Sixth Sunday of Easter
Jesus makes a beautiful and touching promise to us today: “I will not leave you orphans.” Earlier He spoke to Philip, saying that those who have seen Him have seen the Father: to know Jesus is to know the Father as well. What is the mark of a son? Obedience to his father; thus He tells us that if we love Jesus, we will keep His commandments, and if we do this, if we love Him in this way, “whoever loves me will be loved by my Father.” We are no orphans; by our baptism we are reborn as sons and daughters of the Most High God. Let us live as His children, then, and know His love and His closeness! Let us live as Jesus has taught us, who gives us commandments not to change our behavior, but to show us how to live as He lives: how to live as children of the Father.