NEW SONG, NEW LIFE, NEW COMMANDMENT.

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May 15, 2022
Fifth Sunday of Easter – C.

Readings: Acts 14:21-27; Ps 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13; Rev21:1-5a; Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35.

“This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jn 13:35

A Swahili proverb says: “A new thing is a source of joy even if it is sore.”  And an English proverb adds: “New meat begets a new appetite.”

The beautiful news of Easter is something that renews man from within. It is a joy that completely transforms us. We are made new creatures in the Risen Lord, and so given new life and called to sing him a new song, a song of life, a song of joy, a song of love, a song of hope.

The entrance antiphon of today's Eucharistic celebration already gives the tune of this Sunday: “O sing a new song to the Lord, for he has worked wonders; in the sight of the nations, he has shown his deliverance, alleluia.” (Cf. Ps 97: 1-2)

The joy of the Lord's Resurrection compels us to sing to him our Alleluias, to laud him, and to give him praise. This, however, does not mean that we will face no hardships or tribulations. The Cross is at the heart of the Easter message and it is what gives a stronger meaning to our Easter joy. For it is the tree of God's unparalleled love for us. It is the key that opens up to new life.

In the first reading, the example of Paul and Barnabas teaches us. The two Apostles spoke fearlessly to the people about Christ, a great characteristic of a genuine Apostle moved by the Holy Spirit. This self-assurance had a powerful influence on the conversion of their audience. This, however, will open to Paul and Barnabas the doors of persecution and rejection from the leaders of the people. And so, the Apostles will have to move. Paul does not fail to assure the believers of one fact: "We must go through many trials to enter the Kingdom of God." For, in the journey of genuine faith, persecutions are like fertilizers. As Christ believers, therefore, we should welcome them with joy. The mystery we rejoice about in these days, the Resurrection of the Lord, will have not been possible without the darkness of Good Friday and its load of sorrows. Joy comes after trials. Newness means the death of the old.

In the second reading, in his vision, the Apostle John speaks of Heavenly Jerusalem, the bride of the Lamb. It is the assembly of the people born again to new life; the people cleanse by the blood of the Lamb who was sacrificed. John says that the first earth has disappeared. The world of the past has gone. And the Lamb, our new life, the Risen one sings: "Now I am making the whole of creation new." That is what Jesus did. He transformed the face of the world and made everything new in his blood. It is a new world he came to instore. This new world has a unique rule. That is what the Lord reveals in the Gospel. Before undergoing his passion and death, Jesus gave a new rule of life, a new commandment to his disciples: the Law of Love. "Love one another; just as I have loved you, you also must love one another."

Our identity as new creatures and as disciples of the Risen Lord is revealed in love. Love is what proves who we are. It is what relates us to Christ and one another. Without that love, the Christian life loses its meaning. And based on the words of the Lord, we can realize that for a Christian, to love is not an option, but a must. "You MUST love one another." We have it as a commandment, as an obligation. What is commanded must only be done, and nothing else. A command is not optional, so too is love not optional. And when the Lord is saying, "I give you a new commandment..." he does not mean that love is new. It is actually the oldest thing that has ever existed. Love was the reason for the creation. Love is the reason for redemption. And love will be the object of sanctification. Nevertheless, love must always be renewed. Every day must be a new opportunity to love. Every day must be a renewed occasion to sing a new song of love. And every day must be a new dawn for life through love.

The Resurrection of the Lord has opened us the way of newness, may we revive the life we received in our Baptism and profess and sing our love for the Lord and one another. No matter the trials of the moment and the hardships we go through, may we always find a reason to live, rejoice, and love. For, love is the commandment appropriate for the advent of a new era. Christian love lies not in the sentiments or feelings, but concrete actions. It is to wish to others what God wishes. To do to others what God wants for them. And to love others as God loves them. And may we end with this excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI's Deus Caritas Est: “Since God has first loved us (cf. 1 Jn 4:10), love is now no longer a mere “command”; it is the response to the gift of love with which God draws near to us.” DCE, 1.


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