C22: The Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C (2016)

After several painful meetings in which the new leadership at the monastery where I was living gave me long lists of why I would never be a good priest, I asked the newest leader the direct question, “At this monastery will I ever be ordained a priest?”…and he said, “I’ve got two letters for you: N-O,” begins Father Michael Renninger, Pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Richmond, Virginia. Renninger ponders, “What do you do when you thought you were doing God’s will and now the door gets slammed in your face? What do you do when your life’s dream/goal comes crashing down/crumbles?” In today’s gospel passage, John 13:31-35, another moment of betrayal is unfolding and dreams and plans are unraveling. The passage begins with Judas leaving the group of disciples to betray Jesus. But in light of this departure, Jesus gives a new commandment, “Love each other as I have loved you.” How do we love each other “as” Christ has loved us? Listen as Renninger helps us understand the meaning of “as I have loved you” and how we apply it to our lives.

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