Love one another: 5th Sunday of Easter

Listen the homily here.

Notes:

As I continue to be a priest at St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Columban I love you all

·      The prayers, letters, gifts during my stroke was unreal

·      Bishop Paul Sirba has said, “As Pastors, you will fall in love with your parishioners as a family…especially after the first year.”

·      True.

Three words from Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John

·      “…love one another”…LOVE ONE ANOTHER

·      That’s three words you can memorize!

Here is a great question to think and pray: Who do you love?

·      Your spouse?  Your children?

·      For children…your parents?  Brothers or sisters?  Grandma and Grandpa? 

·      Everyone: Other families?  Uncles, aunts, cousins, the wisdom of grandparents, teachers, coaches, friends?

Take some time this week to think and pray for those you love

Here is another question: who do you like?  Or…who do you not like?!

·      Or, we may people we like

o   Acquaintance

o   Work buddies

o   Those at the grocery store or restaurant

o   Not best friends or not family, but you “like”

·      How about people we don’t like.  Even in our families, our workers, our classroom, teacher…or even a priest!

o   Some people we just can’t stand them!

o   I do too!

But there is a huge different between: “like (or don’t like!) or love”

As Catholics of Jesus Christ, we must love every person

·      You can “not like”

o   That is normal as humans

o   But you must love that person

Remember what Jesus taught his disciples:

·      “I give you a new commandment: love one another.  As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.  This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

·      Love is a commandment from God

Pray, think and discern 1.) the people you love and 2.) those who you just like…or don’t like…follow the commandment

Love one another!