Fifth Sunday of Easter Acts 14:21-27; Rev 21:1-5; Jn 13:31-35 (Year C) "I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God, as beautiful as a bride dressed for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice call from heaven. ‘You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them. They shall be his people.’ ” The Book of Revelation brings the Resurrection of Jesus to its triumphant conclusion at the end of time. The beauty of this vision, both mystifying and enticing, engages mind and heart. Throughout the centuries of Israel’s history, Jerusalem had always symbolised God’s presence with his people. This vision of a heavenly Jerusalem come down to earth promises that we, who feel so far from God, will become his dwelling place in the power of Christ’s Resurrection. The image of the city as a bride, dressed for her husband, describes our communion with the Risen Lord as the fulfilment of every longing. This beautiful image is not simply a description of a communion with the Lord at the end of time. It is also, to some extent, a description of what we are becoming here and now. The Acts of the Apostles describe in some detail the mission of Paul and Barnabas to Antioch and its surrounding districts. Those who responded in faith to the Gospel were described as passing through a door that brought them into the presence of God. For them, the old had passed away. They were becoming a new creation in Christ, his heavenly Jerusalem come down to earth. So it is with all who believe. The Easter passages from St John’s Gospel describe the lives of those who have already become the dwelling place of the Lord. As the glory of the Father has been revealed in the Resurrection of his Son, so shall that same glory be revealed in the lives of his faithful. Selfless love is the first and most important manifestation of the Father’s presence with his people. “My little children, I shall not be with you much longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another; just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this love you have for one another everyone will know that you are my disciples.” We sometimes fail to appreciate that the simplest acts of love proclaim God’s presence more eloquently than empty words.