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SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (Cycle B)
When the Church celebrates the Lord's Ascension on the following Sunday, the Second Reading and Gospel Reading for the Seventh Sunday of Easter may be read on the 6th Sunday.

 

Readings:
Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48
Psalm 98:1-4
1 John 4:7-10
John 15:9-17

Abbreviations: NAB (New American Bible), NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), RSVCE (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name YHWH (Yahweh).

God reveals His divine plan for humanity in the two Testaments, and that is why we read and relive the events of salvation history contained in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that our Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).

The Theme of the Readings: We are Children Begotten by the Love of God
The unifying theme of our readings is God's love that makes us the children of a divine Father and gives us the obligation to share His love with others. We love our brothers and sisters in covenant with us and also those in the human family of Adam. We recognize that love is not an inherited trait; it must be learned and experienced, developed, and fostered. Love begins at the human level in infancy and grows through our human relationships. Experiencing human love can help prepare us to respond to the religious dimension of loving God and receiving the call to extend God's love to others.

We see God's love in action in the First Reading, where God pours out His Spirit upon a group of Gentile Romans as they listen to the Word of God preached by St. Peter. They received the same gift of love as Jesus' Jewish disciples when they were praying in the Upper Room at Pentecost. When the Romans responded to Peter preaching Jesus' Gospel of salvation by opening their hearts to the love of God the Son, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, and they began glorifying God. They were the first group of Gentiles to embrace Christ as Lord and Savior and receive the Sacrament of Baptism.

The opening up of our hearts to God's love is the glorious work of God that we sing about in today's Responsorial Psalm. His mighty deeds on behalf of Israel were a witness to other nations of both His power and mercy. Therefore, the psalmist calls upon the whole earth to sing a joyful song praising the Lord God of Israel.

In the Second Reading, St. John writes that the love of God that Christians share with others testifies to the nature of God and His presence in their lives. The love of God that we share also demonstrates our true nature as a child of God who is Himself the definition of love. God reveals the depth of His love for the world in the gift of eternal salvation through the willing sacrifice of His Son. His gift of divine love allows us to repent and receive deliverance from our sins and have a share in His godly life through our rebirth in the Sacrament of Christian Baptism when we become children begotten of God the Father.

In the Gospel Reading, Jesus tells us that God's gift of love brings with it both a command and a duty. He commands us to love one another as Christ has loved us. He also calls us to offer the willing sacrifice to lay down our lives for others just as Jesus laid down His life for us. The duty of serving Christ in love is our Christian witness that leads to deeds of righteousness. Those righteous works are the "fruit that will remain" (Gospel Reading) in the revelation of God to the nations (Psalm Reading).

The First Reading Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 ~ Peter Baptizes the Household of the Roman Centurion Cornelius in the Name of Jesus
25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and, falling at his feet, paid him homage. 26 Peter, however, raised him up, saying, "Get up.  I myself am also a human being." [...] 34 Then Peter proceeded to speak and said, "In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. 35 Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.  [...]. 44 While Peter was still speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word. 45 The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also, 46 for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter responded, 47 "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?" 48 He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for a few days.

The Holy Spirit directed Peter to visit a group of Roman God-fearers in Caesarea. They professed belief in the God of Israel, and God had commanded their leader, a centurion named Cornelius, to seek out Peter in Jaffa (Acts 10:1-23). When Peter arrived at his house, the Roman centurion fell at Peter's feet in gratitude that Peter had consented to come and speak to those assembled at his home. That a Roman conqueror should fall to his knees in front of a Jewish vassal was shocking. We see Peter's humility in telling the Roman to arise. He is obedient to Jesus' teaching on the night of the Last Supper in John 13:12-17. Peter understands that he is Christ's servant sent to serve others.

