ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Dear Friends in the Risen Christ,

Thank you for coming to this Mass of the Fifth Sunday of EasterCthis annual Wedding Anniversary Mass. It is a joy to be here today with you, celebrating your marriages of twenty-five, fifty, or more years.

It is a long journey that you have taken together, and you are still journeying together, Auntil death do you part.@ In today=s first reading from Acts, we hear about Saint Paul=s first missionary journey, where he witnesses and proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Your marriage is likewise a journey and a witness to others. It is both a witness to your love for one another, and to Christ=s love, present in your marriage. Saint Paul made many stops in cities, many of which were located in what is now Turkey. He went to Lystra, Iconium, Pisidia, Pamphylia, Perga, and Attalia. Along with another disciple, Barnabus, he preached the good news to the Gentiles, and even returned to some cities, after having been forcibly removed, in order to strengthen Athe spirits of the disciples,@ and to exhort them Ato persevere in the faith@ (Acts 14:22). When Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, their home base at the end of this journey, they reported to the disciples there Awhat God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles@ (Acts 14:27). God has been so good to you too, and you have come here today to give thanks for His many blessings in your marriage.

Today, as we celebrate God=s love and blessings in your marriage, the psalm proclaims, AYour kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and your dominion endures for all generations@ (Ps 145:13). God is the one who designs the plan for all ages, and who in His providence brings man and woman together in marriage. He continues to accompany you in the joys and the trials of your lives. A Christian marriage cannot be sustained on the merely human level; it also needs God=s grace for strength and guidance, as you all can attest from experience.

We also read in the psalm that AThe Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The Lord is good to all, and compassionate toward all his works@ (Ps 145:8-9). In every Christian family, its members are called to follow the Lord=s lead. If we are slow to anger, merciful, gracious, and compassionate toward each other, we will truly build a culture of life and love. The way we treat one another within our families is meant to reflect the mercy and love that God shows us.

When we act in this way, we help advance the kingdom of heaven on earth. In the second reading today, we see a description of Aa new heaven and a new earth,@ and a Anew Jerusalem@ in the book of Revelation (Rev 21:1, 2). This New Jerusalem does exist. The place where God makes His home among mankind is real. God=s City, the New Jerusalem, is present in the Church. The reading states: A"Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God@ (Rev 21:3-4). Jesus promised the Samaritan woman that Athe hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth@ (Jn 4:23). How beautifully this promise is fulfilled through the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The Eucharist gives us the spirit of love and mercy, strengthens us for our journey, and allows us to communicate Christ=s love to one another. The Lord says in today=s reading, ABehold, I make all things new@ (Rev 21:5). Let Christ, dear friends, make everything new in your lives and in your families. Let Him breathe His love into your everyday activities, and you will see the new life that will flow.

In today=s Gospel, Jesus gives us a new commandment: to Alove one another@ (Jn 13:34). He states: AAs I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another@ (Jn 13:34-35). It is not enough simply to love; we must love as HE loves. How did Jesus love? With deep generosity and sacrifice! Jesus was moved with compassion when he encountered those in need. Many miracles in the Gospels begin with Jesus being moved with pity. Think of Jesus raising the widow=s son (cf. Jn 7:11-14), or bringing Lazarus back to life (cf. Jn 11:32-44), or healing the man with the shriveled hand (cf. Mt 12: 9-13). While we may not be able to perform miracles, we can allow our hearts to be moved with understanding and concern for others, and to respond with our talents and time. That is how Jesus loved.

Jesus served and helped others with kindness and tenderness. He was not beneath washing His disciples= feet. No task was too menial or humble for him. He told us that to be first, we must make ourselves last (cf. Mk 9: 33-35). We can love by serving others in basic and practical ways, using what God gave us to the best of our ability. That is how Jesus loved.

Jesus was concerned about the needs of others, and was sensitive to their feelings. He saved the bride and groom from embarrassment at the wedding at Cana (cf. Jn 2). He offered the disciples breakfast on the beach after they had a long hard night of fishing (cf. Jn 21:12). While on the cross, He instructed the apostle John to look after His mother out of concern for her well-being (cf. Jn 19:26-27). Jesus cared for the concrete needs of others and was interested in their security and daily well-being. That is how Jesus loved.

Jesus was obedient to the vocation given to Him by the Father. Expressing the depths of humility, He went to the River Jordan to be baptized as part of His Father=s plan (cf. Mt 3:13-17). In the Garden of Gethsemane, He accepted His Father=s will, despite His personal anxieties and fears, saying, AAbba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will@ (Mk 14:35-36). Living out God=s will and obeying the call to one=s vocation is a response to love, and is what Jesus did. That is how Jesus loved.

Jesus sacrificed His life for us because He loves us. Sacrifice is a reality in life, and touches us all. Spouses sacrifice for each other. Parents sacrifice for their children. Adult children often sacrifice in caring for aging parents. Priests, deacons, and religious sisters and brothers sacrifice in living out their lives in service to others. Loving others always involves sacrifice. That is how Jesus loved.

How Jesus loved is how we must love. In living our lives, we must constantly be moved with compassion to help others, be concerned about the needs of others, be obedient to God=s will for us, and sacrifice for others. This is how people will know that we are Christ=s disciples. I pray that you, dear friends, will continue to be a witness to Christ=s love in your marriage, and that you will continue to love one another as Jesus loves you.

On this blessed day of memories, as you celebrate your wedding anniversary, the Church asks you, dear spouses, to re-commit yourselves in generosity and joy to each other and to your families. It is Jesus Christ who in this Eucharist associates you with Himself in offering thanks to the Father for giving you the gift of each other and for sustaining you in fidelity during all the years of your marriage. And it is Jesus Christ who fills you with His grace and strength to renew your pledge of love for each other today and all the days of your life. Amen.