We Must Love One Another as Jesus Loves Us.

5th Sunday of Easter

Gospel

John 13:31-33a, 34-35

When Judas had left them, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and God will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 In our readings today, we see a common theme. That theme is love. Paul and Barnabus showed us their love today. They went on quite a mission to spread the good news of the Risen Christ. This was the first of several missions that they would go on. And this was not just a small circle and a small group of people they went out to. You kind of loose your sense of scale in this reading. The eastern coast of the Mediterranean sea. That is where their mission centers around. But it is not just a walk up and down the coast.

Paul and Barnabus start out in Derbe, which is in the middle of modern day Turkey. The first Antioch they stop at is in the Midwest part of Turkey. Perga and Atalia are near the south-west coast of Turkey. The second Antioch that is mentioned is not the first one in Midwest Turkey; it is actually a totally different Antioch in Northwest Syria. The route they were on took them over 400 miles that they had to walk, plus over 300 miles that they had to sail to get to Syria. The mission that Paul and Barnabus were on was to bring the news of the Risen Christ to the gentiles along the eastern Mediterranean.

Now the Jewish people who had settled in this area were not exactly supportive of the idea that the son of God had come to earth and the Jewish leaders from the Temple in Jerusalem had him killed. They spread a lot of lies about this Christ fellow to discredit the work Paul and Barnabus were doing. The Jewish people got so angry at the beginning of this mission that they dragged Paul outside of town and stoned him. They thought Paul was dead and left him, but Paul got up and continued to preach to whoever would listen. Timex must have gotten their slogan from Paul. He takes a lickin’ but keeps on tickin’. It was love for the entire human race that drove Paul to continue his mission.

John’s Revelation shows us God’s love for us. Again we see very vivid imagery. John describes the holy city of Jerusalem coming out of Heaven from God. He tells us of a new Heaven and a new Earth. John’s visions were about the fulfillment of the covenant; the original covenant from Genesis. I will be your God, and you will be my people. Let me put some of this imagery into context. For the Jewish people, Jerusalem was the center of the world. So when John sees Jerusalem coming out of Heaven and how beautiful it looked, the way this image makes him feel is that all people are cleansed and worthy to be with God. This is what most Jewish people would have felt when hearing this imagery.

In our Gospel today, Jesus shows us his love as he comforts the Apostles. Jesus reminds them that what is about to happen; that event that will give glory to God, is going to happen very soon, and he tells them to love one another the way he loved them. John continuously preached that three things will last: Faith, Hope and Love, the greatest of which is Love. We have heard Jesus say this before. When he was questioned by the Pharisees about which of God’s commands was the most important. Even then he said “Love God above all and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said to the apostles, and he is saying to us today, to let your love for each other be the sign of the Christ in you.

 Paul showed us he had a lot of love. Imagine preaching the Good News of Salvation, and being stoned for it, then traveling almost 1,000 miles by foot and by boat continuing to preach the whole way. It certainly was not for his health. And this was just his first mission. He loved everyone. He loved them so much that he took beatings and stoning from the very people he wanted to bring to Christ. And he was Christ to them.

As Christians we are called to love one another and that love is a badge of honor and we should wear it proudly and if we truly do love one another, that love must extend to everyone, not just the people that are easy to love. We must let our love be a sign that we believe that Christ is our redeemer and savior. We must not be afraid to show our love. We must be Christ for one another. So when we go out into the world today, remember to love one another, to be Christ for one another, and to wear a good pair of shoes for the long journey ahead.

 Written by Fr. James Morgan

St. Valentine Faith Community
Mass: 10AM Every Sunday
2301 E Sunset Road
Suite 18
Las Vegas, NV 89119
702-523-8963 Rev Sue Provost, Pastor

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. " (1 John 4:9-10)

Jesus is the Good Shepherd!