34 Then Peter proceeded to speak and said, "In truth, I see that God shows no partiality ...
Acts 10:34-43 is Peter's fifth kerygmatic address. His homily to the Gentiles gathered in Cornelius's house has the same basic outline as his other proclamations of Jesus as Lord and Savior (see Acts 2:14-39; 3:12-26; 4:8-12; 5:29-32 and 10:34-43). At this gathering, Peter proclaims:

  1. God sent Jesus and anointed Him by the Holy Spirit to be Savior-Lord and Messiah.
  2. He did what was good and healed those in need of physical and spiritual healing.
  3. He was put to death by men but arose from the dead on the third day.
  4. He appeared to His disciples and commissioned them to preach in His name.
  5. Whoever believes in Him and is baptized in His name will receive forgiveness of sins.

44 While Peter was still speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word. 45 The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also, 46 for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God.  Then Peter responded, 47 "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?"
The Holy Spirit baptized the group of Gentile believers in the same way He baptized the Jewish believers in the Upper Room on Pentecost Sunday. The sign of their spiritual baptism was revealed when they began to speak "in tongues," a manifestation of the Spirit in which a believer speaks to God in a language other than his own. It is a manifestation that first occurred at Pentecost when the Apostles began preaching the Gospel of salvation in several different languages (Acts 2:4-11; see 19:6 and 1 Cor 14). For Peter, this phenomenon signified that the Gospel message of salvation is universal, to be preached to all nations as Jesus told the Apostles before His Ascension (see Mt 28:19-20; Mk 16:15-17), and as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah (Is 66:18).

48 He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.  Then they invited him to stay for a few days.
Peter arranged for the immediate baptism of the entire assembly of Gentiles at Cornelius' house. Since Cornelius's family and friends were present, we assume that children and infants also received baptism. Infant baptism has been a practice since the beginning of the Church. For example, see the writings of St. Irenaeus (c. AD 140-202), Against Heresies, 2, 22, 4; St. Hippolytus of Rome (m. AD 235), The Apostolic Tradition, 21; Origen (c. AD 185-254), Homilies on Leviticus, Hom. 8,3; Commentaries on Romans, 5, 9; St. Cyprian of Carthage, Letter to Fidus c. AD 251, 64 (59), 2. Also, see CCC 403, 1231, 1233, 1250-52, 1282, 1290.

Peter's baptism of the Romans in Caesarea is the first time Gentiles received the Sacrament of Christian Baptism and entered the New Covenant Church. It was the beginning of Jesus' command to take the Gospel of salvation to the nations of the earth (Mt 28:19-20; Mk 16:15-16).

Responsorial Psalm 98:1-4 ~ A Revelation to the Nations
The response is: "The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power" or "Alleluia."

1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm.
Response:
2 The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations, he has revealed his justice.  3 He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.
Response:
4 All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God.  Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise.
Response:

This psalm is a hymn extolling God's victories and the revelation of His saving power to the nations of the earth.  Not only has God demonstrated His mercy and faithfulness towards His covenant people, but His mighty deeds on behalf of the Israelites are a witness to the other nations of the world of both His power and His mercy. Therefore, the psalmist calls upon the whole earth to sing a joyful song praising the Lord God of Israel.

God revealed His saving power through the sacrifice of God the Son.  God extends His gift of eternal salvation to everyone who comes to Him in faith, followed by Christian Baptism (Mk 16:16). Every person who demonstrates faith in action by submitting to the Sacrament of Baptism through water and the Spirit becomes a child begotten in the image of Christ in God's family of the Church (Jn 3:5-7). He offers His gift of salvation no matter their ethnic origin or age, or gender, and He provides them the sanctuary of a family in His Kingdom of the Church.

The Second Reading 1 John 4:7-10 ~ Love Defines Children of God
7 Beloved, let us love one another because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. 8 Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this way, the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. 10 In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

The love of God that Christians share with others testifies to God's nature and His presence in the lives of His covenant children.  The love of God that we share with others also demonstrates our nature as children of God who is Himself the definition of love. God reveals the nature of His love to the world in His gift of eternal salvation through the willing sacrifice of His Son. This gift of divine love allows us to be delivered from our sins and have a share in His divine life through our rebirth in Christian baptism.

Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we cease being children in Adam's family. Instead, we become children begotten into the family of God the Father, living in the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. In return, He only asks that we share the same love He has shown us to others. He calls us to love others as Christ has loved us with a self-sacrificial and authentic love that is proof to the world that we have an intimate relationship with God and have life through Him.

The Gospel of John 15:9-17 ~ The Command to Love One Another
9 As the Father loves me, so I also love you.  Remain in my love. 10 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. 11 I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. 12 This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I no longer call you slaves because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give you. 17 This I command you: love one another.

Our reading is from Jesus' last homily to His disciples at the end of the Last Supper. In John 15:7, Jesus promised to honor whatever request we make in His name. Most people stop with that statement and then complain that what they have asked in prayer has not been fulfilled. However, Jesus placed a condition on our requests in verses 9-17. We must remain in union with Him and keep the commandments.

Jesus says He will give whatever we ask if we abide or remain in Him. The way we "remain" in Him is to keep His commandments. Our obedience includes believing everything He has taught, including His teaching that we must conform to God the Father's will in our lives just as Jesus was perfectly in accord with the Father's will. We see that accord when Jesus prayed to God the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. John does not repeat that event in his Gospel, but it appears in the Synoptic Gospels. In Matthew 26:39, Jesus prays: "My Father [...], if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it."

Therefore, when we pray, we must consider if our petitions are in accord with and not contrary to the teachings of Christ and His Church. And our petitions must be obedient to the will of God for our lives. The Catechism teaches: "The prayer of faith consists not only in saying 'Lord, Lord,' but in disposing the heart to do the will of the Father. Jesus calls his disciples to bring into their prayer this concern for cooperating with the divine plan" (CCC 2611).

11 I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.  12 This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.  13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. 
Verse 11 is not the first time Jesus has given this commandment in John's Gospel when He says, "[you] love one another as I love you" He uses the Greek word agapate, meaning "you love" plural from the Greek word agape. This command is not new. God commanded the love of one's neighbor in Leviticus 19:18. Repeating the command from the old Law puts Jesus on par with Yahweh. Jesus repeats His command in John 13:34: "I give you a new commandment: love one another.  As I have loved you, so you also should love one another." The use of the present subjunctive tense suggests that this love that disciples have for one another should be a continuous, lifelong love, and their demonstration of selfless love is how they will be known as His disciples (Jn 13:35).

In verse 13, Jesus says that He will lay down His life, sacrificing Himself for them. The significance of Jesus' statement is that Christian love does not only mean the willingness to die for one's friends or one's faith, but because this love stems from Christ, it is a love of self-sacrifice. Jesus has the power to lay down His life and to take it up again in fulfilling the command of God the Father in John 10:18 and 14:31. His command to love unselfishly is another example of the necessity of living a life of love as a commandment for the New Covenant faithful.

Jesus' self-sacrificial love for us is an example and a model of the expression of the intensity of the love Christ calls us to share with others. Moreover, His sacrifice is not only a model and example, but it is also the source of our love for others. St. John writes in 1 John 3:16-18, The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.

It is easy to love the loveable, but it is sometimes very difficult to love those who behave badly or reject our love. In that case, it is easier to give love when you remember that Christ loved that unlovable person enough to die for him. If you love Christ, through Christ, you can also love him.

14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I no longer call you slaves because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
There is nothing derogatory in Jesus describing the disciples as His slaves/servants. The Old Testament prophets were called slaves/servants of Yahweh and see the same term in Deuteronomy 34:5 for Moses, Joshua 24:29 for Joshua, and Psalms 89:20 for David. However, the status change from "servant" to "friends" must be seen as significant.  Biblical scholars have several interpretations of verses 14-15.

