HOMILY for the Sixth Sunday of Easter
Sunday, May 05, 2024

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HOLD ON TO GOD'S WORDS
By Fr Jerry Orbos, SVD

The story is told about a farmer who was worried about his cow who would not feed on the grass that had turned dry and brown because of the heat and the drought. What did he do? He put green sunglasses on the cow, and just like that, the cow ate the brown grass again!
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In today’s Gospel (John 15:9-17), the Lord gave His disciples precious words from His heart to their hearts, to remind them of His commandment to love and to give them strength when they face difficulties and trials. He gave them the “green sunglasses” so that they would be able to see everything with faith, hope, and love. Let the Lord remind us today of His words that can make us survive any drought in our lives.
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“I LOVE YOU.” This is the cornerstone; this is the pillar on which our faith is built. We are loved by God! “As the Father loves me, so I love you” (John 15:9). Different religions speak of God as Supreme intelligence, Supreme power, Supreme bliss, but only Christianity speaks of God as a Father, a loving Father with a heart.
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“REMAIN IN MY LOVE.” Stay in God’s love. Stay good, and stay beautiful! “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in His love” (John 15:10). Let us hold on to God’s love, keep going to the Light, and keep doing what is right.
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“BE JOYFUL.” It is not a perfect world, and people around us can be mean and uncaring, but we can be joyful through it all if we have the Lord, our strength! The joy of the Lord is a joy that the world cannot give or take away, a joy so secure that you can speak your truth quietly and clearly. “I have told you this so that your joy might be complete” (John 15:11).
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“LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I LOVE YOU.” The Lord loves us as His friends, not as His slaves. And He loves us until death. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). And the Lord has confided to and revealed to us everything because He considers us as His friends! “I have called you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father” (John 15:15).
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“I CHOSE YOU.” We have been chosen to follow and to serve. We are chosen, not so much because of us, but in spite of us. He chose us to be close to Him, and to serve His people, not so much as a somebody, but as a someone. Chosen, with His heart, we, too, must serve, with His heart. “It was not you who chose me but I who chose you” (John 15:16).
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“AND BEAR FRUIT.” We have a mission for the Lord. May we live not just successful lives, but meaningful lives filled with God, sharing, and love. All our so-called “worldly achievements” are empty and vain and add up to nothing if the Lord is not in our hearts. We are missionaries, not just mercenaries, and we are disciples with a Master.
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“ASK THE FATHER ANYTHING IN MY NAME.” Let us not forget to call on God, ask for His help and guidance. Let us not do it alone, relying on our own wisdom, strength, and connections. “Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). More and more I know, I realize that without God, I am nothing, and with God, I can do more, than I can hope or imagine. Just ask. Ask like a child. Ask in Jesus name!
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Fake news alert! Please be careful of fake accounts using my name, like me endorsing or sponsoring a health product. I don’t endorse any product. I only endorse the Lord! And please don’t respond to solicitations for funds, unless you verify with me or hear it from me personally. Thank you.
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A moment with the Lord.
Lord, help us to hold on to your words in this world so full of dangers, sufferings, confusions, and deceptions. Amen.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer