May 18, 2025

By Rev. Fr. Edgar B. Brillantes

FOCUS Love is necessary to spread the kingdom of God.
Jesus tells his Apostles that all will know they are his disciples if they love one another. We are called to follow this command to love, so that God can use us to draw the world to himself. This is what Paul and Barnabas are endeavoring to do in the first reading; they are proclaiming the Gospel out of love for God and his people so that the reign of his love might spread throughout the world.

First Reading: Acts 14:21-27
Paul and Barnabas visit the early Christian communities, encouraging them to persevere in faith and appointing elders to lead them.

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-5
In the second reading, John shares a vision of the new Jerusalem prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Gospel: John 13:31-33
In the Gospel, after Judas has left, Jesus tells his friends that all will know they are his disciples if they love one another as he has loved them. That is his new commandment.