4th Sunday of Easter

Good Shepherd Sunday

Gospel John 10:27-30
Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”





This Sunday is the fourth Sunday of the Easter Season, but we also call it "Good Shepherd" Sunday after the image of the Good Shepherd presented in our readings today.

In our world today, there are many figures, things, and powers competing to be our shepherds, to lead us in the way they think we should go. Politicians try to lead us to toward or away from this or that cause. Universities try to lead us toward this or that philosophy. The media tries to lead us toward this or that set of values they think we should embrace or disregard. There are so many influences in our lives. To whom shall we go? How can we tell the good voices from the bad? Who are the good shepherds?

True shepherds are those who lead their flock with self-sacrificial love. When the wolves come among them, does the shepherd run away, afraid for his own welfare, neglecting that of his sheep? Or does he stay, throwing himself among them, standing guard and confronting the wolves in order to protect the sheep? This can be a test for anything or anyone trying to shepherd your life. What does that shepherd do when you are really in danger, a danger that could envelope the shepherd too?

The story of the good shepherd that we hear from Scripture, about the shepherd who had one hundred sheep but was willing to leave 99 of them in order to find the one that is lost, teaches us a valuable lesson. All of humanity was the lost sheep lost in the desert, lost in our sins and distant from God. But before we could be lost forever, Jesus our Good Shepherd left the glory of heaven, so to speak, left the 99 and came among us to reclaim us as his own, to take our lot upon his shoulders and carry us home.

Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish." Through all the voices crying out to lead us, can we hear and recognize the voice of Jesus? Today we must show to the those inside and outside of the Church that the Church is still Good, that Jesus Christ is her Head and Shepherd and through the Church continues and expands his ministry of healing and forgiveness to all of mankind for all generations… That the Church is still True, it still loves, still brings the satisfaction of every deepest human longing. That through the sacraments of the Church we may still partake of the very Divine Life of God and are sustained by his own Precious Body and Blood. That the Church still suffers with us, prays with us, rejoices with us, worships with us, lives with us and is with us when we die, "wiping away every tear from our eyes." I must do my own part in restoring this voice where it has fallen short. I must do my own part in assisting Jesus in saving the lost sheep and calling them home.


Together, we can cooperate with the Good Shepherd to help move the Church forward in truth, honesty, and virtue. Together, we can remain strong so the one lost sheep might find a faithful fold in which to be refreshed and restored in times of despair. Together, we can work and pray for peace and unity that can only come from Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.

St. Valentine Faith Community
Mass: 10AM Every Sunday
2301 E Sunset Road
Suite 18
Las Vegas, NV 89119
702-523-8963 Rev Sue Provost, Pastor

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. " (1 John 4:9-10)

Feed my Lambs; Feed my Sheep!

3rd Sunday of Easter

Gospel John 21:1-19











At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” Jesus said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

Our first reading is a great example of the phrase “No good deed goes unpunished.” It is a brief account of the hospitality shown by the Sanhedrin after the crucifixion. The apostles were teaching about the risen Christ, and their stories were not so flattering to the temple leaders, so the apostles were brought in, interrogated, beaten and then sent away with a warning not to preach of Christ any more.



Well our Peter certainly has come a long way in a short time. It was not that long ago, on a chilly night in Jerusalem, when Peter was questioned about Jesus, and he denied even knowing the man. Now he and the apostles are ignoring the edict of the Jewish leaders and they are spreading the word of the risen Christ, and taking quite a beating for it. And the readings tell us they were joyful to be allowed to suffer for the sake of their work.

Our second reading provides us with a glimpse into the Revelation of John, the vision he was given of Christ returning to heaven.

A part of this vision we do not hear of today is that in John’s vision, is that up in heaven, surrounding God himself, the angels and elders were all sad because they were waiting for someone to come who would be worthy to open the scroll and break the seven seals which would release the four horsemen of the apocalypse and bring about the fall of Rome.

You can imagine their excitement when Jesus, the sacrificial lamb, returned to the right hand of God. Jesus was the one who was worthy to open the scroll.

John uses a lot of beautiful and powerful images in his Revelation writings. This vivid imagery is quite inspiring and John recorded these visions so that the struggling Christian communities could themselves be inspired. After all, they had lost Jesus but believed he would come again. Many of them had been awaiting the messiah who would lead them from the tyranny of Rome, which didn’t happen. John gave the Christians quite a boost when he revealed his visions.

We know that John’s revelation was written long after Christ’s death. John was probably very old when he had his visions. John grew so old and weak that he would be carried into mass on a straw mat so that he could preach and teach. And we know that the things he preached about most were Faith Hope and Love. And the most important of these is Love. John felt so strongly about this that until his dying day he would preach love. Love of God and one another. People would come up to him and say “Rabbi, what else is there to do? What else is there for us to know?” John would reply “Continue to love and love more.” And we all thought John Lennon came up with that concept.

Speaking of love, what does Jesus mean when he asks Peter “Do you love me more than these?” Jesus is referring to the other disciples he was fishing with that previous night.

Does Peter love Jesus more than the other disciples do? Of course Peter responds yes. Jesus asks Peter 3 times in 3 ways if he loved him. After the third time, Peter emphatically says YES. He just as quickly said yes to Jesus three times, in the same manner that he denied Jesus the night he was betrayed.

Each time Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, Jesus charged Peter to care for his flock. It is Jewish custom that when questioned like that, being asked three times and being given a charge 3 times, and affirming that charge, Peter entered into a legal verbal contract to care for the flock. Of course that flock to whom Jesus is referring to is all of God’s people.

Jesus once said, it takes faith only the size of a mustard seed to move mountains, and it is on that rock of faith that he will build his church. Peter had little faith at first, but that was enough. That was enough to make Jesus happy, knowing that his work on Earth would continue.

Faith, Hope and Love. We see this illustrated in our readings today. Let us have faith that we can draw strength in the hope of the coming of our savior, Jesus the Christ, who loves us always. And let us have the strength to spread that love among each other and our greater community. Thanks be to God.

Written by Fr. James Morgan


St. Valentine Faith Community

Mass: 10AM Every Sunday

2301 E Sunset Road
Suite 18
Las Vegas, NV 89119
702-523-8963 Rev Sue Provost, Pastor


"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. " (1 John 4:9-10)

There is a "Doubting Thomas" in Each One of Us

2nd Sunday of Easter

Gospel John 20:19-38

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

 The gospel for today is so important that it is used every year on this 2nd Sunday of Easter. It is the Good News of Forgiveness and Mission and Faith. The Gospel begins with the account of the locked doors to remind us that despite our locked (mental and spiritual) doors , God is always trying to break through to us--to offer us freedom, healing and salvation. Jesus, having passed through the locked doors of the Upper Room on the evening of his Resurrection, stands in the midst of His hiding, fearful friends, and offers them a blessing: "Peace be with you".

These are the first words that the Risen Jesus speaks to anyone, and he speaks it to them, most of whom have deserted him and one who has outright denied him -- They are highly unlikely words -- for certainly the terrified group must have been expecting a reprimand instead--These words are so unlikely, in fact, that Jesus had to give His greeting of Peace 3x for them to get it, and with each repetition, He offers them (and us) a different gift .. With His first greeting, Jesus silences the disciples' guilt and their apologies before they even have a chance to utter them...By speaking pre-emptively, Jesus is telling us that he holds none of our flaws and failings against us, that all is forgiven, that he really meant his last words from the Cross "forgive them for they know not what they do."., and that as often as we have true sorrow in our hearts for our offenses, He is there, offering forgiveness and mercy, giving us the peace which only He can give. And immediately after proving to those gathered that it was really He, by showing them His wounded hands and side, Jesus at once gives them the great commission to continue his saving work. "As the Parent God has sent me, so I send you...."

