5th Sunday of Easter (John 13:1, 31-33a, 34-35)

This Sunday’s Gospel takes us into one of the most intimate and surprising moments of Jesus’ ministry. With the cross looming, you’d expect Jesus to maybe organize a farewell tour, leave a powerful final speech, or call down a chariot of fire. Instead, He gathers with His disciples, washes their feet, and gives them what He calls a new commandment: “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

At first glance, it doesn’t seem new love has been a theme since Genesis. But Jesus isn’t talking about just any love. This isn’t “love your neighbor as yourself.” This is “love like I love”, which means selflessly, relentlessly, and even when someone’s about to betray you over dinner.

And then He says something radical: this love is how people will know we’re His followers. Not by our theology, our Spotify worship playlist, or how well we avoid sin, but by our love. That’s beautiful… and also wildly inconvenient, because it means loving people who don’t vote like us, think like us, or return our text messages.

Jesus’ final instructions weren’t about power, success, or status. He boiled it all down to love. Love is the Christian brand. It’s our identifier, our mission, and honestly, our biggest challenge.

So maybe today’s call is simple: start small. Offer kindness. Be patient. Forgive quickly. And if you really want to go full disciple, love someone who’s hard to love. Yes, even the guy who double-parks at church.

So, this Sunday, we’re reminded: the journey is tough, the destination is glorious, and the way we get there, oddly enough, is by loving each other like Jesus does. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not even close. Worth it? Every time.

Your Priest,

Fr. Charles Enyinnia