The Sixth Sunday of Easter for Year B takes us further into the Gospel of John with Jesus' Last Supper discourse. So last week we were looking at the famous image of the vine and the branches, and this Sunday the gospel picks up right where last week left off and continues into Jesus' teaching on the new commandment, the commandment to love one another as he has loved us. First Jesus gives them the analogy of the vine and the branches invites the disciples (us) to ‘abide in him’. In this way they will bear fruit, by living in love. The Greek word for love is agapē, which is a sacrificial love that impels one to action. He further tells them that if they keep the commandments, they will abide in my love, just as he kept the Father's commandments and abide in his love. Love is an action word. We cannot talk of love without action. And this is the miracle that should happen every day in this world: when we learn to love in deed and in truth. A simple imagination will show us the great wonderful possibilities if we are able to do it: because of love, enemies are reconciled, warring countries re-establish peaceful and harmonious relationships, families are united and happy, the poor and hungry are attended to, criminals mend their ways, resources and blessings are generously shared among people, the truth is proclaimed, justice and peace prevail, kindness and generosity rule in society. Many would think that this sounds so utopian, so ideal and unreal. But that is because we just do not give it the chance to work. Yet, we must remember that at one point in human history, this was proven true and doable. The early Christians did this and it was recorded in the Bible, in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles: “The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own… There was no needy person among them” (4:32, 34). There are some Christian traditions that will say all that matters is faith, works don't matter at all, all you have to do is believe in Jesus, accept him as your savior and then you can never lose your salvation. Well! That is just not true. If you look at what Jesus says in the scripture itself, in order to remain in him, to be a branch that is united to the vine and therefore receiving its life from the vine, we have to keep his commandments, we have to obey his teachings. If we fail to keep his commandments, then think here of all the major commandments, you know, against adultery or idolatry, if we break the commandments we are cut off from the vine, we’re cut off from the source of our life, we’re cut off from the love of Christ, the saving love of Christ which should fill us with his grace and fill us with his life. If we reject that love, we also reject that life, the life of salvation. If we have been attracted by the dynamism, the magnetism of Jesus Christ, we should know that saying that we love Him is not enough. We must live His Love. In the Gospel Jesus uses this phrase: “Remain in my love.” He tells us that we remain in His Love if we keep His commandments. But Jesus does not give a whole list of commandments like Moses did when he came down from Mt. Sinai. Jesus just gives one commandment: Love one another. That is all that really matters, if we love each other, truly, in the sacrificial love of the Lord, everything else falls into place. St. Augustine put it this way: “Once and for all, a short rule is laid down for you: Love and do what you will. If you keep silence, do it out of love. If you cry out, do it out of love. If you refrain from punishing, do it out of love. Let the root of love be within you. From such a root, nothing but good can come.” (From St. Augustine’s sermon on 1 John 7).