Contemplating today's Gospel
Today's Gospel + homily (in 300 words)
The Lord has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise.
“I have called you friends”
Fr. Francesc CATARINEU i Vilageliu (Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain)Today we celebrate the last Sunday before the solemnities of the Ascension and Pentecost, which close the Easter season. Throughout these Sundays, the risen Jesus has revealed himself as the Good Shepherd and the vine to which we must be connected as branches, and today he opens his Heart to us completely.
Certainly, in His Heart we can only find love. What constitutes the deepest mystery of God is that He is Love. Everything He has done from creation to redemption has been out of love. All that He expects from us in response to His actions is just love. Therefore, His words resonate today: "Remain in my love" (Jn 15:9). Love asks for reciprocity; it is like a dialogue that makes us respond with increasing love to His initial love.
A fruit of love is joy: "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you" (Jn 15:11). If our life does not reflect the joy of believing, if we let ourselves be overwhelmed by adversities without seeing that the Lord is also there present and comforting us, it is because we do not know Jesus sufficiently well.
God always takes the initiative. He explicitly tells us by saying, "I chose you" (Jn 15:16). We might be tempted to think that we have chosen Him, but we have done nothing more than respond to a call. He has chosen us freely to be his friends: "I no longer call you slaves…; I have called you friends" (Jn 15:15).
In the beginning, God spoke to Adam as a friend speaks to his friend. Christ, the new Adam, has not only restored that friendship but also intimacy with God, since God is Love.
Everything boils down to this word: “Love.” Saint Augustine reminds us: "The good Master recommends us quite often that charity is the only possible commandment. Without charity all the other good qualities mean nothing. Charity, in fact, leads man necessarily to all the other virtues that make him good."
Thoughts on Today's Gospel
“Let us seek to be like Christ, because Christ also became like us: to become gods through him since he himself, through us, became a man. He took the worst upon himself to make us a gift of the best.” (Saint Gregory Nazianzen)
“The true fruit is the love that has passed through the Cross, through God’s purifications.” (Benedict XVI)
“By loving one another, the disciples imitate the love of Jesus which they themselves receive. Whence Jesus says: ‘As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love’ (Jn 15:9) and again: ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you’ (Jn 15:12).” (Catechism Of The Catholic Church, Nº 1823)
December 15th
Third Sunday of Advent (C)
Gospel and commentary video
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