6th Sunday of Easter – Jn 14: 15-21

Loving Jesus and Keeping His Commandments

Introduction

- Why the drivers keep the laws of the road? It is because of the fear of the punishment.

- A story – an angel was walking with fire on one hand and water on the other hand. A person asked the angel, what is this for? The angel replied, “I am going to burn down all the mansions in heaven and put out the fire in the hell”. The person said, “Then nobody will obey the commandments anymore”. The angel said, “I want to know how many of you follow the commandments out of love towards Jesus”.

Content

- “If you love me you will keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15)

- What is our motivation behind following the commands of Jesus? It is love or fear or something else?

- If we are following the instructions of Jesus out of love we would have these characteristics in our life.

o Voluntariness, not moved by sense of external compulsion

§ Why we Sunday Mass? If it is voluntary act we would come in time, we would attend actively and spontaneous. We would think that “My Lord Jesus’ is waiting for me to give life through the sacraments. So I have to be there”.

o Aware of the others feelings

§ If we obey the law out of compulsion we will strictly follow it and insensitive to other.

§ Once a smoker said, “I do not smoke when I am with my friends since they do not like the smell of the smoke”. The decision comes from the love towards his friends through he has all the right to smoke in his home.

o Stop comparison and complaining

§ “I attended the novena but I did not get any reply”. We are praying and obeying God for a reward.

§ “I am praying more than them and obeying all the commandments. But why God gives me all the sufferings and they are enjoying the life”. Here I am obeying God for getting better things than them.

- The example for obeying because of reward or punishment the elder son of the parable of Prodigal Son.

- Jesus is the perfect example of obeying the will of father out of love.

Conclusion

- The commandment of Jesus is love of God and love of others.

- Why do we love?

o For example; the love of a husband towards his wife can be because of societal status of their family, or because of children, or because of some other motive. The real motive should be, “I love her because she is my wife whom God gave me to love and protect. Therefore whatever be her mistakes I will love her because I love God”.

4th Sunday of Easter Season – Jesus the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:1-10)

Jesus the Good Shepherd

Introduction

- A priest was coming to UP Campus Church. He got into a taxi and asked the driver to take him to the Church and told him that he do not know the way. “Who are you?” The driver asked. “I am a priest”, he replied. “What do you do?” He asked again. “I am teaching”. That was his answer. The conversation continued. “What do you teach?” “I teach people how to get heaven.” “What? You do not even know how to get UP Campus Church! How do you teach people to get heaven?” The priest answered, “I have trust in you that you know the way, and you will take me to the Church”.

- Does anybody know the way to heaven? Not sure. But we are sure of one thing that Jesus is the way and the destiny. Therefore if we are with Jesus we will be there safely.

Content

- The characteristics of Jesus, the good shepherded, that are mentioned in today’s gospel are;

o Knowing each one by name

§ The greatest number of children born to one woman is 69. The 'lucky' lady was a Russian peasant who gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and four sets of quadruplets between 1725 and 1765. She also holds the world record for giving birth to the most sets of twins and sets of quadruplets. I wonder how she can remember the names of all her children and grand children.

§ Jesus knows us personally – as said through the prophet “I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” Is 49:16

§ “Even the hairs of your head are counted” Mt 10:30

o Leading them from the front

§ In the war the military generals and the leaders will be at the back of the battle field. They will be giving command from the base. But the ways of Jesus is different.

§ Jesus is in our front to fight against the powers of evil and he defeated the highest form of evil, death.

§ All the founders of world religion told their disciples, ‘that is way to travel’, eg; Buddha showed the path of Dharma, Hindu Sages showed the path of nishkama karma.

§ Jesus told I am the path, walk in my path.

o Defending each one’s life by risking his own life

§ He died for us on the cross in order to save us.

§ He saved all his disciples before handing over for the crucifixion.

Conclusion

- What should be qualities of the sheep according to the gospel

o The sheep should trust in Jesus – Faith

§ I get in a taxi because of I trust in the driver, that he knows the driving and he knows the destination that I need to go. Jesus is our aim and the way. Trust in him and we will be safe.

o The sheep should listen to the Shepherd – Prayer

§ In the first year of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens. In the second year, the woman speaks and the man listens. In the third year, they both speak and the neighbors listen. But if you want your wife to listen and pay strict attention to my advice, talk in your sleep. Everybody wants to talk but nobody wants to listen. There are more speakers than listeners, maybe because it is much easier to talk than to listen. Listening has become a lost art. Jesus, the Good Shepherd speaks to us. He wants us to listen so that we can follow Him

§ In prayer we speak a lot the needs that we have in our life. There is nothing wrong in that. Let us also listen to what Jesus wants to tell to us.

§ He speaks in our heart, listen him in silence.

o The sheep should distinguish between the sound of the Shepherd from all other sounds – forming our mind through the Word of God

§ We have so many media around us as well as friends. We hear lot of opinions about different matters. What is right and what is wrong is a matter of discretion. How to choose the right one? Form our mind with the Word of God. It will enable us to distinguish between the voice of Good Shepherd and the false prophets.

§ The church provides us with shepherds after the heart of Jesus according to the apostolic success. Let us pray for more shepherds and the vocation for the priesthood and religious life. Let us also be faithful sheep of the church, the body of Christ.