Breaking Open the Word - 6th Sunday of Easter, Year B
6th Sunday of Easter, Year B — May 9th, 2021
Icon of St. Gemma Galgani
The readings for this Sunday are all focused on the mystery of love – God’s love for us, and our love for Him and for our neighbor. Such a seemingly basic topic is actually the profoundest mystery of our Christian religion. After all, as our Second Reading reminds us, “God is love”! During our Scripture sharing, a Sister highlighted one line from this reading: “that we might have life through Him.” It reminded her of a favorite saying of St. Gemma Galgani: “to live of His life.” The honest truth is that, on our own, we do not have what it takes to face the demands of life. We often pretend to be self-sufficient and in control, but a personal loss or a tragedy can bring even the most self-possessed person to his or her knees. The solution is not to claim that we are stronger than we are, but rather to draw on the inexhaustible strength that comes from Christ living in us. Often, we feel that strength most powerfully when we ourselves are at our lowest – then it is that His “power is made perfect in weakness.”
Another Sister described how she has found it meaningful to see her own times of suffering as Christ renewing His Passion in her. Of herself, she may become discouraged by the struggle she is facing, but when she asks Jesus to draw her little pain into His redeeming Passion, she finds it less daunting. He is carrying the Cross with and through her, infusing her suffering with His power. The prayer of the afflicted is powerful indeed, but there is so much “wasted suffering” in a world that does not understand the redemptive meaning given to suffering through Jesus’ Paschal Mystery! St. John Paul II grasped this truth profoundly, and he was known to seek out the sick to beg their prayers for him. What a beautiful example to imitate! This simple action does not only benefit the one who asks for intercession. It also serves as a beautiful reminder to the sufferer of his or her special vocation and mission before God. Sometimes even the holiest souls need such gentle encouragement!
This insight led us to a discussion on the importance of community life and loving interdependence. Our Lord repeats His great commandment to “love one another” twice in today’s Gospel, and St. John also emphasizes it in his epistle. This love that we are called to practice as Christians is not primarily a matter of emotion. It is a choice to will the good of the other, and thus it is shown especially in times of difficulty and suffering. When we encourage one another to bear our crosses bravely, or when we offer our compassionate presence to one who is struggling, we are sharing the love of Christ with one another. One Sister brought out how it is particularly important for us as contemplatives to practice this supernatural charity. If we are, as many have described us, the “heart” of the Church, then true sisterly love in our communities produces grace flowing to the rest of the Body of Christ!
Finally, we reflected on Our Lord’s words to His Apostles: “I no longer call you slaves, but friends.” We tend in our day to undervalue the significance of this word, “friends.” Social media has diluted its meaning by applying it to a massive circle of acquaintances, most of whom we would hardly describe as close. Another problem is the modern world’s failure to understand the different kinds of love. An excessive emphasis on romantic attraction has sown confusion in the minds of many, so that many are unable to distinguish deep friendship from romantic interest. Finally, the transience of our culture poses a great challenge. When people are frequently moving across the country or even the world, there are fewer opportunities to establish any kind of lasting friendships.
So what is the solution? How are we to recover the meaning and experience of friendship, thus helping us to understand more deeply the significance of Jesus calling His Apostles “friends”? Perhaps the single most important factor is making a deliberate choice to cultivate and maintain this precious gift. We may at times feel that we ourselves are the ones putting more effort into a relationship, but that is not necessarily a reason to give up. After all, Christ put far more effort into His love for the Apostles than they did for Him — and see what beautiful fruit that selfless charity bore, as they one day found courage to lay down their lives for Him! And here we must mention the strongest core of deep, intimate friendship – Christ Himself. Those who can accompany, encourage, and challenge us on our journey to Heaven are those who help us see the beauty and the power of Christian friendship. “Love one another as I have loved you,” Jesus said – and the best friends are those who are willing to “lay down their lives for their friends” to reach Heaven!