Fr. Louis Brioni, SX
FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Do you love them as I love you? This is the question Jesus would like to leave with each one of us today at the Eucharistic liturgy of the fifth Sunday of Easter.
As Christians we believe to be all risen with Christ from the death of sin and pride and division to a life of love, a life full of love. As Christians what we need most is Christ’s love, perfectly revealed to us with his death on the Cross, so that we can love others with the totality of our being, at all times and with everyone. The image and likeness of God at our birth is true only if it becomes day after day more evident in our Christian love for others, just as Jesus’ love for me always.
In moments of sincere prayer, we all wished this were a reality for each one of us. To love and to be loved by all, what a beautiful life! For we must admit that only love can fully satisfy the longings of our hearts, only He!
To love one another is Jesus’ final commandment before dying. This love is the very purpose of both creation and salvation. It is the very reason for his Incarnation and Passover, for his mission of peace to all humanity. And it is also our faith, our fundamental YES to Jesus Christ.
Do we really try to love one another as Jesus loves us?
No doubt we do. Yes, we all did experience the satisfaction of true love, both given and received, more often than not.
When we forgave others from the heart or others forgave us our mistakes; when we happily shared time and things with our friends, no matter the cost; when our love changed sorrows into hopes and enemies into neighbours; when a poor widow brought us the gift of two eggs for a favour we did to her; when we had a happy party with small children … Yes, there are so many instances of true love in our lives we can count upon and rejoice.
But what Jesus clearly means with his commandment of love is that our love for one another must be like His, that is, unconditional and universal, for all and forever. Our love is Christian and thus it goes beyond our human possibilities, for, as we all know, we can get easily tired of loving, especially when we receive no gratitude or gratification.
This is what Jesus has come to give us: God’s very love or, in other words, eternal life, to all and each one of us.
So His new commandment of love is not so much an order but a promise that he will be with us always in the practice of love. He came into this world to make us loving people, people of love, a full humanity of love, of his love. The only condition for us to be loving people is that we are not afraid to make love our Christian profession of faith.
Our effort of loving others to be successful will certainly need to be renewed on a daily basis in the very heart of Jesus’ love for us. So, when we are humble enough to give the initiative of love to Jesus, we will finally experience the glorious freedom of the children of God, here on earth as it is in heaven. This is what St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans (8:21) as he also assured us that “… (nothing) will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (8:39)
As Christians, we also know that Christ does empower us to carry his commandment of love in all circumstances and to the very ends of the world. A task this that becomes alive and life-giving in private and common prayer, and especially in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. There our communion with the Risen Lord transforms our little love for others into the very love of Christ himself and it will change the world for better, actually for the eternal life itself.
Then Jesus also said: By this love … everyone will know that you are my disciples.
Some questions are pertinent here: Do people know that I am Christ’s disciple by my love for all and always? Do people around know me best for Christ’s kindness, patience, generosity, gentleness, forgiveness, fairness, sacrifice, service, friendship? Do people know me as a living example of love in the Christian community and society at large?
Lord Jesus, let me try day after day to love others with the love you always give me. And, please, keep loving me with all your heart, above my failures and delays, always, and no matter what. For this is how you will me to live and to die.
FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Do you love them as I love you? This is the question Jesus would like to leave with each one of us today at the Eucharistic liturgy of the fifth Sunday of Easter.
As Christians we believe to be all risen with Christ from the death of sin and pride and division to a life of love, a life full of love. As Christians what we need most is Christ’s love, perfectly revealed to us with his death on the Cross, so that we can love others with the totality of our being, at all times and with everyone. The image and likeness of God at our birth is true only if it becomes day after day more evident in our Christian love for others, just as Jesus’ love for me always.
In moments of sincere prayer, we all wished this were a reality for each one of us. To love and to be loved by all, what a beautiful life! For we must admit that only love can fully satisfy the longings of our hearts, only He!
To love one another is Jesus’ final commandment before dying. This love is the very purpose of both creation and salvation. It is the very reason for his Incarnation and Passover, for his mission of peace to all humanity. And it is also our faith, our fundamental YES to Jesus Christ.
Do we really try to love one another as Jesus loves us?
No doubt we do. Yes, we all did experience the satisfaction of true love, both given and received, more often than not.
When we forgave others from the heart or others forgave us our mistakes; when we happily shared time and things with our friends, no matter the cost; when our love changed sorrows into hopes and enemies into neighbours; when a poor widow brought us the gift of two eggs for a favour we did to her; when we had a happy party with small children … Yes, there are so many instances of true love in our lives we can count upon and rejoice.
But what Jesus clearly means with his commandment of love is that our love for one another must be like His, that is, unconditional and universal, for all and forever. Our love is Christian and thus it goes beyond our human possibilities, for, as we all know, we can get easily tired of loving, especially when we receive no gratitude or gratification.
This is what Jesus has come to give us: God’s very love or, in other words, eternal life, to all and each one of us.
So His new commandment of love is not so much an order but a promise that he will be with us always in the practice of love. He came into this world to make us loving people, people of love, a full humanity of love, of his love. The only condition for us to be loving people is that we are not afraid to make love our Christian profession of faith.
Our effort of loving others to be successful will certainly need to be renewed on a daily basis in the very heart of Jesus’ love for us. So, when we are humble enough to give the initiative of love to Jesus, we will finally experience the glorious freedom of the children of God, here on earth as it is in heaven. This is what St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans (8:21) as he also assured us that “… (nothing) will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (8:39)
As Christians, we also know that Christ does empower us to carry his commandment of love in all circumstances and to the very ends of the world. A task this that becomes alive and life-giving in private and common prayer, and especially in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. There our communion with the Risen Lord transforms our little love for others into the very love of Christ himself and it will change the world for better, actually for the eternal life itself.
Then Jesus also said: By this love … everyone will know that you are my disciples.
Some questions are pertinent here: Do people know that I am Christ’s disciple by my love for all and always? Do people around know me best for Christ’s kindness, patience, generosity, gentleness, forgiveness, fairness, sacrifice, service, friendship? Do people know me as a living example of love in the Christian community and society at large?
Lord Jesus, let me try day after day to love others with the love you always give me. And, please, keep loving me with all your heart, above my failures and delays, always, and no matter what. For this is how you will me to live and to die.