Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for May 18, 2025 (Easter 5C)
Peter Preaching (1433). Altarpiece panel by Fra Angelico (1400-1455). Museo di San Marco, Florence, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)
First Reading: Acts 11:1-18
God’s love is for everyone, not just a few: This inclusive message resonates through Sunday’s readings. In our first reading from Acts, 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.
Psalm: Psalm 148
This is one of the last of the 150 Psalms, a concluding chorus that rings out thunderous praise for the glory of God. In its glorious harmonies, it echoes Sunday’s message from Acts and also presages the Song of the Three Young Men in Daniel, Canticle 16: 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 raise their voices together, praising and exalting God forever!
Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-6
In the remaining weeks of Eastertide we move to the closing chapters of Revelation. Heaven and Earth have passed away in this apocalyptic vision. Everything has changed! Earth and sea and all creation as we knew it is no more. Now God is coming to Earth to live with mortals, as Jesus Christ had done; all humanity will be God’s people, and God will be with them in a world where all things are new. God will wipe away tears and banish mourning, crying and pain; God will quench all thirst with the water of life. Death will be no more!
Gospel: John 13:31-35
In Eastertide, we have remembered Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection and moved on to his mysterious appearances to his overjoyed followers. But now Sunday’s Gospel takes us back in time, remembering Jesus and the apostles as they gather for the Last Supper. Judas has just sneaked out to go betray Jesus, so we know that Jesus’s passion and death lie ahead. Yet Jesus begins his last words to his friends by reminding them all to love. In loving one another, loving our neighbors, loving even our enemies, Jesus provides clear instructions to love all of God’s people, and through this abundant, universal love to show the world how Jesus loves us all.