Acts  14:21-27
Psalm  144
Apocalypse  21:1-5
John  13:31-33a.34-35
 
Reflections

The Gospel presents two contrasting moments that are irreconcilable humanly speaking. During the last Supper, Jesus speaks with insistence about his ‘glorification’: he mentions it five times in all (v. 31-32). Judas has just gone out of the Cenacle room entering into that tragic night (v. 30), carrying in his heart his mystery. The contrast is paradoxical: there are just a few hours left to his arrest and death on the cross, nevertheless Jesus continues to talk of glorification. His glory is the same moment of his death-resurrection, like a wheat grain that falls on the ground and dies to yield a rich harvest (see Jn 12:24.20-21). The identity card is to be wheat of grain. Strange glory that of the folly of the cross! With his death-resurrection, Jesus reveals how great is the love of God who saves all mankind.

 
In the light of this divine love, which is without measure, one realises the greatness of the new commandment (v. 34) which Jesus leaves to his ‘children-disciples’ as identification badge: “Just as I have loved you, you also must love one another” (v. 34-35). Jesus’ insistence on reciprocal love – he repeats it three times in two verses – has the characteristics of an important testament about a command that he, rightly, proclaims as “a new one”.

 

The Old Testament stated: “Love your neighbour as you love yourself” (Lev 19,18). Jesus goes beyond this:

1. First of all, his measure is no longer “as yourself”, with the uncertainties and mistakes due to selfishness, but it is “as I have loved you”, with the certainty and unlimited measure of divine love.

2. The love that Jesus recommends is new because it is wholly gratuitous: it does not look for reasons to love, it loves even one who does not deserve it or who is unable to reciprocate, it loves even one who hurts you…

3. It is a new commandment because “no one before Christ has ever tried to build a society based on a love like his. The Christian community is thus presented as an alternative, as a new proposal for all the old societies of the world, for those based on competition, merit, money and power. It is this love that must ‘glorify’ Christ’s disciples” (F. Armellini). It is a new association principle, a special aggregation force. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples…” (v. 35): reciprocal and gratuitous love has an irresistible, contagious and explosive force of missionary radiation. Reciprocal love is fostered by forgiveness, reconciliation, suffering, self-giving, refusal of violence, work for peace… (*)

 
Only love can inspire and weave new and vitalising relationships among people; only the love revolution can transform people and, therefore, the institutions. Raoul Follerau, ‘the apostle of lepers and wanderer of charity’: “The world has only two possible choices: to love one another or to disappear. We have chosen love. Not a love that is satisfied with whimpering about other people’s misfortunes, but a love that fights a love-rebellion. For his coming, for his kingdom, we shall fight without rest and nonstop. We must help the day to dawn”.

 
Those who take up this challenge accept the utopia of “a new heaven and a new earth” (II Reading), will enter “the city where God lives among men” (v. 3), where tears, death, mourning or sadness will be wiped away (v. 4), for the faith in the One who has the power to make “the whole of creation new” (v. 5). That is, also a new society that is based and has as its objective the civilisation of love. The mission of Paul and Barnaba (I Reading) also had this objective: “to open the doors of faith to the pagans” (v. 27), to encourage the disciples “to persevere in the faith” because “we have to experience many hardships before we enter the kingdom of God” (v. 22). This first and important missionary journey of Paul (Acts 13-14) is a vibrant and challenging page of missionary methodology: for the way the community of Antioch selects the missionaries to be sent, for the courage (parresía) of Paul and Barnaba in delivering the first proclamation of the Gospel of Christ to Jews and pagans, for the building up of new ecclesial communities and the designation of some presbyteries as their guide, for the new geographical frontiers of evangelisation beyond the usual territories of the Old Testament and of the Gospels, for the confrontation with the community of Antioch at their return, for the continual trust in the Lord who always accompanies his own messengers… In a word: a model of missionary praxis!

 

 The Pope’s words

(*)  «The first words of the Risen Lord to his disciples were: “Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:19). He himself, so to speak, bears the olive branch, he introduces his peace into the world. He announces God’s saving goodness. He is our peace. Christians should therefore be people of peace, people who recognize and live the mystery of the Cross as a mystery of reconciliation. Christ does not conquer through the sword, but through the Cross. He wins by conquering hatred. He wins through the force of his greater love. The Cross of Christ expresses his “no” to violence. And in this way, it is God’s victory sign, which announces Jesus’ new way. The one who suffered was stronger than the ones who exercised power. In his self-giving on the Cross, Christ conquered violence».

Benedict XVI

Homily during the Chrism Mass of Holy Thursday, 01.04.2010

 
In the footsteps of the Missionaries

- 2/5: St. Athanasius (295-373), Bishop of Alexandria (Egypt) and Doctor of the Church. He was persecuted and exiled several times by the Arian heretics.

- 3/5: The Apostles Philip, from Bethsaida, and James the Less, first Bishop of Jerusalem.

- 3/5: Bl. Maria Leonia (Alodia) Paradis (1840-1912), a Canadian nun, foundress of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family at Sherbrooke, in Quebec (Canada).

- 4/5: Bl. Jean Martin Moyë (+1793), a priest of the Paris Society of Foreign Missions. He was a missionary in China, a founder, and died in Trier, Germany.

- 6/5: St Peter Nolasco (+1245 in Barcelona). together with St. Raymond de Peñafort and King James I of Aragon, he founded the Mercedarian Order for the physical and moral redemption of slaves.

- 6/5: Bl. Francis of Montmorency-Laval (1623-1708), a French missionary, Bishop of Quebec (Canada).

- 6/5: Bl. Rosa Gattorno (1831-1900), a wife, mother and widow. She founded the Congregation of the Daughters of St. Anne in Piacenza who, very soon (1878) went abroad as missionaries.

- 8/5: Bl. Maria Caterina Symon of Longprey (+1668), Nursing Sisters of Mercy, dedicated to the care of the sick in Quebec (Canada).

- 8/5: St. Maddalena of Canossa (1774-1835), an Italian from Verona. She renounced to her inheritance and founded two Institutes for the Christian education of youth.

- 8/5: International Day of the Red Cross (since 1929) / and of the Red Half-moon.