In looking for a blog post this month, I came across a beautiful reflection for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, which will be this Sunday, May 18th. It was written by former Maryknoll Lay Missioner Amy Braun and reflects on the ever important adage to love your neighbor or, as stated in the Bible, “love your neighbor as yourself.” What better message than to be kind, give comfort, provide support, help others, and strengthen your community. It is a message that we all need to remember and, though it might be difficult at times, act upon in our everyday lives.
‘“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35
We continue to joyfully celebrate God’s new life for us this Easter season. In the scripture readings for this fifth Sunday of Easter, we begin to glimpse the Reign of God – a place of great beauty, harmony, and peace. Most importantly, it is where God dwells with us. The promise of Emmanuel is fulfilled in Revelation: ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them.’ This sublime vision is one of renewal, promise, and fulfillment.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us an important instruction: ‘Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.’ This is the final commandment, so simple, and yet so profound and difficult to practice in our daily lives. This commandment tells us that our relationship to God is intimately tied with our relationships to each other. Striving to express this love is the great privilege of our lives and also requires sacrifice and responsibility from each one of us. Most of us live today in a culture that values instant gratification, wish fulfillment, and individualism; we are influenced by our culture whether we like it or not. Yet we still have agency and responsibility within our unique families, communities, cultures, and contexts. Jesus is calling us to love and has given us a very clear example through his life and ministry.
Our challenge is to follow the example of Jesus to deal with the unique challenges we face in contemporary times.[..]
[I]n terms of Jesus’ new commandment to us: Love one another as I have loved you. I find myself often asking, ‘How should we love one another?’ but rarely asking, ‘Who are the others?’ Of course my family, my community, my neighbors, and my mission community in Thailand are obviously connected to me. But now our connections extend beyond the people we know. Because this planet is a beautifully interconnected system, our actions also impact our neighbors whom we will never see and know nothing about, encompassing those from all corners of the world and even future generations. Yet it is our responsibility to care for them just the same.
We see how God cares for us, for creation, and especially for the poor and marginalized in our midst. As the body of Christ, we have a sacred duty to care for each other and for the environment. In my own life, how will I humbly fulfill this responsibility to neighbors both nearby and far away? How will I show my discipleship?
As each of us strives to live the new commandment of Jesus, we do so in the knowledge that we are bringing our community one step nearer to the beautiful vision of God’s reign, and God is dwelling with us.”
– A Maryknoll Liturgical Year: Reflections on the Readings for Year C, Edited by Judy Coode and Kathy McNeely, 2012, p. 109-111
While searching for images of Amy, I came across a recording of her appearance on the Maryknoll radio program Voices of Our World in 2009. This recording serves as a beautiful connection to the Maryknoll Mission Archives digital exhibit, Compassionate Voices: Celebrating Maryknoll Lay Missioners’ Golden Jubilee. This collaborative project features stories and literal voices of past and present lay missioners. Let us add Amy Braun’s voice to this continued celebration!
Voices of Our World, Episode 919 - Amy Braun
As the description of her episode states, take a moment to listen and learn about “how simply volunteering to help those in need has led her down a path of cultural and spiritual awareness that has changed her life and her world.”
