In the beautiful readings that are set before us in today’s Mass, the Lord is giving us yet another opportunity to appreciate how the early Church began discovering more and more, the path that had been destined for it from above, deepening its radical roots in the Spirit of Christ, that same Spirit which we now begin to consider as we approach our Lord’s ascent into Heaven, to sit at the right hand of the Father, so as to impart the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
In the first reading from Acts, by Chapter Fifteen from where it is taken, the apostles by now have already received the Holy Spirit, enjoying his gifts and the power he has given to them to preach and minister with prodigies of healing and mercy in the holy name of Jesus. What has transpired in the meanwhile, is that people who were not Jews, the “Gentiles” began hearing the good news of Jesus—who he was, what he taught and what he did—and began to believe and wish to follow him. When the Jewish converts saw these non-Jews converting, having themselves been circumcised and followed the Law of Moses their entire lives, felt that this was a necessary step to becoming followers of Christ. The Holy Spirit, through the Apostles, namely, through Peter their head, showed the Jews that this was no longer necessary, that things have changed, and that a newness has dawned on humanity, through Christ. Baptism now takes the place of Circumcision and Saint Paul elaborates on this truth in his Letter to the Colossians (2:11-12). He refers to baptism as “the circumcision of Christ” and “the circumcision made without hands.”
This comparison between who could receive baptism and circumcision is an appropriate one. In the Old Testament, if a man wanted to become a Jew, he had to believe in the God of Israel and be circumcised. In the New Testament, if one wants to become a Christian, one must believe in God and Jesus and be baptized. In the
Old Testament, those born into Jewish households could be circumcised in anticipation of the Jewish faith in which they would be raised. Thus, in the New Testament, those born in Christian households can be baptized in anticipation of the Christian faith in which they will be raised. The pattern is the same and hence one of the reasons the Church has always baptized infants in this new economy of salvation. Now, let me ask you: is it not beautiful how God gradually develops his Revelation and how it is all interwoven into a beautiful tapestry of a loving relationship.
At the end of the day, that’s just it—it’s about entering into a deeply loving relationship with God. What needs to be done? This was the question being debated in the early Church, but illumined by the Holy Spirit. How important a lesson this is to us to allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate our hearts and minds, but then, that we respond with a spirit of lifelong conversion. What use is it, if He illuminates our minds and hearts, but we don’t act on it?
This brings us to the brief, but very profound gospel for today. Our Lord speaks to this very theme, and the heart of our relationship with God. He says, “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.” This is a very profound way of saying, “You are loved by my Father and me, and always keep that with you… remain in my love. Enter its abode, and remain there. Never fall prey to the devil’s temptation who places doubts in your heart as regards my love. Think of me on the cross, and what I endured for you. Think of what my heavenly Father endured, having to witness the cruelty inflicted upon me. Yet, we knew, that we were suffering that together all out of love for you.”
We have this amazing blessing to be loved by God, so let us love him back. And how do we know we love him? Jesus continues in today’s gospel: “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love.” We so desire to love God, yet Jesus is saying that we do that by keeping his commandments. When we do that, his joy becomes ours, and our “… joy might be complete.” There you have it: Jesus’ main source of joy, was in doing God’s will, and it can be ours as well, notwithstanding anything we may have to endure in order to do so. May the Queen of Heaven, our Blessed Mother, who lived God’s will perfectly in her life, continue to bless us and the entire people of God in pilgrimage here on earth. Amen.
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