As we come closer to Pentecost and the end of the Easter season, the Church brings us back to the Last Supper with today's Gospel passage.  The moment is solemn. Jesus is at table with his intimate collaborators, his handpicked Twelve Apostles. He knows that this is the last time they will be gathered in this way until they meet again in eternity.

 

Nothing is carelessly said.  Everyone on their deathbed has their final words, their legacy: these are the Lord's final words.  Jesus explains that he has loved us, and that he longs for us to remain in his love, to stay in his friendship, so that we may experience the indescribable joy that flows from true love.

Then he lays down his New Commandment, the summary of all his teaching and of his entire life: "love one another as I love you."  The Ten Commandments of the Old Testament were summarized by Jesus during his public life in two commandments of the New Testament: Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.  But now, at the climax of his earthly mission, Jesus combines those two into a final, New Commandment: love one another as I have loved you.

This is the Christian battle plan.  At the Last Supper, Jesus was on the verge of his final battle against evil and all the forces of darkness.  And the Church he is forming through his Apostles will take that same battle to the ends of the earth and to every corner of human history and culture.  The plan is so simple and straightforward, summed up in this single, final, definitive command: love one another as I have loved you. We are Christ's soldiers, and that is our mission.

If Christ's battle plan is for us to love others, to give of ourselves for the benefit of others, just as he did for us, then we need to ask ourselves a question:  What is the very best thing I can do for my neighbor?

There are many good things we can do: give food and clothing to those in need, give education to the ignorant and comfort to the sick and dying….  Those are some of what the Church traditionally calls the "works of mercy," and they are concrete ways we can serve our neighbor. But the very best thing we can do for another person is to bring them into friendship with Jesus Christ.

This is what we see happening in today's First Reading.  St Peter brings the good news of Jesus Christ and the grace of the sacraments, to Cornelius and the friends and family members that he had gathered in his house to meet the Apostle.  The remarkable thing about this encounter is that Cornelius was not Jewish, as most of the first Christians had been, but pagan. Up until this point, he had worshipped the false Roman gods, ignorant of the true path to salvation given by Christ.  When the good news reaches him and he is given the sacraments, his whole household is filled with amazement, joy, and new life.

This is what friendship with Christ brings into people's hearts: meaning, purpose, hope, and knowledge of the truth!  Those are things that the human heart desires even more than food, clothing, and worldly success. And we who know Jesus Christ and are already filled with the Holy Spirit have the possibility of giving them to those around us.  It's a perfect tactic for carrying out the Christian battle plan, to share with others the treasure we have all received.

It's easy to understand this concept, but it's not so easy to live it.  We are fallen human beings living in a fallen world. Our internal hard-drive keeps wanting to go back to the default setting of self-centeredness, which is just the opposite of loving one another as Jesus has loved us.  Keeping to our battle plan takes constant attention and realignment.

In sports, in the heat of the game a team can start deviating from their game-plan.  When that happens a good coach calls time-out, brings the players over to the sidelines, and reminds them of the game-plan.

We need to do the same thing in our following of Christ.  One practical way to take this kind of spiritual time-out every day has a long tradition in the Catholic Church.  It's called the nightly examination of conscience. It usually takes about five or ten minutes. You do it at night, before you go to bed.

It's very simple really.  You start by reminding yourself of God's presence.  Then you ask God to enlighten and guide your thoughts.  And then, in an atmosphere of calm prayer and reflection, you think back over your behavior during the day's activities, talking about it with the Lord.  With the Holy Spirit's guidance, you begin to see patterns: which situations and relationships brought out your selfishness, where you had a chance to be more Christ-like and squandered it, where you didn't.  At the end of the examination of conscience, you ask forgiveness for your sins and then identify a concrete way to improve the next day.

Following Christ's battle plan is the path to true wisdom and lasting joy.  This week, why not take a spiritual time-out each night, and see if that helps us follow it a little bit better?