The Church faces the same temptation today: the temptation to be a Church other than the one willed by the Father by accepting people’s criteria of what a proper church should be.

(see sidebar on p. 89).

The more we love and obey Jesus, the more our lives will become conformed to his. We are to become living icons of Jesus such that, when people look at us, they should be able to see God’s love shining in the world.

The communion between Jesus and his disciples (If you remain in me and my words remain in you) enables them to petition the Father with confidence that their request will be done. As discussed previously (14:13–14), to pray in communion with the risen Jesus means to be in communion with his total love and obedience to the Father. It is to pray that

“testament.”

Pope St. John Paul II on Jesus Christ as One Mediator of Salvation for All Humanity No one, therefore, can enter into communion with God except through

For in reflecting upon it carefully, Sisters, we realize that the soul of the just person is nothing else but a paradise where the Lord says He finds His delight.

Honor and Shame The Greek word translated here as “praise” (doxa) can also mean “glory” or “honor.” Jesus’ words about praise in 5:41–47 evoke the ancient categories of honor and shame. In Greco-Roman society, honor was the most important cultural value. Honor was the public recognition and praise given to a person for great achievement or simply

Biblical texts cited above also display thinking about God’s Word: the divine Word can instruct a prophet, be sent on a mission, or be involved in creation. And yet, God’s Word is not a creature, like an angel or servant. In the Old Testament, the Word is greater than these, but not a separate deity. We could say that the word shares God’s unique