Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

Gospel: John 15:9-11
As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love! You will remain in my love if you keep my commandments, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.I have told you all this, that my own joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.

Reflections
“Remain in my love.”Jesus develops the command- ment of love. His love for his dis- ciples comes from his Father. He gives what he has. He is first loved by his Father. The quality of Jesus’ love for his disciples is deter- mined by love of his Father.Love is not just having affec- tion for the other. Love is tied with obedience. The one who loves must keep the command- ments. Without obedience, we cannot claim we love God.Jesus tells the reason why we should also remain in his love: that his joy may be ours and be complete. When that happens, what more can we ask?If ever we feel restless, it may be because we are so pre- occupied with our own personal agenda. We do not express our love to God by praying and hel- ping the poor. We also forget to show our affection for the people we live with in our homes. Once home, we shut our doors and do not interact with other members of the family.When we become more cons- cious of loving God and our neighbors, we are careful not to violate anything and in turn we have joy.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: John 15:1-8
I am the true vine and my Father is the vine grower. If any of my branches doesn’t bear fruit, he breaks it off; and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more fruit.You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you. Live in me as I live in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you, if you don’t remain in me.I am the vine and you are the branches. As long as you remain in me and I in you, you bear much fruit; but apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not remain in me is thrown away, as they do with branches, and they wither. Then they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you. My Father is glorified when you bear much fruit: it is then that you become my disciples.

Reflections
“I AM THE VINE AND YOU ARE THE BRANCHES.”Jesus uses metaphors to des- cribe himself, his Father and his disciples. He says he is the true vine, his Father is the vine dres- ser. His disciples are the branches. The Father wills that the branches are productive. He cuts off from the vine the branches that give no fruit.The Father’s metaphorical ac- tions warn us Christians to be productive. We can if we want. We can if we are converted. To be pro- ductive and to bear more fruits we should listen to his words. His disciples are pruned by his words. We as branches are produc- tive insofar as we are connected with Jesus. We connect ourselves with him through his words and according to the contemplatives, through prayer.In this way, truly we become his disciples. Some Christians in the first readings are not con- nected with Christ, but with their former religion Judaism. Paul and Barnabas argue against imposing the Jewish law of circumcision to become Christians. The apostles in Jerusalem listen to their argu- ment and do not impose Jewish laws on their Gentile converts.We cannot produce good fruits if we impose our own opinion to others, not the apos- tolic teachings transmitted by the Church.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: John 14:27-31a
Peace be with you! My peace I give to you; not as the world gives peace do I give it to you. Do not be troubled! Do not be afraid! You heard me say, ‘I am going away, but I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.I have told you this now before it takes place, so that when it does happen you may believe. There is very little left for me to tell you, for the prince of this world is at hand, although there is nothing in me that he can claim. But see, the world must know that I love the Father, and that I do what the Father has taught me to do. Come now, let us go.

Reflections

“Peace be with you!”Peace is Christ’s gift to his dis- ciples. It is not solicited. It is freely given. The world has a different concept of peace. World’s peace is made possible through the destruction of the enemy. Jesus’ peace comes as a result of his victory over death. Soon the dis- ciples will realize what he means. It will not take long after the Last Supper and his crucifixion.The disciples must be happy when he is gone. They should not panic at his absence. He is coming back, to claim them back. Evil and dark forces can claim nothing in Jesus. The disciples must stay peaceful and calm.We may ask, what causes us to be panicky? Why don’t we have peace of mind? In the face of cri- sis and death, Christians should exude that peace which Jesus gives. It comes from the belief that Jesus will fulfill his promises that all will be alright. St. Paul in the first reading continues to do his mission in spite of being dragged away by his enemies. He stays fo- cused on strengthening the faith of his converts that through suf- ferings they will enter the king- dom of God.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: John 14:21-26
Whoever keeps my commandments is the one who loves me. If he loves me, he will also be loved by my Father; I too shall love him and show myself clearly to him.”Judas—not Judas Iscariot—asked Jesus, “Lord, how can it be that you will show yourself clearly to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him; and we will come to him and live with him. But if anyone does not love me, he will not keep my words; and these words that you hear are not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.I told you all this while I am still with you. From now on the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I have told you.

Reflections

“If he loves me, he will also be loved by my Father.”The one who loves Jesus is the one who keeps his command- ments, and also the one whom the Father will love. This is the logic of Jesus. The disciple finds his connection with the Father be- cause of his love for Jesus shown by keeping his commandments. Jesus adds, he will clearly reveal himself to him.This logic is not readily under- stood by Judas, not the Iscariot. So Jesus has to repeat his statement with an additional information. He and the Father will live with him.Time and again, the devoted disciples do not understand what Jesus wants to communicate. They have a history of not understan- ding. So Jesus promises them to send the Holy Spirit to help them. The Holy Spirit will teach and re- mind them of his teachings which they find unclear.We Christians of today, too, fail to understand God’s message to us. That is why we also fail to ap- preciate his gifts to us. These are none other than God’s relation- ship and indwelling in us. We also need the light of the Holy Spirit. Research, theological books and lively debates about him are not enough. The Holy Spirit explains God’s mysteries through our hearts.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019