John 13:31-33a, 34-35

Acts 14:21-27

Psalm 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13

Revelation 21:1-5a

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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you invite me to share in your heavenly glory. You have willed that I be united to your Son and bear fruit for your Kingdom. Never let me be parted from you and your love. But if I fail, call me to repentance and restore me to divine sonship in your Son.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Divine Glory and Love: The Hebrew word for glory is “kavod.” It is used about 200 times in the Old Testament. It refers to the visible manifestation of God’s covenant presence. God wills to dwell among his people and this culminated in the Incarnation: “The Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, and we beheld his glory” (John 1:14). Christ is the New Temple and his Body, particularly in the Eucharist, is where the glory of the Lord now dwells. Why is this moment, when Judas leaves the Last Supper to betray Jesus, considered the “glory” of the Son of Man? “It is because Jesus has just consented to the will of the Father, consented to the total act of self-gift that will lead to the Cross. This is the true glory of God: not simply that he is the all-powerful Creator, but that his love extends to the point of giving up his divine prerogatives and giving himself into the hands of his creatures to make them his sons and daughters (Phil 2:5-11)” (Bergsma, The Word of the Lord: Year C, 152).

2. The End of Paul’s First Missionary Journey: The First Reading is not taken from the Old Testament, but from the New. For fifty days, we are celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and awaiting the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost. We often read from the Acts of the Apostles during Easter. In this way, we learn about how the Church spread after Jesus’ resurrection. A key lesson from the First Reading is that the Church will grow through suffering: “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships (tribulations) to enter the Kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Acts 14 narrates how the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas came to an end and how they appointed priests (presbyters: elders) in each church they founded. The Apostles were conscious of the need to appoint leaders to continue their ministry and exercise authority in their absence. Paul and Barnabas will bring their experiences to the Council in Jerusalem (A.D. 49), which will decide how to welcome the Gentiles into the Kingdom of God established by Jesus.

3. The New Jerusalem: In the Second Reading, we read from the concluding chapters of the Book of Revelation. The book can be read in many different ways. Firstly, it can be read historically and, according to this reading, the book narrates what happened in the forty years that passed from Jesus’ resurrection to the destruction of Jerusalem. In a second way, it concerns the history of the world until the end of time. Pagan kingdoms, focused on possessions, power, and pleasure, will always oppose the Gospel proclaimed by the Kingdom of God. The divine Kingdom, inaugurated by Christ, fulfills a promise of the Lord God made to David that his Kingdom would last forever. Thirdly, the Book of Revelation is a book about our individual spiritual lives and the battle to overcome the evil of sin. Each one of us is a New Jerusalem where God dwells through grace. In a fourth way, the Book of Revelation reveals what will happen before the end of time. The New Jerusalem has descended from heaven to earth in the Church, but awaits its definitive establishment at the end of time, when every tear will be wiped away and sin will be no more.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to experience your glory here on earth in prayer, in the liturgy, and in the Eucharist. I know that I can glorify you through humble service empowered by your grace. Show me concretely how to serve my brothers and sisters today.

Living the Word of God: Do I strive to glorify God through my works, or am I seeking my own glory? When was the last time I did something good for the poor and told no one about it? Do I truly see the glorious face of Jesus in the poor and the suffering? Do I see the Church as the earthly manifestation of the New Jerusalem?