Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Following Jesus is the main theme of today’s Gospel reading. What does it mean to follow Jesus? We see two examples in yesterday and today’s Gospel through Peter and the beloved disciple. In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus predicted that Peter would be crucified, and today, Jesus called the beloved disciple to remain with him. While disputed among theologians and believers, early tradition suggests that the beloved disciple is John the Apostle and the writer of the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation. If we are to go with this correlation, then John the beloved disciple was banished to the island of Patmos and didn’t die of martyrdom like Peter. Peter and John’s lives were distinct from each other, yet they followed Jesus as outlined in Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, and Luke 9:23 which is to deny themselves and pick up their cross. The Gospel challenges us today to carry our cross and follow our own unique path God calls us to walk on.
The path to follow Jesus is unique to each person. I think of a Marianist Brother Novice’s Profession of First Vows that will happen this weekend and the joy that he has in living his vocation as a Religious Brother. I also recall the married couples I know who find joy in their marriage and service to God together. I remember the single people that I know who dedicate their lives to God and desire to live out their faith. We are not all called to do the same thing. This is good. Jesus is so complex that if he is to come into this world through us, we need to work together as a community with our individual uniquenesses. That way, the world can get a fuller and deeper understanding of who Jesus is.
The last paragraph of this Gospel indicates that the beloved disciple testifies to the works of Jesus. Here, the beloved disciple doesn’t just mean the Gospel writer but also to all of us who follow Jesus Christ. We are called to testify to all of Jesus’ works in our lives even though they are too numerous to be written. We are not alone in doing this. We have each other and the Holy Spirit to guide us. As we look forward to Pentecost tomorrow, I invite you to witness the Gospel by letting the Holy Spirit move in your life and to pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus, the Sequence for Pentecost:
Veni, Sancte Spiritus
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul's most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue's sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end. Amen.
Alleluia.
—Sr. Emily Sandoval, FMI