Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C

Who Is God And What Does He Want From Us?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, May 18, 2025

Throughout my formative years in the major seminary, I listened to numerous retreat talks given by priests. The topics of those retreats I have forgotten, except one. Somehow, my brain has retained it and has played it back to me multiple times. This retreat was given by one of the formators, an American Redemptorist, Fr. Jack Willet,  who died a few years ago. Fr. Jack was a big guy. As he walked into our seminary chapel, the first words out of his mouth were, “Who is God? And what does he want from us?”As he spoke, he kept returning to the two great questions: Who is God? And what does he want from us?

The setting for today’s Gospel (John13: 31a-33a, 34-35) is the Last Supper. Jesus had entered Jerusalem, the city of David, in a dramatic and glamorous way. He is ready for the Passover meal. At this meal, he shocks his disciples by washing their feet. He uses the symbolism of foot-washing to teach them that following him is about serving others and not being served. After that, Jesus announces his betrayal, not by an outsider but an insider, one of his close associates— Judas. Soon afterward, the unrepentant Judas leaves the scene. Rather than dwell on what Judas is about to do to him, Jesus shifts his attention to what he expects from his apostles, disciples, and Christians up and down the centuries. He gives, not an ideal or a value or hope or a desire, but a non-negotiable commandment: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). 

Jesus is God-man. He is the very incarnation of Yahweh. In him, humanity and divinity come together. He is the very icon of the invisible God. In Jesus, God has revealed his face. After an explosive three years of public ministry, he is coming to the end of it. He is about to be dumped upon all our cruelty, injustice, betrayal, violence, stupidity, and aggression. Saint Thomas Aquinas said that what someone says and does in the ultimate moment of their life is of tremendous power and significance. If you are with a relative or a friend who is coming to the end of their earthly existence, would you not take seriously what they say or do the last time you were with them? The Gospel passage we heard today is some of Jesus’ farewell speeches. So, it is paramount that we listen to it and do what he tells us to. 

In his farewell speech, Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” How did Jesus love us? Take a look at the cross. We know that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe. More to it, God is love. God is self-emptying on behalf of the other. Therefore, to have God is to be what God is. The old rule says, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” It means I cannot love another more than I love myself. But in the new dispensation that Jesus ushers, love moves from “philia” to “agape.” Authentic Christian love is self-emptying for the other. It is unconditional. It is sacrificial. True love is sacrificial love. It gives and gives and never tires of giving. Our love for each other must go deep. The whole purpose of laws, commands, and demands of the Church is love. All of it id designed to make us more proficient to love, at giving ourselves away. The commands – don’t steal, don’t kill, don’t covet your neighbor’s goods or wife, honor your mother and father, forgive your offender, worship God, etc. – are all meant to awaken love and make it possible. 

In the final analysis, love is the greatest weapon, the most powerful tool and the most complete instrument of overcoming all that bedevils us. Today, I enjoin you, fellow sinners and fellow disciples to:

Disarm arm the ugliness of hatred with love

Disarm bitterness with love 

Disarm malice with love 

Disarm uncontrolled anger with love

Disarm unforgiveness with love

Disarm bitterness with love

Disarm injustice with love

Disarm and dislodge the spirit of disagreeability with love

Disarm conflict with love

Disarm all manners of cruelty with love

Disarm non-ending dispute with love

Disarm all forms of hostilities, ongoing bad blood, friction and family feud with love

Disarm racism, tribalism and blind nationalism with love

Disarm all those culture wars that have separated us from one another with love

I tell you, all the problems of this world can be solved and resolved with the far-reaching power of love. Peace is possible in our houses, in our homes and in the nation if only we live by the Lord’s call to love. Peace can be restored in every part of our country if we resolve to love as Jesus taught us. Peace in Ukraine is possible if all the gladiators will apply Jesus’ healing balm of love. Peace is attainable in Africa. It is attainable in every troubled region of the world if only we can love one another as Jesus loves us. Blessed are those who love and who make themselves instruments of love, for they shall be called true disciples of Jesus Christ. 

God bless you!