Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for May 19, 2019
First Reading: Acts 11:1-18
God’s love is for everyone, not just a few: This generous message resonates through today’s readings.
Peter Preaching (1433). Altarpiece panel by Fra Angelico (1400-1455). Museo di San Marco, Florence, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)
In our first reading we hear Peter explaining to his fellow Jewish Christians that a vision from God had made clear to him that Christ’s message was not intended just for them but for Gentiles as well. The idea that the gift of the Spirit could be shared with Gentiles through baptism without requiring them first to convert to Judaism must have seemed new and strange to them all, but God’s message to Peter was unambiguous: Go and baptize the Roman centurion Cornelius and his whole family. And so he did.
Psalm: Psalm 148
This is one of the last songs in the Book of Psalms, a concluding trio that rings out thunderous praise for the glory of God. It echoes the message from Acts (and also presages the Song of the Three Young Men in Daniel, Canticle 16) in glorious harmony: All God’s host stands up in joyous chorus, praising God from the heights and heavens. Sun and moon and shining stars praise God. Sea monsters and crawling things, kings and rulers, youngsters and old folks all praise God together, praising and exalting God forever!
Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-6
We read parts of the closing chapters of Revelation in the final weeks of Eastertide. In this apocalyptic vision, Heaven and Earth and all that is old have passed away, and everything is new! Earth and sea, all creation as we knew it, is no more. Reversing the idea that the souls of humans will rise to a lofty Heaven, we see God coming down from Heaven to Earth instead in a New Jerusalem, God coming to earth to live with mortals as Jesus Christ had done. In verses often read during the remembrance of a loved one’s life, we hear that God will wipe away tears and banish mourning, crying and pain; God will quench all thirst with the water of life, and death will be no more!
Gospel: John 13:31-35
“They’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love … Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” The words of this beloved hymn reflect the words of Jesus in Sunday’s Gospel. Jesus and the apostles are together at the last supper. In a tense moment, just after Judas has sneaked out to betray him, Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment in a farewell message: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” Knowing that he is about to die a gruesome death on a cross, Jesus sets out his commandment to live as he would live, loving one another and loving everyone.