Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Today’s readings remind us that God has been active throughout history; most particularly God is made known in the person of Jesus. We are called to participate in God’s revelation in this present time through our discipleship as faith- filled people who serve with love.
In the first reading, St. Paul tells his listeners about God’s work in this world. From Moses, to David and then finally to Jesus, God promises mercy, healing and love. The gospel reading today illustrates how Jesus (the living Son of God) shares the importance of loving service through washing the disciples’ feet. Jesus invites His disciples to believe in Him and to follow Him by doing what He has just done. The directive to all believers is to take this servant love out into the world, so others who receive that love will receive the love of God and also come to believe.
God continues to live in today’s world through us! Jesus sends us out into the world similar to the apostles long ago. Pope Leo in his first Sunday homily after being elected shared that, “There are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent, settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power or pleasure.” He goes on further to remind believers that "This is the world that has been entrusted to us, a world in which, as Pope Francis taught us so many times, we are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Jesus the savior.”
It is through our lives of loving service that we bring Christ and our faith to the world. When others see that our belief leads to compassionate care for others, we allow them to see Christ in our actions. This loving service needs to be founded on our deep faith in Jesus and His life. Prayer, scripture, and sacrament help us to deepen our faith as a foundation for how we think, talk and act. This deep faith in Christ is needed to guide our lives as well as bring hope and purpose to the world. Pope Leo remarked that “a lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.” Sharing our faith can bring healing, wholeness and peace to our world that is in great need.
God is still alive and being revealed in our current age. As the new leader of our church, Pope Leo invites us to deepen our faith and live out that faith as witnesses of Christ. Filled with God’s Spirit, may our lives of faith allow our church to become "a beacon that illumines the dark nights of this world." (Pope Leo)
—Marylynn Herchline