Daily Readings - Sun May 09 2021
Acts
25As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence.26But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself."34Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism35but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.45The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.46For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.47Then Peter said, "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have."48So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
1 John
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
John
9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.14You are my friends if you do what I command.15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.17This is my command: Love each other.
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.