Homily — 6^th Sunday of Easter, Year C (2004)

Fr. Timothy W. Castor

In today’s Gospel, we continue to listen to the discourse of Jesus to his disciples at the Last Supper. These words, recorded by St. John, were meant to prepare the disciples for our Lord’s departure in death, and into heaven at his ascension following his resurrection. But they are also meant to prepare the disciples for Pentecost when they will receive the Holy Spirit, sent by God the Father and his son Jesus Christ. This Holy Spirit will empower the disciples to spread the message of salvation to the ends of the earth.

In the verses which precede today’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples, "He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." In response, St. Jude Thaddeus poses a question: "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?" Today’s gospel begins with our Lord’s answer to that question: "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me." At first glance, these words really do not seem to answer the question at all. Why do you manifest yourself to us and not to the world? And Jesus answers by speaking of love—our love for Christ and the Father’s love for us. Yet this does answer the question because the way Christ is revealed to the world is precisely through love. "This is how all will know that you are my disciples," Jesus said in last week’s Gospel, "if you have love for one another."

Love is the most perfect testimony to Christ because Christ is the most perfect manifestation of God’s love. Christ came into the world because God loved the world. Christ taught his people and performed miracles because he loved them. He willingly laid down his life on the cross out of his love for poor sinners. In his love for his Church, he gave us the wonderful gift of the Most Holy Eucharist and all of the other Sacraments so that God’s love might live in our hearts. And now, he promises us another gift of love: the Spirit of love, sent from the Father and the Son to intercede for us, to teach us, and to fill us with God’s peace.

This is why, when Jesus says, "whoever loves me will keep my word," he is describing the best possible way of revealing himself to the world. Our loving obedience to the word of Christ and the love of God dwelling within us is the most perfect manifestation of Christ to those who do not yet believe. But not only is love the best way of revealing God, it is the only way. Christ Jesus and his power to save cannot be known apart from love.

If you were to suspend a bell in a glass jar and shake the jar, you would clearly hear the ringing of the bell. But if you were to apply a vacuum to that jar and gradually remove all of the air inside, the sound of the bell would grow fainter and fainter, and ultimately would completely disappear. Why? Because air is the medium through which sound travels. Without air, the bell is the same, the striking of the clapper against the bell is the same, the vibrations it produces are the same. But there is no medium through which the sound of its ringing might be revealed.

Love is the medium by which God is revealed to us. When Christ was on earth, everyone in Palestine saw his miracles and heard his teaching. But only a few put their faith in him. What was missing from those who persisted in their unbelief? Many of them had curiosity or fascination or even admiration for Jesus. But what they lacked was love—obedient love which put his words into action. And because of this, where the disciples saw God, the world saw only a man.

And what about us? Is God revealed and present in your life? Does he hear and answer your prayers? Is the Holy Spirit at work in your heart and mind, transforming you and conforming into the image of Christ? If your answer to these questions is no, then perhaps what is missing is love. "Whoever does not love me," Jesus warns us, "does not keep my words." And what is his word? It is his new commandment which we heard in last week’s gospel: "Love one another as I have loved you."

When I was growing up, my parents kept a large tank of gasoline on our property. It was made of steel and held about 100 gallons. There was no way to tell how much gas was in the tank except by a tiny little gauge on top which indicated the level inside. We claim to love God, and yet there’s only one gauge by which to measure that love—it is our love for one another. May the Lord perfect that love so that, with his Father and the Holy Spirit, he may find a dwelling place in our hearts.

© 2004, The Rev. Timothy W. Castor