23 May 2019 - Thursday of the 5th week of Easter - John 15:9-11

   In John’s Gospel, after Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples, he presented some discourses to them.  Yesterday we heard one of those discourses – the explanation of the vine and the branches.  Today, we hear the explanation of the story of the vines and the branches in a very short Gospel reading that is only 3 verses long, but it is a very powerful Gospel nonetheless.  Jesus summarizes God’s commandments in the concept of Agape love, of a love that is unselfish, in a love that reaches out to the other person. Jesus wants us to love our neighbor in a way that would willingly suffer inconvenience and discomfort as a part of that love.  This love is called to be rooted in our faith and in our relationship with Jesus. 

      So, how do we see the love of Christ rooted in our lives of faith, rooted in our actions.  Last week, as I finished up a very full weekend on a Sunday with a meeting with the Knights of Columbus, I thought about where I had been as a priest over the course of the several days that ended on Sunday.  In addition to my regularly scheduled masses here at St Jude, I had mass at St Joe high school, at St Mary in Yazoo City, at the prison, at Whitfield hospital, and in Hazelhurst.  I think of all the communities I visited over those days, all the masses I celebrated, I can tell you that I couldn’t be a priest and do what I do day after day after day without it being rooted in the love of Christ and love I try to have my ministry.  Let the agape love that Christ calls us to permeate our lives and our actions.