Roman Catholic Reflections and Homilies: Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C

Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C - 18-May-2025

(EPISODE: 530)

Readings for 18-May-2025 - Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C

FIRST READING: Acts 14:21-27

Ps 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13. "I will praise your name forever, my king and my God"

SECOND READING: Rev 21:1-5a

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 13:34). Alleluia, alleluia! I give you a new commandment. Love one another as I have loved you.

GOSPEL: John 13:31-33a, 34-35

Image Credit: Paul evangelion image

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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C - 18-May-2025 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ep-530/s-vIvOm9eNYYh (EPISODE: 530)

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We want to love with the love that Christ (God) loves. Because we are limited human beings and we are speaking about Divine Love, which is infinite and unfathomable, we will very likely not attain the fullness of this Love until the fullness of the Heavenly Kingdom. But here and now we already live the beginnings of God's love forming and growing within us.

Love is a universal concept held by sacred and secular cultures throughout the world and throughout history. Christian love is a particular and extraordinary concept that challenges us to deepen our understanding and practise in accordance with Christ's vision. And we desire to deepen our understanding and our living of this profound way of loving to which Christ has opened doors.

In the first reading, there's a delightful line, they put fresh heart into the disciples and encourage the people to persevere in the trials and difficulties that they were facing because of their following of Christ. It's a reminder that the purpose of Christ's church and each of its members is to encourage each other, to support and strengthen one another, and to be instruments of God's grace, strength, encouragement, power and mercy to all people. God, as the second reading reminds us, is making all things new.

God is constantly at work in his disciples, making us a new creation, re-imaging us. We're being reshaped and refashioned in the image of Christ and his gospel. This is a subtle and daily process that continues throughout the whole of our lives.

And when we look back, we see the graces and blessings and the recreating that God has wrought in our lives and the lives of our family and friends around us.

One of the ways that God renews us is by giving us new starts, new beginnings. This is an essential aspect of our discipleship. Following Christ and his gospel vision is very challenging and difficult. Our Lord is offering the world a new commandment of love that challenges us to go much deeper than some concepts of love held by the world. In other words, Christ is extending the natural selflessness and unconditionality that one finds in families, for example in parents for their children, the unbreakable bonds of bloodlines.

And God is making this in the image of God's love for his people, a loving parent for his beloved children, and his challenge for how we live this world as brothers and sisters in Christ, united still by blood, but this time by the blood of Christ. The readings are very encouraging, for we're reminded that God lives with his people. God is known as God with them.

And our God lives in our midst, walks along with us, is constantly at work, taking the pain and tears from our midst. God is constantly at work with us, fashioning healing and peace in the hearts of his beloved people.

Then we move to the gospel. An intriguing piece of text. It starts by saying, after Judas had gone. That's a rather striking and interesting beginning sentence. Jesus makes this speech as soon as Judas has left the table and gone to sell out Jesus. Judas, of course, betrays Jesus.

Judas has left the building. Not just physically, but spiritually, he has withdrawn his support from Christ and his message. Judas has left the table of the Lord. And as he leaves, Judas takes with him Judas's selfishness, his greed, his desire for money, his misguided desire for power, his focus on his own needs. Whatever it was he was taking, he was taking them with him.

Now those who remain at the table are there voluntarily and with their hearts and minds set on following Jesus and his kingdom, not their own kingdom. Now the ones who remain with Jesus, although they still suffer from weakness and sometimes doubt, and imminently when they leave that last supper table, they're going to abandon him and deny him.

But nevertheless, overall, those who now surround him are a group who are really dedicated to the service, love and sacrifice of Christ, according to Jesus' vision. They're really on board with him. Now is the time.

It's at this point, says the gospel, that Jesus begins his final instruction to them before he suffers and dies. When a person realizes that their time is very short and their hour is upon them, and that they will shortly die, their deeply held values, the deepest held values that they have, their deepest desires inevitably come to the fore, because there's no other time but now to express them. And what Christ says and does before he died, shows us very profoundly the things that God thinks are really important, really central, and the things that are not.

