Scripture Study for

Cornelius, the newly converted Roman centurion, recognizes Peter as a messenger of God. The real power of the narrative is seen not in the disposition of  Peter but in the action of the Holy Spirit. The event is a kind of Gentile Pentecost.  While Peter’s companions are surprised that the Spirit is given to the uncircumcised he intervenes on their behalf, insisting that God shows no partiality. Those  who received the Spirit at the first Pentecost and those who have received it at  this second Pentecost are now joined by a special bond, the shared outpouring of  the Spirit. The ritual of baptism is a sign of the church’s acceptance of God’s action. 

The teaching about love is the heart of the message of the second reading.  Several dimensions of this reality are examined: Love is of God; love begets  others of God; it is revealed in the salvation realized through the sacrifice of the  Son of God. The most startling statement about love is: God is love! This divine  love is the fundamental reality of our faith. The love described here is neither  exemplary piety nor altruistic concern for others. Actually, there is nothing merely  human about it. It is divine in its origin and only those who have been begotten  of God can have a share in it. 

The passage from John’s Gospel is one of the best-known discourses on love.  The source of this love is divine love itself: “As the Father loves me, so I love  you;” “love one another as I love you” (15:9, 12). Jesus promises the disciples  that if they abide in his love and obey his commandments, they will abide in his  joy as well. Although the passage does not describe the character of this joy, we  can presume that it flows from union with God. The love that is described here  is active love, reaching out to others—God to Jesus, Jesus to his disciples, the  disciples to one another.