Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48
1 John 4:7-10
John 15:9-17
Bishop Untener's Homily
The Simplest Truths...
Sometimes the deepest truths of our faith can be stated very simply. And, vice-versa. Sometimes the simplest truths of our faith are the deepest.
On the other hand, the simplicity can be deceptive. These truths sound so simple that we can gloss over them and fail to appreciate their depth.
Here's an example of such a truth: "God loves us."
That statement comes easily to our lips - we learned it as little children. "God loves us." It's the theme of today's Scripture readings - especially the Second Reading and the Gospel.
Let's look more closely at that simple sentence: "God loves us." A picture is worth a thousand words. So, Fr. Leo and I are going to perform a miniature two-act play. It's totally unrehearsed - I didn't even tell Fr. Leo I was going to do this.
In this play, I'm going to take the part of God. Fr. Leo can just be himself.
Act I
[God] Fr. Leo, you know that I love you. After all, you wouldn't even exist if I hadn't created you. Now I want you to remember that I do love you. And I want you to act the same way towards other people. Be nice to them. Be kind to them, even when it's hard to do. After all, I am kind to you. So, you imitate me, and make sure you're kind to other people. Do you understand?
[Fr. Leo] Yes, I do understand. I'll try harder in dealing with others to imitate you. I can do better at loving my neighbor.
Now, notice the approach that is taken here. Fr. Leo is going to try to imitate God by loving other people. Let's look at a different approach.
Act II
[God] Fr. Leo, I have here 35 fresh, long-stemmed red carnations. Take them. I'm giving them to you so you can enjoy them. Keep some for yourself, and give the others to the youngsters who are going to receive Confirmation and First Eucharist at this Mass.
[Fr. Leo] Sure, I can do that. (He calls the youngsters forward and gives each a red carnation.)
The Difference
Now, did you notice the difference between Act I and Act II?
In Act I, Fr. Leo tries to go out and imitate God. In Act II, Fr. Leo receives a gift from God and goes out and shares that gift with others. There's a huge difference between those two approaches. And Jesus teaches us the second approach. We have God's life, God's love within us - a gift from God. Jesus tells us to let that love shine on others.
It works this way: God loves Jesus. Jesus shares that same love with us. And we share that love - God's love - with others. We just heard that in today's Gospel. Jesus says: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you... Love one another as I love you." God's love is given to Jesus, and Jesus gives that love to us. It's that simple. And that deep. We have God's love within us, and we let that love shine on others.
We have the same scenario in today's passage from the First Letter of John, He says: "Let us love one another, because love is of God... God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that God loved us."
Or, we can go back to last Sunday's Gospel. Jesus said, "I am the true vine, you are the branches... Whoever remains in me and I in them will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing." The love that is in the vine flows into us - the branches.
It's that simple. And it's that deep.
We Can All Do That
When we realize that this is what God is asking us to do, we discover that we can do it, even when it seems impossible. For example, Jesus told us to love our enemies. I can't always control my feelings toward other people. But if I take seriously what Jesus said - that he is the vine and we are the branches - I can let God's love flow through me. I can say, "Alright, God, I have your love within me and I can direct it toward other people, even those who are hard to love. It's your love that I give them - just like Fr. Leo received those red carnations as a gift, and was able to give them to others."
It's so simple. It's so deep and beautiful. If the whole human race caught hold of this truth, imagine how different this world would be.
These youngsters received the gift of God's own life when they were baptized. Now, in the sacrament of Confirmation, they will receive an increase of the gift of God's own Spirit. Then, when they come forward to receive the Eucharist, they actually receive the Lord into their entire body and soul.
They've "got it in them" to love others. May they give that gift - God's gift of love - generously. And may all of us do the same.
Originally given on May 25, 2003