Jesus’ command to us for this sixth Sunday of Easter is that we should love one another. Why is this commandment so hard for us sometimes? After all, loving other people is doing charity which is “the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.” Catechism 1822.
If we are honest, we might say something like “Some people are just not that easy to love” or “ How can I love a person who is mean to me or has hurt me so deeply?”
God loved each one of us so much that he sacrificed his only begotten Son, Jesus. Jesus laid down his life for us, for the forgiveness of our sins. This is the ultimate act of love.
How can we do better in complying with this commandment in our lives? Can we be more forgiving? Can we be more loving? Can we be less self centered and more other person centered?
These are just a few ways to show our love for one another. Our love needs to be self sacrificing, where we give up part of ourselves when we take the time and effort to show love for others.
Love needs to be a part of our character, our very being. It needs to be 2nd nature, so that we can express love easily and readily to all the people in our lives.
We may not like the way someone else behaves or treats us, but that is no reason not to love them. God made them and it is our duty to love them.
When love is part of our character, it can freely flow out of us specially when we interact with other people. People notice whether or not we are loving and caring people.
Jesus washed his disciples’ feet because he loved them so much. Jesus died on the cross for our sins because he loved us so much. Jesus wants us and commands us to love others with such sacrificial love.
So this week, may we do what our scriptures encourage all of us to do and sacrifice some time and energy to show love for another person. Have an awesome week.
Rev. Bob Pope, Parochial Vicar