Commentary

The first reading is actually an excerpt from the entire account of Peter's travel to Caesarea and his speech to Cornelius' household.  To truly understand this reading, it must be placed in context with the entire account which reminds Luke's readers how hard it was for the original Jewish-Christian church leaders to relate to non-Jews.

There are several apologetic points to be made in this account: First, Peter rejects the pagan's (Cornelius) prostration to him and tells him that he (Peter) is also human.  Second, it shows Peter's awareness of how improper it was for Jews to associate closely with Gentiles.  However, God supplies Peter with a triple vision of "unclean" food that will change all of this.  Peter will learn not to call any human being unfit for sacred things.  Even though Gentiles were involved with idol worship, they too were purified by the Spirit so that they could approach God.  Consequently, there was no reason to exclude Gentiles once they had been made fit to approach God.

In the first century many people were considered profane and unfit to partake in Jewish temple worship and assemblies especially those that did not keep the laws of purity, lepers, the mutilated or eunuchs, Samaritans, Roman tax collectors, public sinners, the possessed, or idol worshipers.  All these people have been cleansed however, by Jesus (see Luke's Gospel) and by the Spirit (see Acts).  They have all been invited to approach God, but must first be made fit by changing their lives and abandoning those things that keep us from approaching God (in other words - conversion).  Cornelius recognizes the need to change and is ready to obey God.  God will thus not favor an unjust Jew over a just Gentile, rather in every nation those who fear God and act uprightly are acceptable to God.

The second reading concentrates on the point that God is love and that he loved us first.  The evidence or proof of this love is the gift of Jesus his Son which he sent as Savior.  Because God has so loved us, we too must become lovers specifically lovers of one another.  Only if we love the neighbor we can see, is the love of the invisible God possible.  God's love for us and our love for him and for each other should give us total confidence that we have overcome the world just as Christ has.  The person without love can know nothing about God and whatever profession of love he/she makes regarding God is nothing but a lie.  In the end, love distinguishes the person who "knows God" from the one who does not.  Jesus' death as a sign of love and expiation of sin is invoked as the example for Christians to follow.

Continuing from the story of the vine, today's Gospel reading demonstrates the mutual love between Jesus and his disciples.  This love is grounded in the fact that both Jesus and his disciples keep the commandments and abide in the love of God.  The joy that Jesus speaks of is the highest example of love which is his death for us, and this provides the foundation for love among the disciples.  It is precisely for love like this that Jesus has chosen them.  They (the disciples) will bring forth enduring fruit, their prayers will be answered, to the extent that they love one another.

Reflection

There is perhaps no other word in the English language that has been so misused than the word LOVE.  The word has been so misinterpreted and wrongfully applied that its true meaning has been lost.  I believe that most people have lost sight of what true love really is but this is nothing new.  The problem with not understanding love has existed since the beginning of time and that's why Jesus speaks so fervently about love to his disciples.  "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" this is how Jesus interprets love and this is how he demonstrates it.  Jesus gives himself entirely, without holding anything back, and his did so for everyone.  To act in any other way is to fail at love.

I think we have all failed at love at one time or another and I'm sure that I have.  Every time I've hurried someone through a conversation or become impatient with my children, when I have failed to validate my wife's feelings I have in reality failed at love.  What I've come to realize is that when I've failed at love I have in fact failed Christ who commanded us all to love one another.  When I yell, or disrespect, or humiliate, or strike someone I am in fact yelling, disrespecting, humiliating, or striking Jesus for as he himself tells us: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least of my brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mat 25:40).  This is what sets Christians apart from every other  religion, the fact that we have been commanded (not suggested) to love everyone.  We are called to see beyond what our eyes see.  Our eyes can only see the physical but they fail to see what God sees in each of us and that is his Son Jesus Christ who lives in and through every one of us.

As was clearly shown in the first reading, God makes no distinction between people when it comes to color, race, sex, or even religion.  God sees the human heart.  It is what we hold dear in our heart that allows us to love, hate or be indifferent to others. If Christ lives in the depths of our heart we can do nothing but love because we become a reflection of Divine Love - a love that is so noble and so great that it allows us to become identified with the other.  In essence, if we have true love we become one with Christ and our neighbor.  It means that we must be attentive and listen to others, putting oneself in their place - in their frame of mind, rather than critically analyzing what they have to say.  Imposing our own thoughts or frame of mind on others when we counsel them; rushing through a consultation or meeting; and even the priest that speeds-up confession or the celebration of Mass has failed at true love.  To love anyone is to give everything even to the ultimate consequences which in Jesus' case was death.  St. Paul makes the importance of Christ's command to love very clear: “If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.  And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Cor 13:1-3).  The exercise of all virtues is inspired and moved by love, and love demands that we do what is good, what is right, and what is just.  If we fail at love we do nothing less than deny Christ himself.

Biblical Sources

New American Bible; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Hengel, M., "Acts and the History of Earliest Christianity"; Maddox, R., "The Purpose of Luke-Acts-Studies of the New Testament and Its World"; Marshall, I. H., "The Acts of the Apostles"; Wilson, S. G., "The Gentiles and the Gentile Mission in Luke-Acts"; Brown, R. E., "The Epistles of John"; Grayston, K., "The Johannine Espistles"; Marshall, I. H., "The Espistles of John"; Barrett, C. K., “The Gospel According to John”; Brown, R. E., “The Community of the Beloved Disciple”; Schnackenburg, R., “The Gospel According to St. John”; Segovia, F. F., “Love Relationships in the Johannine Tradition”; “The Collegeville Bible Commentary”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary”.

Reflection

Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa