Abiding In The Love Of Christ

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Thursday of 5th Week of Easter, Year B, May 6th, 2021
Texts: Acts 15:7-21; Ps. 96:1-3.10; John 15:9-11
Today's gospel reading shows us what to do to fill our society with love. Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love." He loves us because He Himself has received love from His Father.  Whoever has not been loved will not know what love is. Whomever we love, we enkindle in them the flame of love, which in turn enkindle in others and gradually we form network of love. Family has a role to play in filling our world with love. Parents are to sow the seeds of love in their children. We cannot expect our children to love when we do not show them love. The corruption in the society begins in the family. Our children could only love to the extent we have shown them love. Jesus tells us that He loves us as Father has loved Him.
Jesus asks us to abide in His love. When we abide in the love of Christ, we also abide in the love of His Father, for in Him the love of the Father is made manifest. This is clear when He says He loves us as Father loves Him. We enjoy in Jesus Christ the love of the father to the son. This shows us how we become the children of God in Jesus. By abiding in  the love of Christ, the Son, we enjoy the love of the Father and thus become His Children. Pu succinctly, the love of the Father we enjoy in Jesus Christ makes us the children of the Father. In Jesus Christ, we are lifted to the dignity of sons and daughters and thus have the right to call God our Father. Being sons and daughters, we have direct access to the Father.
The gospel reading also reminds us to love as we have been loved in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ manifests the Father because He loves as the Father has loved Him. We will also manifest Jesus Christ if we love as He has loved us. He says, "I give a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have love you. It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognise you as my disciples" (John 13:34-35). People recognise us as His disciples  because we are like Him. We are like Him because we love as He has loved us.
In today's gospel reading, He says, If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love." We abide in His love by keeping His commandments. The summary of His commandments is love. It is said, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?' And he said to him, “'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets” (Mtt. 22:36-40).  We have to love God and our neighbours to abide in Christ. It is love that binds us to Christ.
Today's first reading helps us to understand two ways in which the Holy Spirit works. Holy Spirit speaks through events in our lives and our environment. The apostles discerned God's will through the events that happened as they went about preaching the gospel. Peter gave the account of how Holy Spirit descended on the Gentiles in the same manner He descended on them, the apostles. So also Paul and Barnabas told the story of signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. Holy Spirit guides us to the truth through the events of life.
The Holy Spirit also speaks to us in the scriptures. In the first reading, James searched the Scripture to know the will of God concerning the matter before them. Our experience should align with God's words. Hence, In the first reading, James says “Brethren, listen to me. Symeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, as it is written, ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up, that the rest of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who has made these things known from of old.’" Let us continue to search in our lives and the scriptures for the will of God. Let us continue to listen to the Holy Spirit in events of life and scriptures.

Lord our God, help us to love You and our neighbours, that we may abide in you and live for your glory. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke