Today speaks loudly of love for many people as we pause to honor our mothers for all that they have done for us, after all, mothers are our first real encounters with love.
Two people who love each other naturally want to make each other happy. I imagine most children of any age are doing something to make their mothers happy today; maybe it was cooking breakfast or cleaning up a messy bedroom, buying or making a special gift or card, taking mom out to dinner or if she isn’t nearby, getting in touch with a long distance phone call or visit.
Just as children do something special for their mothers, spouses and friends often go the extra mile for one another.
A husband who knows that his wife likes freshly cut flowers will occasionally surprise her with a bouquet of a dozen roses. If he knows she gets furious when he watches football games all weekend each fall, he will try to spend more time with her. She, on the other hand, will try not to wake him on Saturday morning if he likes to sleep in or from time to time, she will prepare his favorite meal.
In today’s gospel, Jesus points out in so many words that we are in a love relationship with God as well. “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.”
In other words, if we love Jesus, we will be true to his word. In this gospel passage, Jesus tells us what pleases and displeases him. What must we do to be true to his word?
Take a good look at what Jesus said and did, and you will find the answer. The single motivation behind every one of his words and actions was love. That is what prompted Jesus to do all that he has done, leaving the sanctuary of heaven to enter our troubled world, to become one with us, to share our pain and our struggles, and ultimately die on the cross. Without a doubt, Jesus loves you and me so much that some of us just cannot believe it. And he repeatedly invites us to follow his example. Loving all people, even those whom we deem not lovable, is the heart of Jesus’ life and message. Simply put, being true to Jesus’ word means we must love others just as Jesus loves them.
That is easy enough for us to do with those who are close to us: our parents, our spouses, our children, our siblings, our relatives, and our friends, but loving someone who has hurt us or the total stranger? That may seem like mission impossible. Fortunately, Jesus knows us well enough to realize that this is one mission we cannot handle alone.
For this reason, he told his disciples that his Father would be sending an advocate, the Holy Spirit, who would teach them everything and remind them of all that he had told them. That same Holy Spirit was sent into our lives when we were baptized and confirmed. But who is this advocate?
In childhood, I suspect we all went to our mothers from time to time seeking comfort or help whenever we were scared or found ourselves in difficult situations. It helped to have someone at our side with whom we could share our fears and anxieties, someone who would encourage us and give us support. Just as a mother would be there for her child, the Holy Spirit is there for us, because Jesus knows quite well that loving others can be too difficult a mission for us to handle alone. The Holy Spirit helps us to love when love is not easy to give as well as to understand what Jesus taught.
For example, consider this line from today’s gospel. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” What an uplifting message to hear, especially when things aren’t going well but just what kind of peace did Jesus mean here? Certainly not a world free of conflict for that is a utopia we will never see. Rather, in our moments of crisis, moments when vital decisions have to be made, the Holy Spirit is there to offer us a harmony that comes from prayer, a harmony that is ours when we are in communion with Jesus. We should call on the Holy Spirit daily, asking for his insights on how best to live our lives, especially when we have a serious decision to make.
Integrating Jesus into our lives beyond simply saying that we believe in him enables us to experience a level of harmony that comes from loving God and knowing well that God loves us. Convinced then of the depth of God’s love for us, we would be more inclined to rely on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit instead of the wisdom of our secular world as the ultimate source for living life.
In this gospel scene, Jesus is telling his apostles that he is going away but that didn’t mean God would be absent from their lives. He promised to send the Spirit to instruct them and he has kept his promise. The Church is evidence of that but are we tuned in? When, in our pride, fear or eagerness to be in control of our lives, we refuse to open ourselves to the Holy Spirit, we jeopardize our eternal salvation.
Our mission to love one another is not an impossible one. Graced and fortified by the Holy Spirit, we can live lives of openness and compassion, being true to Jesus’ words and showing others that true peace is found where love prevails.