Readings: Acts 14:21-27; Ps 145; Rev 21:1-5; Jn 13:31-35
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Early in the morning, while it’s still dark, I often take a fast walk through our extended neighborhood. Sometimes I pray the Rosary as I walk. On one of those mornings, a few months ago, as I passed a house on a nearby street, I heard the front door slam, followed by a man’s voice shouting a few choice words that I’ll not repeat here. The man who shouted jumped into his golf cart and backed out of his driveway almost running into me. It was dark. He wasn’t looking, so I doubt he even saw me. He then drove off at full speed…in a golf cart, 20 miles per hour
Now, I didn’t know him. And I certainly don’t know what took place in that house that made him so angry that he left in such a hurry, driving off into the morning darkness. But because it was early on a Friday morning, I was praying the Sorrowful Mysteries...
I don’t know, it must have been the Sorrowful Mysteries, but there I was on a street in The Villages, and my aging brain carried me off to Jerusalem. I took me to John’s Gospel, to the 13th chapter, to the passage we just heard, when Judas left the upper room, when he left Jesus and the others. Did he leave muttering, swearing, slamming doors…probably not. We don’t know. John doesn’t tell us.
But John does tell us “Satan
had entered him.”
Knowing this, Jesus looked
at Judas and said: “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
John also tells us, “…it
was night.”
Where did Judas go so quickly that night? Out into the darkness, into the world that had rejected Jesus, the world that wanted Him dead. Judas left Jesus and he left the Apostles. In essence he left and rejected the dual institution of the priesthood and the Eucharistic Church…for that’s what took place at that Last Supper. Yes, Judas ran into the darkness away from the Jesus, the Light of the world, away from the Church.
Pope Leo XIV, our new
pope, celebrated his first Mass to a congregation of cardinals. And in his
homily, he spoke about the world, and how it perceives Christians, how it
perceives our faith:
“…today,” he said, “there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent...where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power, or pleasure.”
Pope Leo went on, “…where it is not easy to preach the Gospel and bear witness to its truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied…
“A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.”
As I listened to his words, I realized they were timeless, and in truth addressed what the Church has faced for 2,000 years.
When we return to that 13th chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus really teaches us how to live the Christian life, how to live it then and today. He’d just washed the feet of the Apostles, giving us an example of humility and service, one that even symbolized His giving His life for us on the Cross. But He washed all their feet, including the feet of Judas whom He knew would soon betray Him. Then Jesus did more. He dipped a morsel of bread into His dish and offered it to Judas. Another sign of His love.
John began that 13th chapter with
the words:
“…having
loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”
“To the end.” What does it mean?
To the Cross? Is that what it means? To Jesus’
death?
Or is it something beyond that? As one
theologian told me, to the fulfillment of God’s purpose, the salvation of
humanity. Is that what is means?
Or perhaps, when John says, “He loved them to
the end” it’s more personal…
The washing of feet, the dipping of the morsel of bread – to remind us of the extent, the very depth of His love for every person…not just His love for Judas, but His love for each one of us. Perhaps it meant:
...that Jesus loved Judas, who would betray Him;
…that He loved Peter who would deny Him three
times;
…that He loved all of them gathered there, all of
them who would abandon Him.
Yes, I think that’s what it’s all about.
It’s about loving the Apostles who let fear
smother their faith.
It’s about loving the soldiers of an empire,
men who knew nothing of Jesus, and yet mocked Him, flogged Him, nailed Him to a
Cross.
It’s about loving the Jewish leaders who saw
Him as a threat and wanted Him dead.
And Jesus’ response to it all?
“Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do.” [Lk 23:34]
Judas left Him. Walked into the night, to meet
with those who despised Jesus, who thought He was an absurdity…And after Judas
left, what did Jesus do?
He looked to
the Cross, the means of redemption, and told the eleven:
“Now is the Son of Man
glorified, and God is glorified in him.”
Jesus speaks here of the crucifixion, an ugly, horrific agony of pain, of torn flesh and death. Adding to it…the mocking, the rejection, the betrayal, the denial, the abandonment.
But in all that darkness, Jesus tells us to behold the glory of God, to understand who God truly is. We can do this because this redemptive act is the manifestation of God’s love for us. For as John reminds us twice in His 1st Letter: “God is love.”
Jesus
continues:
“I give you a new
commandment…As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”
Oh, yes, we are called to “Love your neighbor
as yourself” but Jesus adds something new. We are called to love “As I have
loved you…” – to love as Jesus loves, to love each other as God loves.
You see, sisters and brothers, it’s also about you and me. And as we live our busy lives, how often do we think of God’s sacrificial love for us? As we encounter all the garbage, you know, the petty betrayals, the snide remarks, the personal attacks, the lies…as we plan our responses to those responsible, how often do we stop and recall…
“As I have loved you, so you
also should love one another.”
At the end of Mass, I will do one of those deacon things, the dismissal, and send you all into the world. But why are we sent? Simply to glorify God in all we do. As Pope Leo reminds us, to carry the Light of Christ into a world shrouded in too much darkness. Yes, we belong to the Light, the Light of Christ, which the darkness can never overcome.
Like Paul and Barnabas in our first reading, we’re sent to do something new, to take the Good News to others, to be true disciples of Jesus. And there will be hardships, and much that will hurt us. But others will know, despite themselves, that we are called by Christ.
Because Jesus gave us His new commandment:
“This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another.”
It’s not so much what we say, it’s what we do; it’s what we are!
At its core, the world hasn’t changed much over the millennia of human
history – the same sins, hatreds, violence, lies – yes, the same darkness.
But then, Christ comes and offers us newness beyond our imagining. John tells us what he saw – “a new heaven and a new earth” – and Christ proclaims from the throne:
“Behold, I make all things new!”
Now, I can’t speak for you, but I’m getting old, so this newness God
offers us is very attractive.
Indeed, God’s promises, proclaimed in our second reading from Revelation, tell of wondrous new things, eternally new things that never get old. Only God can that. Yes, God has a lot of newness in store for us.
We need only turn to Him in the sacraments, repent and receive
forgiveness, taste His Eucharistic Presence, and believe and live the Gospel.
