Word to the Wise
Sunday, May 5, 2013 - 6th Sunday of Easter - C
[Acts 15:1-2, 22-29; Rev 21:10-14, 22-23; John 14:23-29]Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.......The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I told you.
In a pragmatic culture like ours, Jesus' words about his Father and him dwelling in the those who love him and the Holy Spirit coming to help the believer seem a bit abstract! Yet, Jesus speaks these words as an expression of love!
St. Thomas Aquinas uses the analogy of friendship to describe the best relationship between human and God. When we have a close friendship with another person, it is as if that person actually does "dwell" inside us. He or she is present to us even when we are not physically together. In the Gospel of John, faith in Jesus gives rise to love and it is this love which is expressed in the "dwelling" of God - Father, Son and Spirit - within us.
This relationship is not the privilege of a few special "mystics." It is available to all who are baptized and want to know God. We can experience this in our prayer, in our study of the Word of God, in our relationships with others, and in the way we serve others out of our love for God and God's children. Baptism is, as it were, the "welcome mat," but it is up to us to unlock the door and let God in! AMEN