6th Sunday of Easter
We continue our journey out of the COVID restrictions and as we do that we remember all who are affected especially those in India and other affected countries. Our Gospel for this Sunday is a reading from the gospel of John in which Jesus tells us ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. The love of God is easy for those who see God as a loving and faithful Father. St. Therese of Lisieux, who was a master of the spiritual life tells us about the love which is its essence. She taught the “little way” of childlike simplicity and obedience to God as the way to grow in love. “It seems to me St. Therese said that there will be no judgment for victims of love, or rather, the good God will hasten to reward, with eternal delights, His own love which He will see burning in their hearts.” Love of God is tied to the commandments, because the commandments are the love of God in action.
Those who love God long to be holy as he is holy and so live by the commandments. But they do it out of love not because they have to. “In the heart of the Church I will be love,” St. Therese exclaimed upon discovering her true vocation. Though bound by the walls of her cloister, she knew unlimited freedom to reach the heights of holiness through courageous devotion to charity. We too are students of the love of God. The commandments that Jesus gives are valuable lessons by which we master the love of God our Father in thought, word and deed. Jesus chose his followers to carry out God’s plan of salvation. By allowing us to participate in his work of redemption, he gives us a personal stake in the Kingdom of God. “Love is the best way to become his “co-worker,” since it reveals the reason he came into the world and affirms our friendship with the creator. Love changes everything it touches. It tells us to stop bragging about this or that. It enhances our reputation. It denies the power of position and wealth which we sometimes feel is ours by right, it raises us up as true leaders.
It might take away the advantage of our personal ideas on any topic. However, It connects us in unimaginable ways to God and to one another. Divine love transcends mere emotion. It becomes our lifeline to God. And it forms the basis of real community where everyone is valued and no one is left out. It is inexplicable in theory, yet easily seen in action. Wherever God loves, he acts. Wherever he acts, he is there with us. He is with us because he loves us and the love of God knows no bounds. we remember the love that God has for each and every one of us each time we look at the Cross. We also remember that Jesus the son of God who gave up his life on the Cross out of love for us is our saviour who will show us the way to bring the love of God the Father into our lives so that we will pass it on to other people.
Fullerton T 