Gospel Reflection for The 22nd day of May in the year of Our Lord, 2025

Gospel

John 15:9-11

9 As the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; as I also have kept my Father's commandments, and do abide in his love.

11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be filled.

When we contemplate this joy, we do well to consider the love of God. Our Lord says that He loves each of us as much as the Father loves Him. The nature of the Holy Trinity is a mystery. We may never understand, in this life, how one God can exist in three distinct persons nor can we grasp the nature of their relationship. Humanity is distinct – our person-hood is individual. So, we understand God in terms of family relationships, because the unit of the family is as close as we can come to understanding how individuals become one through their relationship to each other. We may also understand that somehow all individual Christians become one in the Body of Christ. Regardless, we know that God’s love is infinite.

However vaguely we understand the Trinity, we know that the Father loves the Son with power and depth that we cannot fathom. The love of God is the most powerful force there is. We cannot quantify how much the Father loves the Son except to say that His love is greater than anything we can imagine, without limit. Today, Jesus tells us that He loves each one of us with that same infinite, boundless, all powerful love. Truly, that should give us joy in equal measure!

Does it? That is the love that some of the saints have experienced in their earthly lives. Do we find overwhelming, inexpressible joy in God? If not, this should inspire us to examine why not? Sometimes, God allows us periods of “spiritual dryness” and even depression as a means of strengthening our faith, just as Jesus said that God would refine those whom He loves like metals that are purified to become stronger. Many saints have experienced this, as well – Saint Theresa of Calcutta comes to mind, who suffered greatly with depression and spiritual dryness. Most often though, our lack of joy is due to the distance we place between our souls and God through sin. Sin isn’t something people like to talk about much anymore, but the truth is that our sins deprive us of this joy. Confession, repentance, prayer and reformation of our lives is the only answer if we truly want to be happy. As tempting as any sin may be, it can never give us the joy of the love of God.

Fr. Spirago recommended making a clear examination of conscience, and then listing our most habitual sins. He said that if we worked to overcome only one sin on that list each year, we would all grow closer to sainthood and many would achieve the goal. This was practical advice that is not too difficult considering the reward.

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Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings July-December, 2025 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F5BHFZ7X

and

Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK

His podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic