Homily - 5C Easter homily (May 15, 2022) Love one another, as I have loved you

 

TOPIC: LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AS I HAVE LOVED YOU

5C EASTER HOMILY, JOHN 13:31-33A,34-35, MAY 15, 2022

1. STORY
After a severe earthquake, John volunteered to go to the north of the country as a rescue worker. Shortly after he arrived, there was a second devastating earthquake. He was working at an orphanage helping children to evacuate from their building. He made several trips in and out of the orphanage bringing the children to safety.   Disregarding his own safety, he continued to help the children when he was hit by falling bricks and was killed. John showed his love by sacrificing his life to help others. He carried out the command of Jesus to love one another.

2. GOSPEL, JOHN 13:31-33a, 34-35
A. LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

i) This is a very important command as it sums up the other commandments.

ii) Jesus demonstrated this command by the example of his life.

iii) By loving us, Jesus gave us the strength to love others.

B. AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.

Here are three ways Jesus loved us.

i) He humbled himself and came down from heaven and became a man to be with us. This was a great act of humility.

ii) He spent his whole life helping others. He gave us a model of how to love others.

iii) He died on the cross and rose from the dead so that we may have eternal life. He sacrificed his life for our sake.

3. APPLICATION TO LIFE
Love others as Christ loves us. Here are four suggestions as how to love others as Jesus loves us.

i) Put in your mind that all of the people you meet, you want them to be happy. Whether the person is a stranger, a friend, a neighbor, a fellow worker, or even a person you do not like, the thought in your mind is you want them to be happy.

ii) Most people have good and bad points. Make an effort to see their good points and to appreciate them. Accept the fact that we all had characteristics that may not be so good. No one is perfect.

iii) Be willing to forgive others who have offended you. As we hope others will forgive us if we have offended them, so do others hope we will forgive them.

iv) Finally, help others as much as you can within your ability. A smile, a kind word, or a listening ear, even though you may think they are very small things, they are ways you can love others. We also love others by praying for them.

4. CONCLUSION
i) John volunteered to help the needy. He gave his life to save others. ii) Jesus gave us a most important command to love others, that is to help others. Jesus helped us and gave his life as a model for us to follow.

iii) We love others by wishing them to be happy, appreciating their good points, forgiving them, and helping them in any way within our abilities. We thank Jesus for this very precious instruction and ask him to help us carry out his command to love others as he loves us.