6th sunday of easter
You are My friends; abide in My love; keep My Commandments.
V. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. John.
R. Glory to Thee, O Lord.
[And it came to pass that JESUS said:] As the Father hath loved Me, I also have loved you. Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love; as I also have kept My Father's commandments, and do abide in His love.
These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be filled. This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are My Friends, if you do the things that I command you. I will not now call you servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends: because all things whatsoever I have heard of My Father, I have made known to you.
You have not chosen Me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in My Name, He may give it you. These things I command you, that you love one another. [15:9-17]
V. The Gospel of the Lord.
R. Praise to Thee, Lord Jesus Christ.
The Saints: The Friends of God
As we continue with the Farewell Discourse, in which, after the Last Supper (or First Mass), the Blessed Redeemer gave instructions to His Apostles on the night before His Crucifixion, we are now presented with the Lord's commandment to love one another as He has loved us.
Ink has been spilt over the centuries expounding this Discourse, and yet it is still not exhausted in its mystical meanings, and no doubt even eternity could not exhaust it! Thus, we should boldly continue to expound it, for we cannot fear to tire its hidden treasures.
After the True Vine discourse, which the Church presented to us last Sunday, the Lord continues to command us to abide in Him; this we do when we keep His commandments, which I made mention of last Sunday. Now, He commands us to love one another as He has loved us.
The love with which He has loved us, is a perfect love. In order to love one another with a perfect love, we must become perfect and that perfection is Sainthood. The Saints in Heaven love the Lord with a perfect love, as well as loving one another with a perfect love. They also love us on earth with a perfect love. This love is called the Communion of Saints.
It is a most wonderful reality that the Saints in Heaven, far from being cut off from us, are more closer to us, since all things are now open to them, and they are more attentive to the cries of poor sinners than they were on earth. For if the Saints, whilst on earth, helped poor sinners and worked miracles by God's leave, and thus converted many to true Faith and piety etc., how could God be so heartless as to close them from us even after they have attained the Beatific Vision and thus have become more powerful in their working of miracles? Would God after admitting a saintly mother into His Presence, cut her off from interceding for her children on earth? For if love is to pray for our neighbour, and be charitable to them, what could be more loving or charitable than to pray to God for a poor sinner on earth so that he may attain that blessedness which the Saints enjoy?
Yet, our Protestant objectors believe just that; that the perfect love between the Saints and God is closed to us, and the Saints cannot intercede for us to help us to grow into perfection as they have done. We are told that the Saints are dead, and thus cut off from us. The Blessed Virgin, we are told, didn't speak English whilst on earth, and now still cannot understand it in Heaven. Has anyone heard anything more foolish, more hellish as this?!
Is not God so Omniscient as to not have foreknowledge of this? Is He not so Omnipotent that He cannot make even the departed to know of what we say on earth? Has not God reasoned as to how a poor English sinner could ask an Aramaic speaking Lady for help? Are the Saints divided by language in Heaven? Does not the Protestant ponder that earthly languages are of no value before God, and that His Saints speak only one language in Heaven: that of love?
How does the Blessed Virgin understand my words? I speak no Aramaic, and She spoke no English. How She understands me is of no consequence to me: all I know, and all God permits me to know, is that She can understand, and that is enough. Surely, the numerous apparitions of Our Lady to various people such as in France, Japan, England, Spain and even Aztec Mexico testify that She has power to understand any language of men.
Once, all men spoke the same language (believed to be Proto-Hebrew), and in their pride created the Tower of Babel in order to exult themselves; God came and confounded their languages, and dispersed the people and ended their Tower. Yet, with the advent of the Church, the Lord Himself created a new language, a new tongue that all men could speak: love.
This love can be separated into two parts: love of God and love of neighbour. Our love of God means that we obey His commandments, His Gospel and His Church. We are His friends because we are members of His Mystical Body on earth. Our love of neighbour means that we do charity to our brethren, that we intercede and mediate for them, that we remain in communion with them in faith, worship and creed. The unity of the Church is expressed by Her common worship: the Mass, Her common faith: the Creed, Her common faith: Christ. She also unites us in one common tongue: Latin; sadly this has taken a side road since the Council.
Yet, all Christians were united in one Church, governed by one Vicar on earth, under one Shepherd: JESUS Christ. All Christians were unified in love, and all were to cultivate the fruits requested by Our Lord. Yet the Enemy, jealous of the Vineyard of the Lord, has sown discord amongst the faithful so that some depart from the Church. We pray, always, for their return to the Holy Roman Church; the Protestant and the Orthodox alike.
True love cannot exist outside the Communion of Saints, which is none other than a reflection of the Communion of the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit perfectly loving each Other for eternity. We on earth can be part of that mystical Communion, even if it is a dampened taste of it. Yet even this should be enough to excite us to long for the greater taste, for the true taste.
Let us now end with a mention of laying down one's life for one's friend. Naturally, no greater Friend died for us than Christ. Yet, we have other friends who died for us: the Apostles and the Martyrs, and indeed the whole College of Saints. Each Saint died for us; died so that the Faith could be passed on. The Martyrs shed their very blood for the Church, and for the conversion of heathens to the True Religion. Even the holy Dormition of Our Lady was for us: so that She could show us how to immaculately imitate the Redeemer.
