, love is a free and voluntary act of the will, and it cannot be compelled or coerced. (2) Love springs from our inner selves and being when we can see others as God’s creation, valuable, worthy and loveable in His sight. Therefore, Jesus’ commandment is a radical new teaching: do not see with your eyes as the world makes you see what catches the eye but see deeper and see beyond. See the beauty of creation that reflects the greatness of its Maker. See the grandeur of every person that reflects the greatness of God. And wherever you see imperfections, let that be a reminder of Jesus’ greatest commandment, “love each other,” because with love one can patch up broken relations and with love one can begin something new and beautiful.
Saint Paul said that love is patient, kind, not jealous, and not boastful. Love is not rude, does not seek its own way, is not irritable, and does not hold a grudge. It rejoices with the truth, not in wrongdoing, and is ever ready to excuse, trust, hope, and endure. He emphasized that love is the greatest of all qualities, surpassing faith, hope, and even the ability to speak in tongues. (1 Cor 13). Love is the beginning and the end goal of creation and the ink with which God’s Divine plan is written. Therefore, St. Augustine proposed that in all matters, “…’Love should be put ahead’ because it is the only solution to build a world that is better and more just, and it is also the way to eternal happiness and peace.” (2)
And so how about us when we feel forgotten, rejected, or that in this world there is not much left for us to do. We can rejoice, because God sends us good tidings. Through the Spirit, he sends us the flame of His presence to encourage us, strengthen us, and to whisper words of love: --You are beloved. You are precious in my eyes. Do not fear, but love. Love those who are fearful; love those who are failing; love those who are frail. Do not be boastful. Do not be arrogant. Do not be impatient. Just Love. If you do that, you become my messenger, my ambassador, and my herald.
Jesus left us these words as a parting gift of wisdom. Love is the foundation of his teaching and the fulfillment of it. In Him, and with Him, and through Him, it is possible to dedicate ourselves to the love of others. Especially since we are His beloved.
Sources
- Pope Leo XIV (2025). First Speech. The New York Times. Retrieved from: www.nytimes.com. Accessed: May 16, 2025.
- Prelipcean, T. (2014). St Augustine—The Apologist of Love. Retrieved from: Procedia-Social and Behavior Sciences 149(2014) 765-771. www.sciencedirect.com. Accessed: May 16, 2025.