Vol.5 No. 33 DoM Gospel Reflection
5th
S unday of Easter—-John 13: 31-33a, 34-35
24 April 2016
By Leslie Johnson
I want to focus today on the importance of the word “love” and its meaning. The dictionary defines love as an intense feeling of deep affection and endearment. The word love is used at least, if not more than, 500 times from Genesis through Revelation. Love is one of the greatest themes of the Bible. It is the standout theme of John’s gospel.
John begins the verses (John 13: 31-35) I will concentrate on with first dismissing Judas (who goes off with the devil to condemn Jesus). Then he gets down to business with his “little children”. Jesus talks of his glorification that is to come (31-32) and how this glorification will be realized at his death on the cross and his resurrection. And with this, he lets us know God will be glorified in Christ. He is preparing his disciples for this. He speaks to them as a father, calling them little children, and reminding them that he will not be with them much longer. Then he gives the “new commandment”(34). This new commandment requires us to love one another as Jesus loved us. In the Old Testament the commandment was to love your neighbor as yourself. (Lev. 19:18 and Deut. 6:5) The new commandment differs from the love people have for themselves and focuses more on the love they receive from Jesus Christ. This love from Jesus is the kind of love with which we are to love one another. It is emphasizing a mutual quality of love. As we show love for one another, we are expressing the love we have received from Jesus. Our service to others is our way of trying to lay our lives down for them, as Jesus did for us.
It is said that John, the apostle, would frequently remind those around him to love one another. When questioned why he said this, his reply was “because it is what our Lord commanded and if alone be kept, it is sufficient”. Jesus is calling his disciples to love with an everlasting love, a love like he had for us— a love so great that he left the glory of heaven to come to earth to show us this love. We can follow Jesus with kindness, mercy, compassion, patience, joy, peace, goodness, generosity and gentleness. These acts of loving will be what we will be known by. Just as it was in Biblical times, we continue to deny him, betray him, and disobey him, yet he continues to love us with all our faults. He literally shows us what we should do—love one another until death. So let us stop talking about love as a noun and start making it a verb, an action word. And start doing what love is. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we can do this. The Holy Spirit is the author of every one of our love actions. When we use our gifts, we are living our Catholic faith and as Catholics, we are called to do what Jesus commanded his disciples, “love one another.” Let us love, love, love, or should I say eros, philos, agape and constantly abide in Christ and be filled with the Holy Spirit and share this with everyone.
Mother Theresa said, “do small things with great love”. Now, go through your day and count how many small things you do. Can you redirect the attitude with which you do them and dare to do these small things with great love? We can only love others to the extent that we feel that God loves us. Know and ponder the fact that you are loved by God. Pope Francis says in his encyclical on love and the family, “It is a profound spiritual experience to contemplate our loved ones with the eyes of God and to see Christ in them. This demands a freedom and openness which enable us to appreciate their dignity. We can be fully present to others only by giving fully of ourselves and forgetting all else. Amen!
Deborah Madonia
Daughters of Mary, Facilitator
daughtersofmary@stignatius.org
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