5th Sunday of Easter (C)

(Edited) Sunday Reflections (from) Liturgical Years 2011 (A), 2012 (B), and 2013 (C)

5th Sunday of Easter (C), April 28, 2013
Liturgical readings
Acts 14:21-27
Psalm 145
Revelation 21:1-5
John 13:31-33, 34-35

"This is how all will know you for my disciples."

The 13th chapter of St. John's gospel is divided into three parts by the Jerusalem Bible: "Jesus washes his disciples' feet" (13:1-20); "The treachery of Judas foretold" (13:21-32); and "Farewell discourses" (13:33-38). This Sunday's gospel passage is located between the second and the third parts. Its highlight is the new commandment the Lord gives. And the immediate context of this new commandment in John's gospel is a specific action of self-giving: Jesus washing His disciples' feet.

Jesus gives a new commandment: love. The commandment of love is higher than the Law. And it is more than just what the world presents love to be; for us Christians, love is also a Person. And the biblical truth that speaks of God as love, has become the Way, the Truth, and the Life: the person of Christ Jesus our Lord. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI expresses this truth of Jesus and Christian love in his first encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est":

"One can become a source from which rivers of living water
flow. Yet to become such a source, one must constantly drink
anew from the original source, which is Jesus Christ, from
whose pierced heart flows the love of God".

For many Catholics, the practice of charity is within the context of family life and professional work. To be charitable in these times of trouble and adversity is a call not easily heard. The call is sometimes drowned by noisy distractions within and without. But the Lord's call remains. We need not be a martyr like the Lord to make the practice of charity perfect. Just to bear patiently each other's burdens in work and life, and to be a healing presence to others, even in times of adversity, is already a noble direction both pleasing to God and man.

Scripture quotes

• "Paul and Barnabas gave their disciples reassurances, and encouraged them to persevere in the faith." (Acts 14)
• "The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness." (Psalm 145)
• "He shall be their God who is always with them." (Revelation 21)

Paraphrasing the Gospel: John 13:31-33, 34-35

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Commemoration of Saints (May 16)

Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration

May 16. The Catholic Church commemorates 11 Saints today: 4 bishops, 1 bishop and confessor, 1 bishop and martyr, 2 abbots, 1 martyr, 1 religious, and 1 priest. Check the list given at Saints for the Month of May.

The lives of the Saints are interesting because they have lived the Christian life to a heroic degree. Spurred by the love of God and to serve Him in the Church, many of them in their young adulthood have chosen to enter religious life and/or the clerical state. However, what is true may be the opposite for others. It can happen that none of them chose to follow that direction at first. They may have led wayward lives at first before being converted to a life of grace with God. And there are a few who have not led a sinful life but chose to live a comfortable way of life. An example is the story of St. Andrew Hubert Fournet.

St. Andrew Hubert Fournet (ca. December 6, 1752-May 13, 1834 A.D.) or André Hubert, resisted his mother's desire for him to be a priest. But when he visited an uncle who was a priest in a desolate parish, he was inspired to enter religious life. So he studied, was ordained, and became his uncle's assistant. He became a parish priest and converted from a comfortable style of living to one of austerity and simplicity. When the French Revolution began and started to hound the French clergy, Andrew went into hiding in Spain. When Andrew returned, he had difficulty resuming his life as a pastor. However, when a concordat between Napoleon and the Holy See was signed in 1807 A.D., Andrew was able to found, together with St. Elizabeth Bichier, a congregation to whom he composed a rule for the religious life. St. Andrew Fournet devoted the rest of his life as confessor and spiritual adviser to the congregation he co-founded with St. Elizabeth Bichier. This congregation was dedicated to the education of children [1][2][3].

Andrew Fournet died on May 13, 1834. He was canonized in 1933 A.D.

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [May 16]

• Theodore, disciple of St. Pachomius
• Sts. Vitus, Modestus and Crescentia, Martyrs [2]

References: Books, Websites, Search results & AI Overviews

• [1] Pocket Catholic Dictionary, John A. Hardon
• [2] Dictionary of Saints, John J. Delaney
• [3] Search results for the search query "andrew hubert fournet", Google.com, May 16, 2025

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Commemoration of Saints (May 15)

Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration

The Saints commemorated on May 15 are listed here .

One of the Saints commemorated on May 15 is St. Isidore the Farmer. What is amazing to learn is that St. Isidore lived his life in obscurity, but after he died, miracles were attributed to his intercession. These miracles included the cure of King Philip III in ca. 1615 A.D. Because of his recovery, the monarch was encouraged to petition for Isidore's canonization. And so it was done. The canonization of St. Isidore was celebrated in 1622 A.D. He was included in the canonization ceremony where he was elevated to the altar together with Sts. Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila, and Philip Neri.

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [May 15]

• St. Pachomius the Great [1]

References: Books, Websites, Search results & AI Overviews

• [1] Dictionary of Saints, John J. Delaney
• [2] Lives of the Saints, Richard P. McBrien

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