The Indwelling of the Trinity
Brethren, there are two important points we can take from today's readings as we continue to reflect on the farewell discourse of Jesus. Firstly, is what the love that Jesus talked about yesterday means and implies, and secondly, one of the four major roles of the Paraclete in the gospel of John: to teach. Let us look at each of them.
Jesus today tells us that: "anybody who loves me will be loved by my father and I shall love him and show myself to him" (John 14:21). He adds, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home with him." Brethren, these words show us that it is wonderful to love Jesus. Imagine being a home for God. Loving God invites the Holy Trinity to dwell in us. What a blessing! Today, let us try to reflect on these words and let them become an invitation to Love God and neighbor.
Jesus equates this love to receiving and following his commandments. This means, loving Jesus is to listen to what he teaches and then following what the teachings demand. This is not a matter of mere obedience but of loving imitation. If I love a person I want to keep that person’s commandments, both out of loyalty and out of respect for that person’s qualities: the commandments will reveal and mirror that person’s qualities. These are the qualities we have to imitate. Keeping Jesus' commandments therefore involves receiving them, doing what they command in the way of imitating Jesus himself for these commandments reveal what He is.
When we keep his commandments, then we have loved Jesus and when we love him, we have loved the Father and in turn they will love us back. But this does not mean that God loves us with conditions, God's love is unconditionally and it's always waiting for us. We shall feel that love when we respond to it by loving Him back. When we love Him, we invite that love to us. This means that though His love is unconditional, God does not force that love unto us, it's us who have to invite that love to our lives only by loving God and it's only then that we will experience God's love.
How do we know that we love God? Firstly, as we have seen, it is through following his commandments, but those commandments must be put into practice by showing love to our neighbors. We only know that we love God when we love our neighbors. John tells us that "Those who say, 'I love God,' and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen" (1 John 4:20). Brethren, to love God is to love your neighbor, if not you are lying to yourself.
It is when we love our brethren that God will come to dwell in our hearts. God dwells only where there is love, because God Himself is love (Deus caritas est). Therefore, if there is no love among us brethren, God will not come to dwell among us, we are chasing Him away not only from our lives but also from loving us.
The second important thing is the first role of the Paraclete. John refers to the Holy Spirit as Paraclete. Paraclete means an 'Advocate’, a person who is ‘called to the side’ of someone in need. Jesus promises to send the Paraclete when he leaves. This Paraclete is to represent Jesus, to carry on Jesus’ work, to act in the name of Jesus and to make Jesus present when Jesus is no longer there. To John, this Paraclete has four major roles which we will gradually reflect on them. The first role presented today is teaching, to complete and explain what Jesus has revealed, the implications of the Good News of Jesus. We see this in the Church, making present to every generation the implications of the Good News. The presence of the Paraclete makes it possible for frail and fallible human beings to mediate the work of Jesus. May his Spirit continue to teach us his truth.
The love of God is ignited in us if we allow ourselves to be taught by the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promises us. If we are led by the spirit of God, we shall always dwell in love and they also (God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit) will always dwell in us and when they dwell in us we are going to do marvelous deeds which will make everyone give glory to God the Father, just as Paul and Barnabas did in the first reading by healing a crippled man.
Let us reflect today on our love for the Trinity: how deep is it? How are we inviting God to dwell in us by our love of one another? Are we keeping and following God's commandments? Is the Holy Spirit the leader and guide of our lives? Let us spend some time to reflect on these questions and on today's readings and then ask for the necessary Graces we need to love God and our neighbours.
Let us pray.
Lord, I love you and I invite you to come and live in my heart. Make my heart Your dwelling place. Help me to see You there, to meet You there, to converse with You and to love You in my soul and may this love guide me to love my brothers and sisters. Amen.
Be blessed forever and Happy Easter Season
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