Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 8, 2023
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.”
God desires our hearts and pursues an intimate relationship with us. In the preceding verses of this gospel, Jesus affirms our place in paradise, provided we choose to follow him unreservedly. Obedience to the commandments is not some cold, detached dictate; it is an invitation to accept and return the love already extended to us. It is an invitation to fulfill the very purpose for which we were created.
Often when life appears complicated, I am reminded of a lesson from the Baltimore Catechism I was taught as a child. It states with a beautiful simplicity that we were created to know, love, and serve God so that we can attain heavenly communion with our Creator in the next life.
To love God, we must first know God because it is impossible to love those we do not know. We cannot love in the abstract. If we love only the idea of someone, we reduce them to an impersonal fiction. If we love only the parts of someone attractive to us and easy to accept, then we attempt to love in fragments. Real love is total or not at all.
Just as God’s love must be both received and returned, so too it is not enough to know God’s commandments—we must also live them out. Love is stripped of its deep sacrificial meaning and remains merely an affectionate feeling if it is only spoken or felt and not tested and proved.
Jesus says the Father will be revealed to those who love him with obedience. Today let us reflect on those commandments or teachings of Christ we struggle with most and ask God to help us embrace any difficult teachings so that our love may be complete.
Prayer
Dear Jesus, you promise to be with us through the presence of your Spirit, our Advocate. Bless us with your presence and the gift of your guidance. May our efforts bring you glory. Amen!
Saint of the Day

Peter of Tarantaise lived his vocation as a monk to the fullest.
He was born in 1102 near Vienne and joined a Cistercian monastery at the age of 20. He lived with such modesty, charity, and humility that people were moved and changed when they spent time with him. He was such a great witness of the religious life that many others followed him and joined the abbey as well. In fact, his whole family followed him and joined communities of their own—his mother, father, and siblings!
He was appointed as leader of a new monastery that was established at a crossroads in the desert mountains, and the community became known as a resting place for travelers. Peter began a hospice there for sick and poor travelers.
Soon, against his will, he was elected Archbishop of Tarentaise. He wanted to remain with the community, living a life of prayer and service, but had to be compelled to take on this leadership role. He obeyed, and found his new diocese to be in a terrible state—the clergy there were known for corruption and immorality. In a short time, Peter reformed the diocese—he established a strict rule for clergy, elevated good priests to pastoral roles, established new foundations to care for the sick and the poor, and constantly visited the people he served.
Miracles were attributed to him during this time—healings, and the multiplication of food during a famine. He became widely known as a wonder-worker, which increased his longing for the solitude he found in his life as a monk. After 13 years as archbishop, he one day suddenly vanished without a trace.
He was discovered one year later in a remote Cistercian abbey in Switzerland, where he had joined the community under an assumed name as a lay brother. He was ordered to return, and was warmly greeted when he got back to Tarentaise. He redoubled his efforts at leading the diocese, and took even greater care of the poor—twice he endangered his own life by giving away his own cloak in severe weather.
Religious and state authorities turned to Peter, a man of great peace, in moments of conflict so that he could effect reconciliation with his words and presence. He preached outspokenly and fearlessly in disputes over the papacy and between the kings of France and England, and his words were backed by miracles of healings. He died during one of his journeys for such a cause.
St. Peter’s image is used here with permission from Catholic.org.
St. Peter of Tarentaise, you tried to run away from your duties as a bishop, but became known as a man of great peace—pray for us!