Deacon Dave Etters
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In this heartfelt reflection centered on John 14, we explore the importance of the final words of Jesus to His disciples and what it truly means to love Him by keeping His commandments. Moving beyond mere rules, this message examines how the Christian life is meant to become a loving union with God through faith, repentance, prayer, and the Eucharist. Drawing from Scripture, the saints, and the Baltimore Catechism, this reflection reminds us that God desires to dwell within us and transform our lives into His dwelling place.
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Well, good morning.
Well, finally, we got spring really springing us to life here. The trees are really coming out strong. The weather is getting better. And a great day today — Mother’s Day. Congratulations and thank you, mothers.
You know, we all have one thing in common: we all come from a mother. Don’t forget that.
But with that positive outlook on life, you’re probably thinking, where am I going with this? I’m going to ask you a pretty deep question here — and don’t let it be dark, though. If you knew that you were going to die tomorrow, what would you say to your family and loved ones? If you knew that, what would you say?
Last words are important. They’re very important.
If we look to Sir Isaac Newton, one of the greatest scientists, mathematicians, and physicists in the world, he said these words before he died:
“I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, finding a smoother pebble or prettier shell than ordinary, while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”
Such humility from such a great accomplished individual and great mind — “while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”
On the other hand, we’ve got comedian W.C. Fields. Shortly before he died, he was asked while reading the Bible, “Why are you reading the Bible?” And he said, “I’m looking for loopholes.”
Well, today’s Gospel is right out of the heart of the last words — the final discourse of Jesus to His disciples, His closest friends.
He poured His whole life into them — His love and training and teaching and labor among His disciples. He poured His life into them, and He knows that He’s going to the Cross tomorrow. He gathers them together and speaks to them from His heart the most important words He could possibly muster to share with them what is important and what is happening.
And He says this:
“If you love me, keep my commandments.”
In other words, don’t forget what I’ve taught you. If you love me, keep my commandments. Heed my words.
Chapter 14 of this Gospel is divided into three parts. There’s the part where it talks about “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God” — the faith part. Then there’s the middle part, which we’re talking about today — “keep my commandments” — the love part, loving God with our whole heart, soul, and mind.
When we think of commandments, what’s the first thing that pops into our head? Usually the Ten Commandments — honor your father and mother, do not kill, do not bear false witness, do not commit adultery. All those things: don’t do this, don’t do that.
Those are indeed the commands of the Lord.
But the prominent biblical scholar Raymond Brown said this:
“His commandments — that is, the commandments of Jesus — are not simply moral precepts. They involve a whole way of life in loving union with Him.”
That’s worth repeating.
His commandments are not simply moral precepts, although those are critical and important. We must do them. But they involve a whole way of life in loving union with Him.
Some of the great doctors and mystics of our faith — St. John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, Francis de Sales — spoke in various ways about our spiritual progress through life as purgative, illuminative, and unitive.
This progression begins at the purgative stage where we shed sins, repent, and cry out to God.
Then comes the illuminative phase where our minds are enlightened, and we learn to pray, love, and serve God with our whole heart.
And finally there is the unitive phase — the highest level of life with God — where we become one in union with Him. This will only be perfectly complete in heaven, but we can already begin living in that union here and now.
When we come to the altar today, we express our love to Jesus. We receive Him in His fullness — Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity — in the Blessed Sacrament.
The Church teaches that this is the summit of the Christian life in this world. There is nothing higher than that. We reach a union with Christ in the sacrament, and for a short time we become walking tabernacles with Jesus living within us, while our hearts trust and live in Him as well.
Jesus said this — and unfortunately, the last part was left off by the lectionary editors — in verse 23:
“If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
God wants to camp out with us. He wants to be with us. He wants to love us.
And He wants this new home renovated.
Imagine the plans He has for this home — this house, this temporal tabernacle we live in during this life. When we open ourselves to Him, God comes into us. He changes us. He transforms our life into radiant beauty.
The shack of our sins becomes His mansion and dwelling place.
It’s astonishing.
Why did God make me?
I go back to the old Baltimore Catechism because it says things in such a succinct way — simple enough for a child to understand, yet deep enough that even the greatest theological minds cannot exhaust it.
Question number six: Why did God make me?
“God made me to know Him, to love Him, to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.”