June 4, 2011
Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
"For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." John 16:27-28
Piety
Father, help us to a greater understanding and realization of the union you have with us, a union that was repaired through the sacrifice of your Son Jesus and a union that propels us to stay close to you and each other through our piety, study and action.
Study
Early in John's Gospel, we learned that God so loved the world, that He sent his only Son to save it. The central fact of redemption is love and sacrifice. As Jesus prepares his disciples for his torture, death, execution and ultimately life beyond his physical presence in the world, God's love is the central point that he wants them to remember.
In today's encounter, Jesus moves away from talking in parables and figures of speech and talks plainly about what will happen and why. However, his tone and the words he chose to speak communicate the serious nature of his message. Now, for the first time, the disciples seem to realize the connection between Jesus and the Father. The total experience of hearing Jesus, witnessing the signs Jesus has performed in their midst, and getting to know Jesus as a friend have led the disciples to this "epiphany."
From this point, the last thing Jesus does with the disciples before heading out on the final steps that will lead to the cross is pray to the Father as intercessor for the disciples. His prayer and his life were offered up in order to restore our union with the Father...a union based upon the love that created us and that saved us from our own sins.
Action
When did you have an eye- and mind-opening realization about your relationship with Jesus? Was it on your Cursillo weekend? Does it happen whenever you have a close moment with the Lord through others in the world?
The Easter experience that we relive at every celebration of the Mass reminds us of this united love. each celebration ends with the command to carry this love union into our relations in the world just as the Father did when he sent his Son to restore that union.
How are you carrying the Easter spirit into the world through your actions?
There is an interesting story about union with the Father. Twin brothers who were members of the Franciscan order for 65 years, died on the same day last week. They served the world at St. Bonaventure University for more than 35 years and left the world on the same day. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/twin-friars-92-die-within-hours-of-each-other-in-fla-spent-35-years-at-catholic-university/2011/06/03/AGsgw2HH_story.html?hpid=z9
As we contemplate how we can be in a more perfect union with the Lord, may the lives, service and sacrifice of these twin servants Julian and Adrian Riester inspire us in our piety, study and action.
