SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

In his first line of today’s Gospel, Jesus says that if we love him we will keep his word. That might be a tall order; since keeping our own word is hard enough. Napoleon said it well when he advised: “The best way to keep one’s word is not to give it.”
The author of the bestselling book The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale, knew about human weakness. He wrote, “Promises are like crying babies in a theater; they should be carried out at once.” But the Gospel challenges us to do more than give a quick response. Keeping our word is a lifetime action. The Gospel also reminds us that if we do keep Jesus’ word, the Father will love us and dwell within us.
That’s very good reason for us to adopt the words of poet Robert Frost: “But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.”
Deacon Dick Folger