Sixth Sunday of Easter
Readings for the 6th Sunday of Easter
First Published: Sunday, May 21, 2006
Love again
Reflection:
This I command you: love one another.
This simple command to his disciples is the most difficult thing ever asked by God of humankind. If it were asked of mother and child it could be possible, at least most of the time. If it were asked between two siblings, it might be possible of they were close to each other. But to ask it of friends, even very close friends, and ask that it not just be applied among them selves but to others as well- that is incredibly difficult.
What Jesus COMMANDS his disciples, (I added the emphasis because it is not a request or suggestion) is to love one another as he loved them. That love is not a simple hug and slap on the back. That is; I lay my life down gladly for you in spite of all your faults love. That is the give the other cheek with humility love that does not seek to give guilt. That is the love that allows one person to tell another the most painful truth without giving offense and that truth being accepted without anger, but with thanks. Christs love is the love that transforms the lover into something more than human, some creation that is linked to God, intimately.
God the Father, through his Son, Jesus who is the Christ, with the Holy Spirit, commands us to love one another! If we are to accomplish this and thereby remain in him and he in us as scripture says, we must draw on the strength and wisdom that flows from him. We must do this, knowing that our love cannot be perfect as his love for us was perfect. But we can imagine, cant we. We can envision how much he loves us. We see it in the sacrifice of the Mass. We feel it in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We can understand it intellectually. That means we can work toward that kind of love for one another.
In the opening statement of this reflection I said that the kind of love Christ commanded was possible between family members. It is at a deep level. That is, a mother at some deep level will love her child and siblings will love each other at some deep level. But too frequently, love and trust are violated and, because of the depth of feeling, a rift occurs, hatred shows its ugly and destructive face and damage is done in a depth proportionate to the love that existed before. This, I think, must be the first step in trying to follow Jesus command to love on another. We must look inside our own familial relationships and find the damage there. Pray for the strength to repair those damaged feelings, and see if love cannot rule there once more.
As always these reflections apply first to me and so I am making my pledge to love my family as God loves me. That means my children when they do mean and hurtful things or when they are just inconsiderate (since my wife is perfect I dont need to worry about her) but I will try to expand that command to reach all the relationships I have; at work, at Church, in my social life. In that way I can approach the command Jesus gives us: This I command you: love one another.
Pax
Readings for the 6th Sunday of Easter
First Published: Sunday, May 21, 2006
Love again
Reflection:
This I command you: love one another.
This simple command to his disciples is the most difficult thing ever asked by God of humankind. If it were asked of mother and child it could be possible, at least most of the time. If it were asked between two siblings, it might be possible of they were close to each other. But to ask it of friends, even very close friends, and ask that it not just be applied among them selves but to others as well- that is incredibly difficult.
What Jesus COMMANDS his disciples, (I added the emphasis because it is not a request or suggestion) is to love one another as he loved them. That love is not a simple hug and slap on the back. That is; I lay my life down gladly for you in spite of all your faults love. That is the give the other cheek with humility love that does not seek to give guilt. That is the love that allows one person to tell another the most painful truth without giving offense and that truth being accepted without anger, but with thanks. Christs love is the love that transforms the lover into something more than human, some creation that is linked to God, intimately.
God the Father, through his Son, Jesus who is the Christ, with the Holy Spirit, commands us to love one another! If we are to accomplish this and thereby remain in him and he in us as scripture says, we must draw on the strength and wisdom that flows from him. We must do this, knowing that our love cannot be perfect as his love for us was perfect. But we can imagine, cant we. We can envision how much he loves us. We see it in the sacrifice of the Mass. We feel it in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We can understand it intellectually. That means we can work toward that kind of love for one another.
In the opening statement of this reflection I said that the kind of love Christ commanded was possible between family members. It is at a deep level. That is, a mother at some deep level will love her child and siblings will love each other at some deep level. But too frequently, love and trust are violated and, because of the depth of feeling, a rift occurs, hatred shows its ugly and destructive face and damage is done in a depth proportionate to the love that existed before. This, I think, must be the first step in trying to follow Jesus command to love on another. We must look inside our own familial relationships and find the damage there. Pray for the strength to repair those damaged feelings, and see if love cannot rule there once more.
As always these reflections apply first to me and so I am making my pledge to love my family as God loves me. That means my children when they do mean and hurtful things or when they are just inconsiderate (since my wife is perfect I dont need to worry about her) but I will try to expand that command to reach all the relationships I have; at work, at Church, in my social life. In that way I can approach the command Jesus gives us: This I command you: love one another.
Pax
posted by Deacon Jim | 11:51 AM
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