Mission Society of the Philippines

Homilies

5th SUNDAY OF EASTER: THE COMMANDMENT OF LOVE

Jn 13: 31-35


LOVE IS AN EMOTION which can be found in any relationship. We see husbands loving their wives, parents their children, friends their friends etc. In our gospel, Jesus talks about love as a new commandment to his disciples. Love becomes a new order of relationship, it becomes a new orientation. Let us try to take a look at the essence of this Christian love.

First, Jesus said “I give you a new commandment, love one another.” The novelty that this Christian love suggests is its being inclusive. Christian love cannot be ordinary because we go beyond the limits of our capacity of loving. Usually, we do love the people we know, we love our family members, we love our friends, and we love also those people who have the ability to love us. In short, we love only those people who are lovable and loving. But Christian love goes beyond that boundary. We don’t only love those who are lovable, but also those who are not, those people who are at a distance but in need of our love, and finally, we love even those whom we consider as enemies. This makes it a new orientation, a new order, a new commandment.

Second, Jesus continues to say, “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” This Christian love is modeled after the love of Christ and is therefore a reflection of the love of Christ. Christ’s love is no ordinary. Its greatness can be found in his ability to sacrifice and to give oneself for the sake of the other, of others, and of his friends. Some people, when they are still at a stage of “winning” somebody’s love, they can be willing to sacrifice for the sake of that love. But when love is already won, they would no longer want to sacrifice. Thus, there is an element of sacrifice, but there is a limit to it. Bu Christian love is different, it is not conditional. Moreover, Christ’s love can be found in his compassion to the hungry, mercy to sinners, and pity to the sick. His love is so real that it found through his service to others. This is also the sort of love that we should follow.

Third, Jesus ends the passage by saying, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Love is a Christian identity and Jesus calls his disciples to be “witnesses” to love. There are identities which are material. The Cross, for instance, is a clear and tangible Christian identity. Whenever one sees a cross, an outsider would say that this place or institution is Christian. But here Jesus seems to propose that our identity should not only be found in things. Rather, this identity should be found in the way how Christians live. And this is more noble, and this has a greater impact. It would be great if non-Christians would recognize us because we love each other. Jesus must have observed in communities outside his that there is a strong tendency for retaliation, hatred, division, etc. Jesus wanted his followers to take a different track. A community which is governed by love! And this makes it a new orientation.

Let us remember that this commandment of love is a task to be fulfilled. We share the pride of being the “predominantly Christian nation” in Asia. Yet, on the other, we feel the embarrassment because of our failure to show this Christian love to the world. We do still need to grow on this area. If only we have the total and constant awareness of our identity as Christians, then we should love one another just as Christ told us.

 

 


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