May 9, 2021

Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year B)

The Gospel for this Sixth Sunday of Easter (Jn 15:9-17) is a continuation of the reading from last week where Jesus gave his followers a lesson on discipleship with the parable of the Vines and the Branches. With this metaphor, their key to success consisted of remaining close to Jesus, and thereby the Father, and to remember everything that he had taught them.

As the passage continues today, Jesus adds another element for proper discipleship, one which is the most important – the commandment to love: “Love one another as I love you” (Jn. 115:12b). This love that Jesus demands is no ordinary love, neither mere affection nor simple concern for one another. Rather, it is the type of love that he and the Father share and the love that he has shown to his disciples. It is agape love, selfless and unconditional. The type of love where one is willing “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn. 15:13b).

When we turn to the First Reading from the book of Acts (Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48), we find Peter confronted with a task which will have ramifications for the future of the Church. Up until this point he has been preaching the gospel message to only Jews in and around the area of Jerusalem. He has performed miracles in the name of Jesus and faced controversy and persecution from the Jewish leaders and the Sanhedrin for his actions. Now a unique mission falls to Peter, one which will only succeed if he stays true to the command of Jesus to love.

Recall that the Jewish people were required to follow a strict code of ritual purity as part of the covenant made with God at the time of Moses. These laws were intended to keep the people in a state of holiness as God’s chosen nation. Thus, certain foods were forbidden because they had the potential for harmful health effects or because they were contrary to the order of creation. Most importantly, these laws were designed to separate the Jews from their Gentile neighbors, making it difficult for them to associate socially and become influenced by pagan customs.

Now present in Judah at the time of Jesus were a large group of people known as God-fearers. These were Gentiles who were sympathetic to the Jews and who observed a lot of Jewish rituals without becoming fully Jewish. Some of the traditions they chose not to follow were the law of circumcision and the special diet of kosher food. They did, however, attend synagogue and fully believe in the God of Israel.

One of these God-fearers during this time was a man known as Cornelius. He was a man of prominent standing, both a high commander and centurion in the Roman army and wealthy homeowner who gave alms generously to the Jewish people. One afternoon Cornelius had a vison from an angel who told him to summon Peter to his home. The next day Peter also had a vision which consisted of animals that would have been unclean for him as a Jew to eat. A voice from the vision commanded Peter to slaughter and eat these animals but he refused knowing that it was forbidden by the law of Moses. The voice, however, instructed Peter, “What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.” (Acts 10:15).

Although still in doubt over the meaning of the vision, when men sent by Cornelius came to summon Peter, he accompanied them to Caesarea and the house of Cornelius, a place he hesitated to enter because it was considered “unclean.” However, when Cornelius bowed before Peter to pay him homage, Peter recognized that he was a devout man and then came to understand the vision saying, “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.” (Acts 10:34).

While Peter was still speaking the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were present, allowing the Jews who had accompanied him to recognize that the uncircumcised Gentiles should also be included among the promise of salvation granted by Jesus to Israel. Thus, that day Peter baptized all the members of the household of Cornelius in the name of Jesus, enabling them to enter the fold of Christianity.

This action of Peter later brought consequences for him when he rejoined the other apostles in Jerusalem. They admonished him and insulted him with accusations, “You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them” (Acts 11:3). However, after Peter recounted to them his vision and experience in detail, they came to accept his actions, saying, “God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too.” (Acts 11:18).

This situation would become quite a conflict among the other apostles, especially James, the leader of the Church in Jerusalem, and Peter, and Paul. Finally, in the year 48AD the apostles met at the Council of Jerusalem and with Peter moderating between Paul and James, the leaders decided they would allow Gentiles to enter the Church with only a few stipulations so that both Jew and Gentile could meet as one community at the Eucharistic banquet of the Lord. As a result of this momentous decision and the baptism of numerous Gentiles by Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journeys, the membership of the Church grew exponentially from Jerusalem throughout the Roman Empire.

Imagine that all of this happened, the foundation of the Church throughout the Gentile world, because of the love of Peter. When he had seen the vision and received the invitation to visit Cornelius, he had doubts whether this was the right thing to do. He may have insisted on staying true to the laws of cleanliness and refuse to go to Caesarea to avoid tarnishing his own standing. Or as a devout Jew, he may have looked down on Cornelius who was merely a God-fearer and consider him unworthy of association. He might have felt intimidated to meet Cornelius because he was a man of wealth and prominence. Or, as an officer for Rome, the people who were repressing the Jews, Peter may have thought of Cornelius as an enemy to be shunned and avoided.

Regardless of what Peter thought about Cornelius, because of his love for Jesus and the Gospel message, his true conviction that Jesus was the Messiah, and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he agreed to undertake this mission even amidst uncertainty.

This is what the love commanded by Jesus requires of all of us as Christians when we are presented with a particular task for the Church. We may not want to co-sponsor a rummage sale for charity with a group from the non-denominational church because they are not Catholic. We might ignore our next-door neighbor when we see them at Christmas Mass because they only attend once per year. We might feel intimidated or embarrassed to ask for donations or collect for the local food drive by going door-to-door. Or we may simply dislike the person who chairs a committee we are asked to join.

Whatever the case may be, these are the times when we are called to love like Peter, and like Jesus. It is the love that God offers us which we in turn give to others. It has no prejudice or discrimination. It views all people as equal regardless of race, creed, or social standing. It shows concern amidst personality or political conflicts. It is self-sacrificing and action oriented. And it shuns no one.

It is agape.