The one idea that I pondered after reading the scripture for this weekend is the love I have for my wife of almost 44 years. I would like to think that this love will last forever, even in the new life to come. That is a very strong love. We live in this hope for each other but the real and most important hope is that of being with the Father in his kingdom forever.
How much more is the love of the Father for his children, you and me? His love is an eternal love which one day in that hope, will be shared with us in his kingdom of heaven. This love is a total receiving and sharing of that love.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Heaven is the eternal life with God; communion of life and love with the Trinity and all the blessed.” Paragraph #1023.
God shows us the way to this total receiving and giving of love through his son, Jesus Christ, who is love itself sent down from heaven to claim us as the Father’s children who now have the way to the Father through the Son.
To get to heaven what do we have to do? Jesus tells us in today’s gospel: “As the Father loves Me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love just as I have kept the Father’s commandments and remain in His love.”
As we feed off our spouses love, how much more do we love by receiving Jesus in the sacrament of Communion? How much more strength do we receive to follow the Commandments especially loving one another? Jesus says, “Love one another as I love you.”
The gospel today is a familiar section from the “Last Discourse” of Jesus to his disciples. In these five chapters, thirteen through seventeen, John presents Jesus as the loving teacher reminding his students of all that he has tried to teach them and us, and what will be on the final exam. He warns them also about the dangers and traps which they will encounter on their way to that exam.
There are some elements of the Ten Commandments, The Sermon on the Mount, and some beautiful images of who Jesus says he is and who the disciples are to be. That includes all of us!
What we hear today is a simple straight forward command, which if followed is the same love as Jesus has for the Father. Jesus tells them and us that he has loved them as deeply and intimately as the Father has loved him. “Love one another as I have loved you!”
If we truly believe who we are, friend and chosen, if we take our name of who we are seriously, then the actions of loving will follow. You cannot love Jesus and not love one another. Jesus tells his disciples and ourselves that, “you are a part of Me, as vine, you are known, loved, and chosen to be fruitful.”
You know we do not hear enough about the saints, someone said to me one day. And she is right. So what do some of the saints say about Love: St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta said: “We can cure physical diseases with medicine but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is Love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more who are dying for a little love. Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough. Money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So spread love wherever you go.”
St. John Paul ll said, “There is no place for selfishness-and no place for fear. Do not be afraid then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when Love requires sacrifice.”
And another from St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta who said, “Intense love do not measure-it just gives.”
And finally St. Augustine of Hippo who sad, “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrow of men. That is what love looks like.”
God so loves us that he sent his only begotten Son who is the fullest expression of God’s love, as the expiation for our sins. Would you suffer for God’s love, to defend God’s love in Jesus Christ? If we are willing to do that then we have the power through the Holy Spirit to go out to love one another without fear, without reservation.
You see, we can love one another, even our enemies, if we truly give ourselves to God through Jesus Christ freely out of our love for Him. We act because we love, not to earn our way to heaven. Jesus acted because of his love for us. Love one another. Simple.
If we love Jesus Christ, if we open ourselves to see Jesus in others, the lame, the thirsty, the homeless, the sick, the dying, all the marginalized of our society, then we are following the Commandment to love one another by offering our help and assistance.
When we open ourselves to see Jesus, to feel this love, we will see them and don’t be surprised if they are your neighbor, in our church, in our community, in our own back yards. They are there. Love one another.
Two weeks ago Jesus told his disciples about the “Shepherd” laying down his life for his friends. Love is not always felt but is expressed in deeds especially the generous surrendering of greed, envy, demands, expectations.
Always this loving is easier to talk about then to execute. It begins with being loved as a gift and not something earned. The disciples were asked to receive their being loved by Jesus as the Father loves Him. Remaining in that love will result in remaining as “sent” and “Loved” sacraments and is our final test.
Many books have been written about love and how to be loved and how to express that love. Each of us is writing our own book by how we lay down our lives for our sisters and brothers. Each of us is writing our own book by living in that love of Jesus Christ or choosing not to.
Our own books have become a reflection of what is in this book called the Holy Bible. Where does your book fit in it?