Franciscan Friar Fr. Paul Gallagher reflects on the Gospel readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter. Do you recall a time or times when you made a conscious decision to live as a disciple of Jesus?
The content is edited by Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Anne Marie Lom and Joe Thiel. The excerpts from the Sunday readings are prepared by Joe Thiel. To read or download the complete pdf with excerpts for your prayer, please click here: Franciscan Gospel Reflection May 18 2025. Excerpts are from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Photo: See and pray with striking images of a number of Disciples of Jesus, Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
When Judas had left, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. 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.”
Background:
The Gospels for the earlier Sundays of the Easter Season focused on the empty tomb or on the disciples’ experiences of the risen Lord. This Gospel text shifts back to before Jesus’ crucifixion, when Jesus is celebrating his final Passover with his disciples. He has washed their feet and desires to teach them the meaning of what he has just done. “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet…” (John 13:12b-14). As the church celebrates the glory of God as revealed in the person of Jesus, these verses remind us of Jesus’ dedication in his request that his disciples follow his example.
Judas left the Passover celebration to set in motion Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion. It was as if a leaf by falling from a tree into a stream was set on its journey. While it appears as if only suffering and death await, the truth is much larger. The hour of suffering and death is also the hour of Jesus’ greatest glory. Jesus is glorified in his willingness to endure suffering and death, and in his willingness to surrender to God’s will. But at the same time, God’s ultimate desire to be one with us will not be diminished by the prospect of suffering and death. God will not retreat from God’s desire to be with us, no matter the cost. God does not intervene to cancel Jesus’ passion and death, but instead acts to reveal its meaning.
In the Gospel Jesus addresses the remaining disciples as “my children.” This is an affectionate way for a teacher of the time to address his students. As Jesus has acted to make known God’s love for them, they are now to act to make God’s love present to each other. Jesus will no longer be physically present among them; therefore, they are each to take up the role of teacher in how they are present to one another.
Reflection Questions:
- What are some of the things or events of your life of which you are most proud?
- When did the journey toward those moments begin? What were the highs and lows of that journey?
- Do you recall a time or times when you made a conscious decision to live as a disciple of Jesus?
- How did the decisions of the early disciples to become followers of Jesus affect their lives?
- How does the fact that at this moment Jesus address the disciples as “my children” affect how you hear the rest of Jesus’ instruction?
- How do you think the disciples heard Jesus’ “new commandment” that they should love one another?
- How do you hear this statement today?
- Can you take some time now to talk to God about your awareness of God’s love for you, the commandment to love others as God has loved you, or some other awareness that arose within you from this Gospel?
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