Our Gospel reading is my all time favorite passage of
Scripture and it has played an important role in my priesthood. This section was the culminating
passage in my MAT thesis in seminary.
I put one of the verses—“Greater
love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”—on
the back of my holy card. Finally,
my parents had Jesus’ declaration “I have
called you friends” etched on the bottom of the chalice they bought me.
This
passage was selected for the feast of St. Mathias with a particular verse in
mind—“You did not choose me, but I chose
you.” Mathias was chosen to
replace Judas. After prayer the
apostles cast lots—a sign of God’s election—to appoint the twelfth apostle.
Additionally,
John 15 is saturated with meaning.
In it Jesus instructs us to love one another as he has loved us. He also makes a monumental declaration:
“I have called you friends.” In the Old Testament, God’s people were
usually called servants or slaves. Jesus now calls us friends. And this description does not refer to a duckies and
bunnies, “Jesus is my buddy” sort of relationship. He shows the ultimate form of friendship on the cross as he
gave his life for his friends.
Like
St. Mathias, we did not first choose God, but God has chosen us. We are called to love as he does and
sacrifice ourselves for our friends.
We pray for the grace to do this in our lives.
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