Last Sunday, we moved into the 6th Week of Easter where again we are provided with the opportunity to stop and reflect on our humanity and the way we live our lives. 

The weekend’s reading from John’s Gospel continues to point out a way of living (John 15: 9-17). A way that can help us during the many moments in our lives. This scripture sets us up for life in ways to be the face of Jesus to others and see Christ in them. This is the recipe for the how and why of ‘love’. Jesus always speaks of his relationship with his Father, which is one of love and reminds us of how much he loves us. Jesus also urges us to keep his commandments and to love one another.  

Last week we celebrated Mother’s Day. On this day where families celebrate the awesome gift which is motherhood, we are inspired by the messages from John’s Gospel. Pope Francis has reflected upon this passage from John’s Gospel and tells us that Christ’s love is real and that it is “fulfilled in everyday life, in attitudes, in deeds.”  He continues that “this love cannot be reserved for exceptional moments, but must be constant in our lives” (2021 Faith Circles, Diocese of Wollongong). God’s love, lived out through Jesus Christ and Mary, gives us a model of motherhood and we celebrate this love, revealed by our own mothers, and those women who are like mothers in our lives. Not just on this day, but every day. We hope our community had a wonderful Mother's Day.