Reading 2
Beloved:
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
Always be ready to give an explanation
to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,
but do it with gentleness and reverence,
keeping your conscience clear,
so that, when you are maligned,
those who defame your good conduct in Christ
may themselves be put to shame.
For it is better to suffer for doing good,
if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.
For Christ also suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
Reflection
Today’s readings remind us that an essential aspect of loving Christ is to keep His commandments. As much as we might wish that feelings of affection or songs of praise would be sufficient, Jesus leaves no room for doubt: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Today in the US we also celebrate Mother’s Day. These women know well the intimate connection between obedience and love. Many can speak to both the frustrations of a rebellious child and the joys of a family aligned in their purpose.
St. Peter also speaks of obeying the Lord, but he adds a practical point. To convey the hope that comes from following Christ, he says, we must “keep [our] consciences clear,” so that “when [we] are maligned, those who defame [our] good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame.” In other words, to evangelize effectively, we need to be above reproach—proving wrong all those who seek to criticize us.
Yes, we should be intellectually prepared to articulate “a reason for [our] hope” as Peter says. But, part of this readiness is a readiness of soul, a desire to live a holy life and a commitment to obeying the commandments of Christ. Of course, we know that this is easier said than done. Despite our goodwill, we are weak sinners. However, this does not mean that we are hopeless.
On the contrary, Jesus knows our sin, and He does not reject us because of it. This mercy is a great cause for hope. Just as a loving mother would never turn her back on a disobedient son or daughter, so too can we rest assured that God loves us endlessly, even in our failure.
Another challenge to our hope is the hostility of the world. Jesus acknowledges this struggle, too. He notes that the world cannot accept the Spirit of Truth since it neither knows nor sees it. Our call, then, is to help the world to see and know the Truth by living lives in accordance with it.
Jesus promises that we are not alone in this mission. Our Lord insists that He will not leave us orphans in this life. “…you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.” By our Baptism, God comes to dwell in us, and the Spirit in us will produce good fruit if we cooperate. Our efforts alone are inadequate—there is no escaping that fact. Still, we rejoice because God’s grace is always enough.
Today, let us reflect on how we love the Lord. Let us examine our consciences, seek the Lord’s forgiveness, and commit again and again to obeying God’s commandments out of love for Jesus. We can rest in the assurance of Christ’s mercy. If we lean on Him, He will shape us into beacons of hope for the world.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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