April 24, 2016 — Fifth Sunday of Easter
Acts 14: 21-27; Ps 145: 8-13; Rev 21: 1-5A; Jn 13: 31-33A, 34-35
God proclaims at the end of our Second Reading from the Book of Revelations, “Behold, I make all things new.” That is a good thing to remember on this Fifth Sunday of Easter. In the opening verse of this reading from Holy Scripture, John also says, “I…saw a new heaven and a new earth.” Easter reveals this newness to us, and we must always keep it in mind.
The Greek word used for what is translated as “new” is kaine. As is normally the case, that particular Greek word has multiple meanings, one of which is “fresh.” We are not speaking of a heaven and earth which did not exist before, but of a heaven and earth which are fresh in their newness. This is not just a “new” perspective, but a better one.
If we strive to live out our lives as disciples of Christ, if we make a complete effort to be His disciples, we inherit this new heaven. In it, as also indicated in our Second Reading, God expresses His desire to be in close fellowship with us, and we in turn must desire to be His people. Being God’s disciple should be the whole purpose of our lives. That is not easily achieved, nor is it without obstacles and hurdles for us, but it is what our purpose should be.
