Daily Readings - Sun May 09 2021
Acts
25When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.26But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am a man."34So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,35but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.44While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.45And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.46For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared,47"Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"48And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
1 John
7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.8Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.9In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.10In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
John
9As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.11These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.12"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.14You are my friends if you do what I command you.15No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.17These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
Sermon
The readings today remind us of the boundless love of God and the call to live as instruments of that love in the world. In the first reading from Acts, Peter encounters Cornelius, a Gentile, and comes to a profound realization: God does not show favoritism. The Holy Spirit descends upon the Gentiles just as it had upon the Jews, proving that God’s mercy and salvation are for all people. This moment marks a pivotal shift in the early Church, as it begins to understand its mission to the entire world. Peter’s courage to step beyond cultural and religious barriers models for us the kind of openness and inclusivity that faith demands.
The second reading from 1 John deepens this theme by emphasizing that love is not just a human emotion but the very essence of God’s nature. John writes, “God is love,” and this love is not something we initiate but something God first extends to us. The ultimate expression of this love is the gift of his Son, Jesus, who bore the weight of our sins out of pure, selfless love. This reading invites us to reflect on the source of all love and to recognize that our ability to love comes from God alone.
In the Gospel, Jesus takes this a step further by commanding us to love one another as he has loved us. He calls us his friends, not servants, because he has shared with us the intimate knowledge of his Father’s will. This friendship is not passive; it requires us to bear fruit that lasts. Jesus’ love for us is unconditional and sacrificial, and he calls us to imitate that love in our relationships. The greatest love, he says, is to lay down one’s life for others—a love that goes beyond mere affection to a deep commitment to the well-being of others.
These readings together challenge us to live as people transformed by God’s love. They call us to move beyond our comfort zones, just as Peter did, and to embrace the diversity of the world around us. They remind us that love is not something we invent but something we receive from God and are called to share generously. In our daily lives, this means seeking opportunities to serve, to forgive, and to include those who might feel excluded. It means living with the same kind of humility and openness that Jesus modeled for us. Let us ask ourselves: Am I allowing God’s love to flow through me? Am I willing to love as radically and unconditionally as he loves me? May we abide in his love and bear fruit that reflects the heart of God.