So what Jesus did not say at this intense final speech is as important as what he did say. For example, it says Jesus knew his time had come to suffer and die. So he says, listen my dear children, I'm not going to be with you longer.

I must tell you this because it's very important. Remember this above all. And what does he say? Well, first of all, he does not say, above all else, even if you're not practicing the message of the gospel, at least appear to. He definitely was not saying that. Neither did he say this.

Listen, my time is short. So remember, if you remember nothing else, appearing righteous and keeping the letter of the law is more important than doing it. Disassociate yourselves with all who fall short of the gospel and stumble. Again, he was certainly not saying that either.

So what did he say was so important that they must keep it in mind above all else? Thanks be to God, this is it. "How you love is what matters above all."

He continues to teach us this, even to this day, what he means by this love. But what a wonderful message. Saint Paul picks this up powerfully and so does Saint Therese many, many centuries later. She writes deeply on this truth. If I do even a good thing for a hateful motive, without love, it will do me no good whatsoever. It will not please God.

Love and compassion are so central. Doing good and keeping God's law is important, of course. But if we do not do these things, with the love of God in our hearts, flowing out into actions motivated by God's love, we've utterly missed the point.

If Jesus suffered and died with hatred in his heart, with resentment and an absolute desire for revenge, he would have achieved nothing. But of course, he couldn't and didn't do that, because he is God, who is love. He suffered and he died out of love to save us.

And that's what made the suffering and death so powerful and so salvific. This is truly beautiful. The quality of one's love, compassion, mercy and practical care will be the touchstone of the disciple, follower and friend of Jesus.

If this is not witnessed in their lives and actions, the lack of love, the lack of compassion, the absence of mercy, gentleness and justice will without doubt be the single most damaging sign to others that our witness as disciples is faulty This is what people look for in a Christian. When they see it, they're inspired and moved. When they do not see it and experience the opposite, they're scandalized, they're discouraged, they lose hope and trust and perhaps even lose faith. Love. True Christian love.

A love that puts others first and seeks what is truly best for others, even if it's at the cost and sacrifice of our own personal ambitions and desires. This is Christ's love. The love that serves, suffers and sacrifices, puts itself last and others first, or at least puts others' needs as equal to our own.

This is the image Jesus wanted to leave his disciples with before he suffered and died for everyone, out of love. In short, before he showed them the perfect love that holds nothing back and which strips itself of everything, even that which one may be entitled to, Christ even lays down his precious, unique life for his friends, who weren't even worthy of it, but because he loved them. And even for those who call themselves his enemies, he laid down his precious, unique life for them too.

They will know you are Christians by your love. They will know the quality of our Christianity by the depth, quality and practicality of our love. This is truly beautiful.

They will know we are Christians by our love.

(Reference: Fr Paul W. Kelly)

[Image Credit: paul evangelion image]

To listen to the whole Sunday Mass each week (including homily) from Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish, please visit this link: Liturgy for you at Home (by SPCP) - https:- soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks.

(Reference: Fr Paul W. Kelly)

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Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C (18-May-2025) (EPISODE: 530 )

The Lord be with you.

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Brothers and sisters, as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the Lord's supper, let us recall our sins and acknowledge them in silence.

You were sent to heal the contrite of heart. Lord, have mercy.

You came to call sinners: Christ, have mercy.

You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us: Lord, have mercy.

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

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Ps 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13. "I will praise your name forever, my king and my God"

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 13:34). Alleluia, alleluia! I give you a new commandment. Love one another as I have loved you.

Memorial Acclamation

1. We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.

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PREFACE: Sundays Easter

Eucharistic Prayer III

Communion side. pwk: LH

(theme variation: v20 )

(pre+post variation: v1-long)

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{I gratefully acknoweldge and give thanks to God for your prayers at this time of prayer and reflection upon our God.}

Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au

To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to the weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:

"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

- "Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

"Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.

Sound Engineering and editing - P.W. Kelly.

Microphones: - Shure MV-5

Editing equipment: NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software

NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44

Sound Processing: iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor

[ Production - KER - 2025]

May God bless and keep you.

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Roman Catholic Reflections and Homilies

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C - 18-May-2025 (EPISODE: 530)

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