  1. Some suggest that when Jesus ascends to His glory, He will raise the Apostles to the status of ministers or friends of the Messianic King and the holy men of His Church. They are His friends (Wis 7:27) just as Scripture refers to Father Abraham as God's friend (2 Chr 20:7 and Is 41:8).
  2. Other scholars suggest that the Holy Spirit will raise them to the status of brothers/friends because of their baptism.
  3. Others point to St. Paul's teaching that God's people were slaves or servants of the Law under the Old Covenant. In Galatians 4:4-5, St. Paul writes: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. And again in Romans 8:14-15: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.  For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, Abba, "Father!"

We might also consider that they are "friends" because they now share Jesus' intimate knowledge of God's divine plan to bring salvation to humanity. They are the select few admitted to the secrets and mysteries Jesus revealed to them concerning the Kingdom of God. They have special knowledge in the same way Abraham enjoyed a unique relationship with Yahweh and was, therefore, the only man in the Old Testament called the "friend" of God. As the first ministers/leaders of His New Covenant Church that is the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, they form the new, redeemed Israel, and are Jesus' partners in carrying the mission of salvation to the ends of the earth.

16 It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give you.
God established the Old Covenant Church through the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob-Israel, who were the physical fathers of God's Covenant people. Jesus established the New Covenant Church through twelve spiritual fathers, the Apostles. Later the number of the remaining eleven Apostles after Judas defection would be expanded again to twelve with the election of Matthias after the Lord's Ascension (Acts 1:20-26). That election, ordered by St. Peter, establishes the practice of selecting successors of Christ's ministers in the hierarchy of the Church.

17 This I command you: love one another.
Jesus gives the command "to love" three times in His Last Supper Discourse (see Jn 13:34; 15:12 and 17).  In verse 10, Jesus told the Apostles that they would remain in His love if they kept His commandments. Now He has repeated the commandment to love a significant three times from which all other commandments come. It is a fruitful love commanded to produce more love. 

Notice how the commandment "to love" was developed from verse 9 and has expanded in verses 12 and 17:

  1. The Father loves Jesus.
  2. Jesus loves His disciples.
  3. The disciples must love one another.

St. John revisited this theme in 1 John 4:11-12, where he wrote: Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another.  No one has ever seen God.  Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.

On the subject of the Church's obligation to love, the Catechism quotes St. Therese of Lisieux, from Autobiography of a Saint: "If the Church was a body composed of different members, it couldn't lack the noblest of all; it must have a Heart, and a Heart BURNING WITH LOVE. And I realize that his love alone was the true motive force which enabled the other members of the Church to act: if it ceased to function, the Apostles would forget to preach the gospel, the martyrs would refuse to shed their blood. LOVE, IN FACT, IS THE VOCATION WHICH INCLUDES ALL OTHERS; IT'S A UNIVERSE OF ITS OWN, COMPRISING ALL TIME AND SPACE—IT'S ETERNAL! (CCC 826).

Catechism References (* indicates Scripture quoted or paraphrased in the citation):
Acts 10:35 (CCC 761) 10:48 (CCC 438, 454, 486, 1289); 10:48 (CCC 1226*)

1 John 4:1 (CCC 2822*); 4:8 (CCC 214, 221, 733, 1604*); 4: (CCC 458, 516); 4:10 (CCC 457, 604, 614*, 620, 1428*)

John 15:9-10 (CCC 1824); 15:9 (CCC 1823); 15:12 (CCC 459, 1823, 1970*, 2074); 15:13 (CCC 363*, 609, 614*); 15:15 (CCC 1972, 2347*); 15:16-17 (CCC 2745); 15:16 (CCC 434, 737, 2615*, 2815*)

Jesus' prayer at the Last Supper (CCC 2746*, 2747*, 2748*, 2749*, 2750*, 2751*)
God is love (CCC 214*, 218*, 219*, 220*, 221*, 231*, 257*, 733*, 2331, 2577*)
Love of God and neighbor fulfills the Commandments (CCC 826*, 1789*, 1822, 1823*, 1824*, 1825*, 1826*, 1827*, 1828*, 1829, 2067*, 2069*)
Friendship with Christ (CCC 2347*, 2709*)

Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2015; revised 2021 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.