O God, Who hast commanded us to abide in Thy love, and to be Thy friends; grant that we may persevere in Thy holy friendship by adhering to the Catholic Faith, and obeying the Magisterium of Thy Holy Church. After this present life has ended, may we come to join our beloved brethren, the Saints, in eternal beatific contemplation of Thy Divine Majesty; through Christ our Lord. Amen
As we continue with the Farewell Discourse, in which, after the Last Supper (or First Mass), the Blessed Redeemer gave instructions to His Apostles on the night before His Crucifixion, we are now presented with the Lord's commandment to love one another as He has loved us.
Ink has been spilt over the centuries expounding this Discourse, and yet it is still not exhausted in its mystical meanings, and no doubt even eternity could not exhaust it! Thus, we should boldly continue to expound it, for we cannot fear to tire its hidden treasures.
After the True Vine discourse, which the Church presented to us last Sunday, the Lord continues to command us to abide in Him; this we do when we keep His commandments, which I made mention of last Sunday. Now, He commands us to love one another as He has loved us.
The love with which He has loved us, is a perfect love. In order to love one another with a perfect love, we must become perfect and that perfection is Sainthood. The Saints in Heaven love the Lord with a perfect love, as well as loving one another with a perfect love. They also love us on earth with a perfect love. This love is called the Communion of Saints.
It is a most wonderful reality that the Saints in Heaven, far from being cut off from us, are more closer to us, since all things are now open to them, and they are more attentive to the cries of poor sinners than they were on earth. For if the Saints, whilst on earth, helped poor sinners and worked miracles by God's leave, and thus converted many to true Faith and piety etc., how could God be so heartless as to close them from us even after they have attained the Beatific Vision and thus have become more powerful in their working of miracles? Would God after admitting a saintly mother into His Presence, cut her off from interceding for her children on earth? For if love is to pray for our neighbour, and be charitable to them, what could be more loving or charitable than to pray to God for a poor sinner on earth so that he may attain that blessedness which the Saints enjoy?
Yet, our Protestant objectors believe just that; that the perfect love between the Saints and God is closed to us, and the Saints cannot intercede for us to help us to grow into perfection as they have done. We are told that the Saints are dead, and thus cut off from us. The Blessed Virgin, we are told, didn't speak English whilst on earth, and now still cannot understand it in Heaven. Has anyone heard anything more foolish, more hellish as this?!
Is not God so Omniscient as to not have foreknowledge of this? Is He not so Omnipotent that He cannot make even the departed to know of what we say on earth? Has not God reasoned as to how a poor English sinner could ask an Aramaic speaking Lady for help? Are the Saints divided by language in Heaven? Does not the Protestant ponder that earthly languages are of no value before God, and that His Saints speak only one language in Heaven: that of love?
How does the Blessed Virgin understand my words? I speak no Aramaic, and She spoke no English. How She understands me is of no consequence to me: all I know, and all God permits me to know, is that She can understand, and that is enough. Surely, the numerous apparitions of Our Lady to various people such as in France, Japan, England, Spain and even Aztec Mexico testify that She has power to understand any language of men.
Once, all men spoke the same language (believed to be Proto-Hebrew), and in their pride created the Tower of Babel in order to exult themselves; God came and confounded their languages, and dispersed the people and ended their Tower. Yet, with the advent of the Church, the Lord Himself created a new language, a new tongue that all men could speak: love.
This love can be separated into two parts: love of God and love of neighbour. Our love of God means that we obey His commandments, His Gospel and His Church. We are His friends because we are members of His Mystical Body on earth. Our love of neighbour means that we do charity to our brethren, that we intercede and mediate for them, that we remain in communion with them in faith, worship and creed. The unity of the Church is expressed by Her common worship: the Mass, Her common faith: the Creed, Her common faith: Christ. She also unites us in one common tongue: Latin; sadly this has taken a side road since the Council.
Yet, all Christians were united in one Church, governed by one Vicar on earth, under one Shepherd: JESUS Christ. All Christians were unified in love, and all were to cultivate the fruits requested by Our Lord. Yet the Enemy, jealous of the Vineyard of the Lord, has sown discord amongst the faithful so that some depart from the Church. We pray, always, for their return to the Holy Roman Church; the Protestant and the Orthodox alike.
True love cannot exist outside the Communion of Saints, which is none other than a reflection of the Communion of the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit perfectly loving each Other for eternity. We on earth can be part of that mystical Communion, even if it is a dampened taste of it. Yet even this should be enough to excite us to long for the greater taste, for the true taste.
Let us now end with a mention of laying down one's life for one's friend. Naturally, no greater Friend died for us than Christ. Yet, we have other friends who died for us: the Apostles and the Martyrs, and indeed the whole College of Saints. Each Saint died for us; died so that the Faith could be passed on. The Martyrs shed their very blood for the Church, and for the conversion of heathens to the True Religion. Even the holy Dormition of Our Lady was for us: so that She could show us how to immaculately imitate the Redeemer.
O God, Who hast commanded us to abide in Thy love, and to be Thy friends; grant that we may persevere in Thy holy friendship by adhering to the Catholic Faith, and obeying the Magisterium of Thy Holy Church. After this present life has ended, may we come to join our beloved brethren, the Saints, in eternal beatific contemplation of Thy Divine Majesty; through Christ our Lord. Amen