The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."
Today's Epistle is from the First Letter of John, beginning at the 2nd Chapter and the 1st Verse:
My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He who says "I know him" but disobeys his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected.
+ A Reading from the Gospel of Luke, beginning at the 24th Chapter and the 35th Verse:
Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them. But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have." And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem."
St. John, in today's Epistle,
makes the same point -- he exhorts us not to sin -- but tells us that if
we DO sin, Jesus is there to speak for us to the Father, and not only
us few, but all the world, too. John tells us to keep His commandments
-- and those Commandments are two, and simple: "You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all
your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like
it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets."
St. John's message, in his
Gospel and his letters is simple and direct: Love. Love God.
Love your neighbor. And, when you find time, love yourself.
This last is difficult -- especially in our day & age -- But we are
told that God loves us, Jesus loves us, and, as the Psalmist says: "...if
He be with us, who can be against us?"
The message of the Gospel
is that God's love -- the mighty and awesome love of a being greater than
all the Universe of Galaxies and Super clusters and quarks, and hardens
and all of that -- reaching out to you and to me -- In Love -- calling
us to return to Him.
Let us pray then, that we may respond to that call as joyfully as it is made . . .
In the Name of The Father + And of the Son And of the Holy Spirit Amen.