Patrick Comerford
Easter is a 50-day season, beginning on Easter Day (20 April 2025) and continuing until the Day of Pentecost (8 June 2025), or Whit Sunday. This week began with the Fifth Sunday of Easter (Easter V, 18 May 2025), known in the Orthodox Church as the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman.
Before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:
1, reading today’s Gospel reading;
2, a short reflection;
3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;
4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.
John 15: 12-17 (NRSVA):
[Jesus said:] 12 ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17 I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.’
Today’s Reflection:
The Gospel reading provided in the Lectionary today at the Eucharist (John 15: 12-17) continues our readings from the ‘Farewell Discourse’ in Saint John’s Gospel/
This reading is familiar to many because of one verse that is often quoted on war memorials: ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend’ (John 15: 13).
However, in this Gospel reading, Christ is talking about death and victory in a very different context, as he continues to prepare his disciples for his physical departure from them. He has already told us that he is the ‘true vine’ (see John 15: 1), and that we are the fruit and the branches. We are to represent him in the world and to present him to the world, bearing fruit and acting in his name, loving one another as Christ loves us and as the Father loves him.
This kind of love leads to joy, the ultimate victory. Christ, who is the model for our behaviour, loves us so much that he gave his life for us, his friends, and this is the imperative for Christians to love one another.
But how do we know that we are doing this and showing that love? We know that we truly love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. Gestures of charity are simply not good enough – there must be a direct connection between loving others and living a life of holiness and sanctity.
Unlike the traditional observation and codification of the commandments, with their heavy-laden and burdensome listings and enumerations, the love of God and love of others is not a great burden for the Christian.
The first three weekdays next week (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) are known as Rogation Day. But we pray then not just that the land and the fields are fruitful; Christ says in today’s Gospel reading: ‘I appointed you to go and bear fruit’ (John 15: 16).
Our faith in Christ enables us to bear fruit, but only through love. He tell us he is giving us these commands ‘so that you may love one another.’ As we heard on Sunday (17 May), this commands are summarised quite simply: ‘I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’ (John 13: 34-35).
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Today’s Prayers (Friday 23 May 2025):
‘That We May Live Together: A Reflection from the Emerging Leaders Academy’ is the theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church’, the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel). This theme was introduced on Sunday with a programme update from Annsli Kabekabe of the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea.
The USPG Prayer Diary today (Friday 23 May 2025) invites us to pray:
Creator God, we thank you for the Asian Rural Institute and its mission to empower rural leaders. Bless their work in teaching sustainable agriculture, servant leadership, and community building.
The Collect:
Almighty God,
who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ
have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:
grant that, as by your grace going before us
you put into our minds good desires,
so by your continual help
we may bring them to good effect;
through Jesus Christ our risen Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
Eternal God,
whose Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life:
grant us to walk in his way,
to rejoice in his truth,
and to share his risen life;
who is alive and reigns, now and for ever.
Additional Collect:
Risen Christ,
your wounds declare your love for the world
and the wonder of your risen life:
give us compassion and courage
to risk ourselves for those we serve,
to the glory of God the Father.
Yesterday’s Reflections
Continued Tomorrow
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
