The readings of this Sunday impress us with its human understanding of the good news. It shows us the real spirit, Jesus conveyed to his followers is kept in their proclamation. Faith and Mercy are proclaimed here without any compromise. Let us start from the first reading. We hear there two incidents- at first Peter meet Cornelius in Caesarea where the proclamation and baptism of the newly converted happens. Cornelius gives Peter the due respect. But Peter’s response is much interesting. He says, “Get up. I myself am also a human being”. The head of the apostles and many thousands of followers is so human in his growth. He is not taken by the wonders and signs. He is all the more humble and accepts his weakness.
We see this humble and God depending Peter is blessed by the Spirit of God and his proclamation is fruitful.
We see here the process - St. Peter becomes a real pastor. He is not proud at all, but believed in the power of God and his loving nature who accepts every one in faith. This is the Jesus whom Peter personally experienced. He himself left Jesus in his trails but he could repent and got the chance to turn back to his Lord with added spirit and love. The mercy and love St Peter enjoyed from his Lord is lived by him in his life.
When we come to the second reading we hear almost same message here. Of course John the Apostle of Love of God expresses this in his own theology and spirituality.
“Love one another” “love is from God and through love we know God” “God loved us first and gave his Son”… all these sentences are really uplifting human. Then no human being is against Love. Every one looks for Love; every one needs love. And John gloriously relates this love to God, because St. John experienced Jesus and God’s Love in Love alone.
The Gospel is just another angle of this second reading.
There Jesus has the main role. But the message is same.
“Remain in my love”, “Keep my commandments means to remain in love”.
The sign of Great love is to offer one’s Life for his friend.
You are not slaves, but friends. I chose you and appointed first. All these messages in the gospel passage are supreme.
One sentence is greater than the other.
All these proclamations underline the personal experience of the apostles. They lived and spread what they experienced in Jesus. What they acquired during their life with Jesus.
These experiences are special to each one.
But there is some common factor too.
That is the loving and understanding divine spirit.
Their picture on God was some one caring and human.
Jesus their master lived such a human and caring life with them.
That was their great example to follow.
As Peter and John were the closest apostles of Jesus, we can feel that speciality in their writings and activities. They proclaim Jesus as a loving friend and at the same time the Lord of their lives.
He is the first and best lover, who loved me and you at first and
who loved us at the best by giving his own life for us.
My dear friends,
We practice our faith in Jesus with a gap of long time to the apostles.
We cannot have the same intensity of the Jesus Experience of the Apostles.
Still we are called to follow and proclaim Jesus.
That may be a challenge for us.
But we can feel Jesus, his love - in the sacraments and in his Gospel and some times through his loving community.
We are his present followers; that means, as St. Peter we have the duty to uplift people, with our words, through our human and caring deeds.
We can also reciprocate to the love of God and feel him as friend and guide if we will. We can be the apostles of the Love of God as St John- of course in our manner.
Let us seek this personal experience of God in this church, in this community and in our gatherings, in our family. May the loving and caring God bless us all. Amen
-Fr Thomas Kalathil
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