5th Sunday of Easter, Year C

Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C
Acts 14:21-27
Psalm 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13 (see 1)
Revelation 21:1-5a
John 13:31-33a, 34-35
May 18, 2025

Paul and Barnabas go out to proclaim the good news.  Led by the Holy Spirit, they had “made a considerable number of disciples.”  The Church was growing, thanks be to God.

Paul went on at least three missionary journeys with various disciples.  He did not enter a town, proclaim Jesus, and then move on without further regard for the people of that town.  Instead, he wrote letters to the towns he has visited.  In fact, all of Paul’s letters except his Letter to the Romans were all written to towns he had already visited.  Some towns, like Lystra and Iconium, he would return to.  He made these return trips and wrote the letters to continue to strengthen the new disciples.

It is not always easy to be a Christian disciple.  In fact, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” 

To ensure the continuation of the Christian communities he helped form, Paul and the others appointed elders in each community and commended them to the Lord with prayer and fasting.

God is eager to strengthen us to “persevere in the faith.” 

God strengthens us in what we hear and read in his Word as found in Scripture.

God strengthens us with the Holy Spirit who were receive in Baptism and are sealed with at Confirmation.

God strengthens us with food for our souls, the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ.

What more could we ask for?

This does not mean we do not suffer.  When we do suffer, we can ask our Lord to unite our sufferings with his for, as Paul writes, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church” (Colossians 1:24).  The only thing lacking in the suffering of Jesus Christ is for us to unite our sufferings to his.

Then, we do not suffer alone.  The Lord walks hand in hand with us.  As we read in Revelation, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing, or pain, for the old order has passed away.”  God does not always take our sufferings away.  If we allow him, what He does do is change the way we look at suffering, “Behold, I make all things new.”

In looking at our sufferings in a new way, we come to praise God’s name for ever.  We call him my king and my God.  It is when we call him “my king and my God” that we come to have a personal relationship with him.

It is a relationship that is based on love, love for God and love for our neighbor.  Jesus says to use, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What does it mean to love?

Love in this sense is not romantic love that is meant for husband and wife.  It is a love that calls us to care for every person, not just a spouse.  It is love that calls us care for and about them.  It is love that calls us to be present to others in their sufferings as God is present to us in our sufferings.  It is a love that calls us to be there for a person who is dying rather than hastening their death so that we can be on our own way.

It is not always easy.  That’s why Jesus feeds us with his Body and Blood in the Eucharist.  He strengthens us to do what He asks of us.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff