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Gospel: John 14:21 -26
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him,
“Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us
and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.
“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name —
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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I’ve always been fascinated by spies.
They must learn how to hide themselves in plain sight; to be seen by everyone and no one at the same time.
The best spies are never captured. They only reveal themselves to those whom they choose – and trust.
In that sense, spies always in control.
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The Risen Christ seems to have this “spy” element to him. He appears in Jerusalem and Galilee, for example, but only his disciples can see him.
It’s like Jesus is hiding in plain sight.
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The same is true about him today. Jesus can be seen by everyone or no one, so how do we see him?”
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He tells us in the Gospel today, “Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
Christ reveals himself to us through loving other people.
Maybe you saw him hidden in your spouse when you needed forgiveness. Maybe you felt him in the embrace of a friend. Maybe you heard him in the jovial laugh of a child. Or you served him through someone in need.
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Herein lies the wonderful difference between the Risen Lord and a spy.
Spies intend to hide. But Jesus longs to be seen.
He’s visible whenever we love and serve our neighbor.
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Image credits: (1) The Appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene, Alexander Ivanov (2) Market Watch (3) Crosswalk.com