Throughout this Easter Season, our Gospel passages have placed us with Jesus in the Upper Room at the Last Supper -- the same Upper Room where He would appear on Easter Sunday night and make His apostles ministers of the Sacrament of Reconciliation; the same Upper Room where they would again gather after the Ascension and then receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
This week, we are still reflecting on that Holy Thursday night (this "return to the mysteries" is what the Church calls Mystagogia), but now we have left the Upper Room and are traveling towards the Garden of Gethsemane. "Gethsemane" means "olive press" and it is, wonderfully enough, at the base of Mount Olives -- the same mount where Jesus will ascend; the same mount where the Messiah will return on the Last Day.
As Jesus travels from the Upper Room and to Gethsemane, He and His disciples converse as they walk down the hill towards the Kidron Valley (the bottom of which they will cross in John 18:1). They pass by olive trees and grape vines. And these provide Jesus more material by which to teach His parables. Here, His famous: "I am the vine you are the branches..."
You've heard me speak previously about how Jesus says "Remain in me" and how that preposition "in" is so important -- and so different than the word "with." If Jesus had said, remain with me, we could assume that He meant as a co-pilot, a buddy, or a close friend -- but ultimately as a separate person. But to remain in is altogether different: it does not allow the distance of separation. There is union and intimacy in that word "in." The vine and the branches are one; the sap flows freely between them; they are in each other.
Spouses, when they love each other, are in love. And, if that continues, they will start taking on the ways of their spouse; they will finish sentences; they will have similar thoughts; they will love what the other loves.
The Father and the Son are even more so "in" love. They are love! ... Thus, the Son loves what the Father loves (and vice versa). Thus, the Son, knowing that His Father loves the Commandments, keeps the Father's commandments. The Son loves what the Father loves.
And if we do that, we too will remain in Jesus' love -- because we will be loving what He loves.
But then there is an interesting pivot to the reading today. Jesus says:
I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.
This is a very interesting line. Firstly, it is interesting because it gives the reason that Jesus has said what He has about remaining in. It has to do with joy. And, secondly, it is interesting because Jesus is saying this precisely at the moment that He is walking, in the twilight, through grape vines and olive trees (fruits that will be crushed), on his way to Gethsemane -- the press. His agony.
How could this possibly be the time to discuss joy?
Because joy is not an emotion. It is a fruit of being in love.
And even if we should suffer -- if we are in love when we suffer and are suffering for love, that suffering can actually be sweet. My life has purpose; it is truly a gift; to offer in this way is greater than any thing I could possibly do in this life. ... That's the stuff of joy.
That is why Jesus can speak of joy in this moment as He approaches agony. He is doing what He was made for; He is doing what He knows His Father loves. And He loves loving the Father. And the Father, for His part, loves loving the Son. And the Father loves giving life -- and so the Father will love resurrecting His Son. They find joy in loving each other.
In fact, the Father's love for the Son and the Son's love for the Father is so perfect, eternal, and infinite that it is God Holy Spirit.
Here, we can see what Jesus means when He says my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. His joy is loving the Father -- and His joy is the Holy Spirit.
Jesus wants the Holy Spirit in you. The Father and the Son love giving you the Holy Spirit -- so that your joy might be complete.
Complete: perfect, infinite, eternal.
This happens when we receive and dwell in the Holy Spirit.
At this point, we can return to the Ten Commandments. They are the benchmark, the low bar, for love. You love God if you keep the Commandments.
But, by extension of what we have just said, because joy is dependent on love, we can also say the keeping the Commandments is the doorway to joy.
And this make sense because, when we don't keep the Commandments, we feel division in our heart, we know we aren't being loving; we become bitter and resentful about what seems to be their restriction on so-called freedom.
But when we keep them, we know we are doing something greater than ourselves, loving Someone greater than this world; our life is given purpose and meaning and direction. We are in love. And from that comes joy.
And we enjoy that.
Jesus says this on His way to Gethsemane. Perhaps, as we walk there with Him, we too may find joy in the Crosses we can carry for love.
He points to the olives and the grapes -- "You will bear much fruit" -- crushed, yes; but olives and grapes... they become the oil of gladness and the joy of new wine.
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