Gospel: 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.”
Homily
It is the human experience that there comes a time in life when we have to make a decision to give up things and as it were go off alone, leaving things and people behind. Today we have the example of Jesus telling his disciples that he is going off, that they will miss him but he has to go.
Often in life we find ourselves in the same situation. A time comes when we must make a decision as to whether it is time for us to go or to hold on. It is often very hard to leave persons and places and things that we have grown to love. We hold on to people and to posts. The temptation of course is to think that we are indispensable. Jesus knew that his physical presence was not indispensable and so he doesn’t fall into the temptation, he decides that he is going.
When individuals are able to imitate Jesus, when they can resist the temptation of thinking that they are indispensable, when they can leave at the proper time without bitterness, they are not attached to power. We see the greatness in people who do not wait to be thrown out, they go when they should.
Julius Nyerere in Tanzania, gave up power when he was still a relatively young man, and was hailed as the first African leader to willingly renounce power. His greatness did not come from the external power that he had but from the inner strength which allowed him to leave when he knew that his time had come. He was not attached to power
Nelson Mandela gave up the presidency of South Africa after one term. Many urged him to seek a second term. His inner power allowed him to leave the external power behind, yet in his retirement his moral authority is even greater. He is truly glorified. What a lesson it is for us to be able to give up the external power because of something much greater within us.
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The disciples had seen the tremendous love of Jesus. They could take that lesson to heart because Jesus’ life validated his words. Jesus was love incarnate. He lived love.
One day each of us will leave posts that we have held, either as parents, or teachers, or church leaders, or presidents of clubs etc. The only things of real worth that we will leave behind are the messages and lessons that we have lived. If we only leave material things behind, those who follow us will probably fight over what we have left. We always leave a legacy, but it is the quality of the legacy that glorifies us.
Today the gospel calls us to remember those who have left us legacies of which both they and we can be proud. Parents may not have had many material things but we are proud of the good name that parents left us. We can be proud of the legacy of hard work, of honesty, of integrity, of love.
We thank God in this Eucharist for those people. We remember them, and especially on the Feast of all Saints, celebrate them. They are the saints who touch our lives.
But the gospel is the mirror in which we see ourselves. What legacy will we leave? What is the message of our lives today? Will those who follow us be proud of the legacy?
May this Eucharist help us all to make our lives messages and lessons that those who come after us can be proud of, lessons and messages that they can learn, lessons and messages that they can live.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God your Son Jesus was not afraid to call his disciples to a way of life which was more exacting than that to which they were accustomed. He asked them to love as he had loved, giving his very life for them .He asked them to live lives of service and not of power seeking. Father, give us leaders with the courage to serve us because they love us first and are not seeking their own glorification. May all of our leaders help us to seek above all, not the material but those values which correspond to generosity of Spirit so that we may outdo ourselves and become the people we are called to be. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, our Mother and your Son, Jesus. Amen
