2025/05/18 SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Fifth Sunday of Easter
- Jeremy Kiolbassa, Director of Liturgy & Music
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus speaks in the calm before the storm. He is speaking as Judas has just left to begin the chain of events that will lead to the crucifixion. Yet, fully aware of what lies ahead, Jesus speaks of glory. His glory is not in triumph over enemies, but in the act of loving unto the end. His mission culminates in a cross — the supreme expression of divine love. The heart of this passage is the new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” It’s not a suggestion, nor a vague encouragement toward kindness. It is a radical call to imitate Christ’s sacrificial love, a love that washes feet and endures the cross for the sake of the sinners. This command was not only spoken — it was lived out by generations of saints and leaders.
As we begin the pontificate of Leo XIV, I am reminded of another leader, his predecessor, Leo XIII. While our Leo’s legacy is yet to be written, his namesake embraced this commandment of Christ by seeing the image of God in every human being, especially in the poor, the working class, and those forgotten by society. His encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891) boldly spoke out for the dignity of labor, the rights of workers, and the responsibilities of both capital and labor to each other. As such, he came to be known as the “Pope of Workers” in his day. In an age of social upheaval, Leo XIII extended Christ’s love into the world of factories and fields, affirming that justice and love are not mutually exclusive but intimately bound. Just as Christ loved through service and solidarity, so did Leo challenge the Church to be a beacon of hope in an industrializing world.
As we reflect on Christ’s words today, we must ask ourselves: How am I loving as Christ loved? Is my love sacrificial? Is it grounded in justice? Does it go beyond sentiment and into action? The world will know we are disciples of Jesus not by our titles or traditions alone, but by the concrete ways we embody love, listen to the voiceless, uplift the downtrodden, and dare to speak truth for the sake of the common good.
In following Jesus’ command, and in the footsteps of leaders like Pope Leo XIII, we too can glorify God in humble, self-giving love that transforms hearts, communities, and history itself.