Deacon Gary – Homily 5th Sunday of Easter
If someone approached you and asked you how you would define love, how would you answer? The dictionary definition of love is an intense feeling of deep affection. Sounds reasonable. Most of us would probably agree with that definition, but is that all that love is, a feeling? Something seems off, it sounds very limiting? To say it is a feeling sounds inwardly focused. Feelings invoke emotions and emotions are what drives us to act. Love only takes root in the action of giving to others. Love is therefore better expressed as a positive outpouring of oneself.
The English language has only one word for love but it is used in various ways. We love our pets. We love our children. We love hiking. We love to eat. We love our spouse. We love God. These are just a few examples but there is a distinction in the meaning of the word love used in each example.
If we look at the Greek language it has different words to express various types of love. As an example:
“Eros” refers to romantic love often characterized by passion and desire.
“Filial” refers to the relationship between a child and their parents, encompassing concepts like respect, obedience, and care.
“Agape” refers to a selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love. A love God has for us.
These Greek words make it easier to understand what type of love we mean.
In the Gospel today Jesus gave a new commandment. The commandment is to love one another. What type of love was he referring too? Is it a love like we love potato chips? Certainly not. But he clarifies it in that the love he is talking about is the love as he has loved us. In Greek it would be agape. Since Jesus is God, he loves us as God does.
The kicker in this Gospel is that he wants us to love one another as he loves us. We are to love one another as God does. That is certainly a challenge for us. We are to love one another as agape. It is a love of service and sacrifice. In Mark 10:45 it states, “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” An unconditional love, so selfless, that we would be willing to sacrifice our own life for even our enemies. This is the love Jesus demonstrated to us on the Cross.
In the First Reading Paul and Barnabas stressed to the disciples that: “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” This sounds ominous. We all know that life has its ups and downs, the good times and the bad. We may ask ourselves and God why many times throughout our lives. The answer lies somewhere in our life journey to love as Jesus loved.
In Hebrews 5:9 it states: “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him …” If Jesus was made perfect through suffering, we certainly will not be purified without also experiencing hardship and suffering.
As Jesus experienced betrayal from Judas and denial from Peter, we are called to act in solidarity with Jesus in spite of our fears and life disappointments, to never deny our faith, and to ease the suffering of others. We must weather our personal storms of life but we can help ease the suffering of others by being Christ to each other. The hope is that when we personally suffer, someone will be Christ to us. It can be hard but when you are driven by love, a love of action, an unconditional love, the love as Jesus has for us, you find the strength to be Christ to others and stand up proudly as a disciple of Christ, even when persecuted for what you believe. Where do you find this strength? You find it through your personal relationship with Jesus and the gifts bestowed on you through the Holy Spirit.
But when we look deep under the covers of what we are truly being called to do, are we committed to love with agape. Are we ready and willing to love with a love that is sacrificial? Are we ready to face the hardships of loving those we find unlovable? Our capability to love with agape will be challenged many times during our lifetime. Look at it as a purification process, a way for us to learn to love as Jesus loves. That process can be very difficult and it is impossible on our own, but anything is possible with God. That is the key to our salvation. We must walk with Christ.
During this season of Easter which we are in right now, that runs from Easter Sunday to Pentecost, we are called to grow in the understanding of this type of love, the love of agape. The Apostles needed to grapple with it during this time between Christ’s death and resurrection, and the when the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost. They needed to better grasp the type of love that Jesus demonstrated. This total giving of oneself took on a new meaning for them. It was a revelation that could only happen by experiencing Jesus’ agape love.
When the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles at Pentecost, the fullness of God’s Spirit empowered them to embrace Jesus’ call. It empowered them to take action, to walk the walk and talk the talk as Jesus did. We as well receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit through our Baptism and Confirmation to live a life of agape. As did the Apostles, all those fully initiated in the Catholic Faith are reminded of their call to go forth after Pentecost and go into the world and be the presence of Christ to others. They are called to love one another as Jesus did. The last two lines of the Gospel today states: “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Are we true Disciples of Christ? If we say yes, then we must lift up our voices, take action and live a life of agape love.