Sunday | May 17th, 2020
On this coming sixth Sunday of Easter, the readings at Mass reminds us that we must put God first and foremost in our lives, and that are called to demonstrate our love for God in concrete actions.
Our second reading, from St. Peter challenges us to, “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.” In other words, we are to put Christ first above all else in our lives. His role is not merely as Savior of our lives, as significant as that role is — He is to be “Lord” of our lives as well. As His disciples and modern-day Catholics, we are called to make Him ruler of all aspects of our lives including our time, talents, and treasure.
In concrete ways, how do we demonstrate to God, others and to ourselves that Jesus Christ is truly the Lord of our lives? How do we “prove” our love, in a manner of speaking, because true love is not a mere emotional feeling. “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me,” Jesus reminds us in Sunday’s Gospel passage from John.
True love is an act of the will. It requires obedience to all of God’s commandments. This requires courage, humility, and deep trust in Him.
The rewards of this kind of love are indescribably wonderful. Jesus tells us Himself, “Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
What can be more satisfying than to live in such a way that the God of the universe is pleased to reveal more and more of Himself to us, his sons and daughters?