Love as Jesus Did

The first reading for this Fourth Sunday of Easter, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, takes place just after the disciples received the gifts of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Peter—the apostle who had denied knowing Jesus before His death—now steps forward and accuses the crowd of having killed Jesus. Considering that he was in the minority, with three thousand people against him, this required great courage. Courage that did not come from him, but from on High.

The Holy Spirit gave him the boldness to confront that crowd. But he did more than simply confront the people:

He offered them forgiveness and hope. He asked them to repent—but let us remember that in Peter’s time, repentance meant a change of heart: turning away from sin and directing their lives toward a new way of acting and believing. And he also offered them the very same gift of the Spirit that he and the apostles had received. As Peter says in the second reading, “so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness.”

We, too, can undergo a change of heart and live according to the way of Jesus Christ. We can turn away from selfishness and begin to love as Jesus did. We can set aside everything that prevents us from living as true sons and daughters of God. We can cast aside fear and proclaim our faith—courageously, and through both word and deed.

Peter also reveals to us another gift of the Spirit: the capacity to suffer for the sake of doing good. This, too, requires great courage. Who truly wishes to suffer for doing good? Not many people. Yet, that is precisely what Jesus did for us, and it is what all of us—as His disciples—are called to do.

Just as Jesus became flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit, that very same Spirit shows us that Jesus remains present today within His disciples—among the poor, the homeless, the sick, and the dying.

Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us become true disciples of Jesus, so that we may live a new life—acting as agents of transformation in the world, and touching the lives of others through our acts of love, compassion, generosity, and mercy. 

May the Lord always give you his peace.

Fr. Lalo Jara, OFM
Pastor, Mission San Luis Rey Parish