Collect Series: Fifth Sunday Eastertide Year C

Collect Series

The Mass: Collect Series icon.

 COLLECT

Almighty ever- living God, constantly accomplish the Pascal Mystery within us,

That those You were pleased to make new in Holy Baptism

may, under Your protective care, bear much fruit and come to the joys of life eternal.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever and ever.

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible, the following reflection questions emerged:

1. What is the Pascal Mystery and what does it mean to me?

2.How can living the Pascal Mystery be accomplished within me this coming week?

3. What does my Baptism mean to me? If you have any photos/mementos of your Baptism, look at them as a means of being in that moment of Baptism.

4.If possible, visit the Church in which you were baptised- go to Mass there or make a visit/light a candle and say a prayer that your Baptism will be made new your life this coming week. If it is not possible to visit, google the place on the internet and enter into the moment of prayer to make your Baptism new this coming week.

5.How can I bear much fruit with God’s protective care this coming week?

6. How will I live the joy of Eastertide this coming week?

7. What preparations will I make this coming week to receive the joys of life eternal (reach Heaven)? Am I ready to die at a moment’s notice and enter into Heaven?

GOSPEL REFLECTION.

The Gospel is from John 13:31-33a, 34-35.  Jesus said ‘’I lay down my life for my friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.  What I command is that you love one another.’’ Would we pass the test that Christ himself lays down for deciding who are his true followers? 

 Today’s Gospel begins with the phrase ‘’when Judas had gone’’. Why is this little phrase important?  Jesus knew that Judas was to betray him and yet, He did stop Him before he went. He knew the suffering He would endure and He also knew that this was His mission and purpose for the world- to suffer, to die and on the third day rise again. 

 When we meet with the various forms of betrayal- the various types of Judas in our lives, are we like Jesus and get on with living out the purpose and mission that Christ has given us, or do we try to stop the betrayer, confront the betrayer and get caught up in his/her agenda not the mission and purpose that Christ has given us?

 The remainder of the Gospel is the giving of the commandment of love by Jesus. ‘’Love one another as I have loved you’’.  Simple to say and incredibly challenging to live- why because Jesus is commanding us to love with His love just as He has loved us.  We must be clear in our mind and heart how Jesus has/does love us first, otherwise how can we emulate His love?

Yes, we are human, but with God’s help and love, we can achieve a greater capacity to love and to love one another.  Knowing the love of Christ personally is key here because with that conviction and inner strength, we can face the difficult times, the difficult people and situations and still, with God’s help love one another.

 Many of us in prayer tell God our problems. It is good to be honest in prayer with God.  However, He knows before the thought is in our mind. Many of us tell God our problems but do not go further and remind God of His promises. God is always faithful to His promises. 

In this instance, we may have a person who is giving us grief, talking behind our backs, sullying our reputation personally and/or professionally. Can we love them?  Probably we do not feel like it.  However, we can say: Jesus, this person ( put in the name)  is giving me grief, talking behind my back, sullying my reputation. I do not feel like loving them. You love me so with your help, I will love ( put in the name of the person) with Your love just as you have loved me.
Praying like this in faith, for as long as it needs to take since the change in myself and the other person may take time ( or may only occur in one person if God chooses). Standing on the promises of God is vital in our prayer and not just pray the problem. Tell God the problem, but remind Him of His promises since it will nurture our faith in the process and God never fails on His promises. The promise here is that Jesus has told us that I have loved you. The command is to love another with that same love- the same love He gives us.

 If you do not know the promises of God from Scripture in relation to the problem you are currently experiencing, spend 15 minutes and google it. There are scriptures for every problem faced in some form or another. Write them down, have them in your phone, in your computer, in your handbag/purse- wherever these promises are convenient for you to use and to have on hand ready when you need them most.  Memorise them so that you can pray them in your heart at the time you need them. Pray them every day. Stand of the promises of God in your problem not just the problem.

 Key to this of course is really knowing and appreciating the great love Jesus has for every person. We have to really know and believe in the love Jesus has for us personally. 

 We can look at this commandment to love in another way.  In the Cadbury advertisement (chocolate), the tag line and message is ‘’ there is a glass and half in everyone’’.

As secular as the advertisement and sentiment is in relation to the product, it may be a useful consideration to keep in mind because in fact, with Jesus we, ourselves can be a glass and a half and with a generous heart, we too can look at others as the glass and a half too. This is particularly useful in times of betrayal and when we are not inclined to love.  There is always a glass and a half in everyone.

 May you love one another as I have loved you this coming week?