6B EASTER HOMILY, JOHN 15:9-17, MAY 5, 2024
1. STORY
A college professor gave a project to his sociology class. They were to go into a very poor area of the
city to interview 200 young boys about what their possible future might be. In every case, the conclusion was the same. The boys would fail. Twenty-five years later, another sociology
professor had his students follow up on this project. Of the 180 boys they were
able to contact, 176 achieved more than ordinary success as lawyers, doctors
and businessmen. The professor was
astounded and decided to further pursue the results. To the question of what was the reason for
their success, the reply in each case was “There was a teacher.” As the teacher was still alive, the professor
asked for her magic formula. “It’s very
simple,” she replied. “I loved those boys.”
2. GOSPEL, JOHN 15:9-17
A. JESUS LOVES US.
Jesus tells us that, “As the Father loves me, so I also love you.” We know Jesus loves us by his actions. He humbled himself and became a man. He lived a simple life for 30 years and helped people in many ways. He suffered injustice on the cross, he died for us, and rose to life for us.
B. LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.
Jesus repeated twice “This is my commandment: love one another as I have
loved you.” Jesus has chosen us “To go
and bear fruit that will remain.” We
love one another by helping others as Jesus did.
3. APPLICATION TO LIFE
A. WE LOVE JESUS.
Jesus tells us very clearly that we best love him by keeping his
commandments. Jesus has commanded us to
first love God, then our neighbor, and then ourselves. We love God by:
i) Each day we give him some of our time in prayer. In the
morning, we ask for his help; and in the evening, we thank him for
caring for us and our families.
ii) Each Sunday we attend Sunday Mass making every effort to get there
before the Mass begins. We listen
carefully to the readings and the homily. We remove all distractions during this holy
and sacred hour.
iii) We receive the Eucharist during each Mass we attend. If necessary, make a good confession so to be
in the state of grace.
These are a few ways to love Jesus.
B. LOVE JESUS AS HE HAS LOVED US.
Jesus is very clear on how to love him. We must follow his example. Here are some examples of how we can love
Jesus:
i) Jesus was humble when he became a man in order to help us. We must be humble knowing that our strength
comes from him.
ii) Jesus was generous giving his time and energy to help the needy. We must be generous in giving some of our time
and material blessings to the needy.
iii) Jesus was forgiving. We also
must be forgiving by forgiving those who have offended us.
4. CONCLUSION
The elderly teacher was a great success because she loved her pupils who
in turn became successful. Jesus loved
his disciples and commanded them to follow his example. Jesus loves us and wishes us to follow his
example by loving others. Jesus will
reward us with happiness and peace. We
thank Jesus for his instruction. We ask
for the strength to love one another as he has loved us.