Just as the Trinitarian God breathed on the waters of chaos at creation, Jesus breathes His life-giving Spirit on his confused followers with an immediate creative effect, imparting to them the power to create reconciliation, the power in Him to build and hold community together. Jesus makes his disciples responsible for continuing the work of Love and Mercy that God began in sending the Son. It is fitting to consider, with Holocaust Remembrance Day being tomorrow, the degree to which we are to forgive, the magnitude of the mission we have been given [this prayer was found by side of a dead child at a concentration camp at the end of WWII]:

"O Lord, remember not only the men and women of goodwill, but all those of ill will. Do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted upon us; but remember the fruits we have wrought thanks to this suffering--our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart, which has grown out of all of this. And when they come to judgment, let these fruits which we have borne be their forgiveness. Amen." [In Search of Belief, Joan Chittister, p. 190]

Having seen the Risen Lord with their own eyes, the privileged few of today's Gospel can hardly dis-believe Jesus' Rising from the dead, but, as we've heard, they had little success in persuading Thomas who wanted to see for himself. If I had been a disciple in that Room, I'm sure I would have been a doubter right along with Thomas, and indeed there have been many times in my life when I have had my doubts about the ability of the Good to permanently win over evil. And that is alright, for as we see, Jesus does not rebuke Thomas for his skepticism, and is willing to give him every opportunity to restore his faith...

You may recall that, when Jesus decided to travel to Bethany to raise Lazarus, all the disciples knew then, that Jesus' traveling so close to Jerusalem meant that he would meet his destined death, and it was Thomas on that occasion (acting all brave), who said, "Let us go too and be killed along with him.".... But, of course, after Jesus' excruciating, terrible death, Thomas understandably suffered a crisis of faith (again, something we all have repeated bouts with in our lives), and so we can easily identify with his sorrow and sense of humiliation at meeting the glorified Christ face to face, whereupon he falls to his knees, crying aloud, "My Lord and My God!"

Jesus understood Thomas' (and our) faith struggles because He himself, dying on the cross, felt forsaken, too. Jesus honored Thomas' doubts because Jesus could see that once Thomas worked through them, he would be one of the surest voices of the faith, and would eventually found 7 churches in India before being martyred for what remains to this day the Syro-Malabar Christian faith. In just 6 short weeks before He left this earth, Jesus succeeded in changing not only Thomas but many other cowardly disciples into fearless evangelists, and this is the most convincing evidence for the Resurrection.

It is astounding to consider that although there was a only a handful of followers hiding in the Upper Room the night of the Resurrection, by the Ascension 40 days later (according to Acts 1:15) there are 120 people awaiting the Spirit of Pentecost, by Acts 2 we read that 3,000 people were asking for Baptism in response to Peter's Pentecost sermon and after that, witnesses were proclaiming Christ openly in the streets, in jail cells, in the catacombs, and in the Colosseum awaiting their deaths. (this is no conspiracy, for while many people will lie to keep themselves out of trouble, no one makes up a story to get themselves tortured and killed)

We today, two thousand years later, believe in Jesus' Resurrection not because we have seen, but because we know historically as well as from first-hand experience, the power of faith-filled Love in others who have believed. "Blessed are they who have not seen and still believe." This is Jesus' 9th Beatitude ...his final prescription for happiness...which is to say.... Happy are they who have faith in God, faith in the future which is eternal, and faith in their ability to overcome the challenges before them. For they are at peace. We do not touch the Lord’s hands and side as Thomas did, but we believe that Jesus is alive and that he touches us. "We believe that we shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" [Ps 27:13] --the 'land of the living' being both the here and now and the ever-after. We believe, Lord, help our unbelief.

Written by Associate Pastor Mary Wagner

St. Valentine Faith Community
Mass: 10AM Every Sunday
2301 E Sunset Road
Suite 18
Las Vegas, NV 89119
702-523-8963 Rev Sue Provost, Pastor

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. " (1 John 4:9-10)