Sixth Sunday of Easter [B]

 


SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER


We would rank the Greek philosopher Socrates (470–399, BC) as one of the greatest thinkers of all time. He was a profound thinker, and he encouraged others to engage in their own practice of deep thinking. What does he want you to think about? For the most part, he wants you to think about life. You’re being called to think about life, but not simply in general terms; the recommendation is that you think about your particular life—the life that you are in the process of living. According to Socrates, the unexamined life is not a life worth living. Therefore, if your life is ticking away, without the benefit of being examined, then it could be said that you are essentially depriving yourself. At least that’s what a man like Socrates would say. 


Now let’s consider John the Evangelist: what would he have to say? John would probably take it a step further. He would find fault with the unexamined life—and he would be even more critical of a life that never undergoes any sense of reform. For John, the unreformed life is a sub-standard way of being alive. If your life proceeds without the benefit of reform, if you never introduce any level of reform, then you’re settling for deficiency when you could be enjoying an abundance. We hear something about the subject of joy in John, chapter 15. Elements of joy can be found within the framework of your life. But are you experiencing “complete” joy? If you’re not sure about how to answer that question, then perhaps your joy is not measuring up. It falls short of what’s being referenced in John 15:11. 


Is it possible for your joy to be somehow enhanced? Maybe we need to review what else is being mentioned in this fifteenth chapter. As we’ve already noted, there is some mention of joy. We hear something about the necessity of bearing fruit. And yet, the primary focus has to do with the virtue of love. This is my command: love one another; love one another as I have loved you (John 15:12). Sometimes this can be a challenge. All too often we struggle; we find that it’s not easy extending love to our neighbor. That’s why the Lord’s command also includes an incentive: remember that I have been loving you—even when you don’t really deserve it. If you want me to keep on loving you, then see if you can generate some love for your neighbor. 


Our second reading makes it clear: we love because the Lord has demonstrated his love for us (see 1st John 4:19). This is what we need to understand. As you gain a more complete awareness of the Lord’s love, then the joy within you becomes that much more complete. Therefore you respond, in turn, by practicing a genuine spirit of love. You’re loving and you’re bearing fruit for the Kingdom. In other words, you’re allowing some degree of reform to take place within your life. And as a result, your life is a life that’s well worth living. Peter has come to the same conclusion. The New Testament describes how reform entered into his life. His examined life becomes a reformed way of life, and now he’s carrying on with a new sense of purpose—a new sense of purpose and likewise a new sense of joy (see Acts 10:34-48). 

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