Reading 1
Acts 15:22-31
The Apostles and presbyters, in agreement with the whole Church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
“The Apostles and the presbyters, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’“
And so they were sent on their journey.
Upon their arrival in Antioch
Gospel
Jn 15:12-17
Jesus said to his disciples:
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
Meditation: John 15:12-17
You are my friends. (John 15:14)
A good friend is a great joy and blessing, and Jesus proved himself the best of friends because he excluded no one. His compassion was like a magnet drawing people to him. That’s why outcasts like the adulterous woman described in Luke 7, the cheating tax collector Zacchaeus in Luke 19, and the “good thief” in Luke 23 all approached him with confidence.
At the Last Supper, Jesus knew that his disciples would abandon and betray him, and yet he called them his friends (John 15:15). He even showed them the true mark of friendship by declaring that he would lay down his life for their sakes.
Now glorified in heaven and reigning over all of creation, Jesus still calls each of us his friend. And he invites us to join him in laying down our lives for the poor, the needy, and the neglected. They are all around us: in our parish community, in our neighborhood, in the stores where we shop, on the streets that we travel.
Sometimes, laying down our lives entails nothing more than taking the time to offer a warm smile, a friendly greeting, and an open heart to someone. George is a good example. He recently befriended a man from his parish who had struck him as feeling lonely and overburdened. This fellow was touched that someone took an interest in his concerns and decided to invite him to meet his family, including his mother, who was struggling with alcoholism, and his two adopted boys, who lost their mother to AIDS. George was amazed at the warmth in this family and their willingness to accept him as one of their own. What began as an act of charity on George’s part blossomed into a new network of relationships that ended up blessing him far more than he expected. He reached out to this fellow in order to give—but he received even more.
Even with our busy lives and rushed schedules, we can make room for the people around us. And when we do, we find that we are touching not just a lonely person but Jesus himself!
“Lord, teach me how to be a friend to the people around me. Open my eyes to see you in the lonely, the burdened, and the needy.”
they called the assembly together and delivered the letter.
When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation.
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