Fifth Sunday of Easter, 2 May 2010,

There are very many sources of information about all subjects today. On the internet you can find out a lot about people, places and events. With so much information readily available, it is becoming necessary to be selective about what facts we collect and retain. It is easy to lose our focus. We can forget what lies at the heart of being Christ’s followers.

When it comes to Faith there is also a huge amount of information available. Today in our Mass we are given the heart of the message of Jesus that is essential for us as His followers. By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples. There are no divisions of language, race, culture, gender, politics or anything else. Love is the ‘badge’ of the follower of Christ. That is how people come to know Jesus by observing how we, His followers, love one another.

Often a good leader is praised for not asking anyone to do anything that they would not first do. Jesus says something very tender and wonderful to us today, My little children, I shall not be with you much longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another; just as I have loved you, you also must love one another. Before asking us to love one another, Jesus assures us that God loves us in the first place and always.

You could be the loneliest person on earth; you could be facing enormous problems at home, at work or whatever; the one abiding certainty is that God has and does love you. But, it is not just a pious thought that makes no demands on us. You also must love one another. Supposing you say, I love God and say my prayers, and fast and give alms and do my best, but I keep myself to myself and don’t bother with anyone else; you might feel that you are doing well. In lots of ways that would be true. But the heart of the message, the core value Jesus asks us to put into practice, is to love one another as God loves us. This scares me a lot because I am called to love till it hurts.

Over the years, I have found that some people who suffer most also love the most. These people help me to realise how easy it is to get caught up in my own concerns and worries and ignore others.

When next Saturday, the pupils from Marymount School make their First Communion at St Joseph’s, they will influence me more than they may realise. Many, if not all, will be nervous and excited at the prospect of receiving Jesus into their hearts for the first time. They will give Jesus a welcome that I can only imagine. The same will be the case, I know, when the CCD group receive Jesus in First Communion on 22 nd May. Being privileged to witness their love for Jesus and His love for them is a sacred moment incapable of capturing or describing.

The sad part for some of us is that we may forget that the love we have for one another will form the judgement we receive. I will not be asked how many sermons I preached or how many confessions I heard. Whether my words were spoken in love and the mercy shown will be the judgement I will receive.

May is traditionally Mary’s month. She is a wonderful role model for us. She said very little, but loved with all her heart. She is our Mother who loves us intensely and can teach us and lead us to her Son, Jesus.

Aidan Troy, C.P. [Aodhn Troighthigh, C.P.]