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May 3, 2021Readings: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35,44-48; Psalm 98:1, 2-3,3-4, (2b); 1 John 4:7-10; John 15:9-17
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we are urged to remain attached to Christ so that we might bear great fruit. Next Sunday, we are reminded that the great fruit we are to bear is love. Attaching ourselves to Christ should inspire and empower us to “Love one another as I love you.” In this one statement, Jesus provides us with both our mission in life and the formula for experiencing true joy.
While Jesus’ command is clear, it can seem daunting, especially when we take into account how He loved us to His death. He goes on to remind us, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” Fortunately for us, we don’t have to experience martyrdom to love as Christ loves. Then what does “laying down one’s life for a friend” mean?
Like many things Jesus asks of us, it doesn’t need to be anything grand. It may be as simple as giving up a Saturday golf game to spend time with a spouse who is struggling. Perhaps it is turning off the TV to spend a little time with our children before bed. It may be shoveling the snow from an elderly neighbor’s side walk or preparing a meal for a friend. Jesus asks only that we strive to become less self-seeking, to live our lives with a greater awareness of others, loving them as He would if He were standing in our place. Laying down our life in this day and age can start with something as simple as putting down our cell phones or tablets and enjoying the company of those around us. It might entail putting aside our self-righteousness and seeking to understand the views of others. Loving one another is a call to openness, unity and inclusion. We come to know pure love when we attach ourselves to Christ. When we know pure love we can’t help but share that great gift with all we encounter, friend and foe alike.
For further reflection, take some time to draw up a list of those in your life who are in need of more love and support. Consider those at home, at work, in the neighborhood and in our community. Include those whom you may have shut out of your life in one way or another. Next, write down how you might lay down your life and love those as Christ has loved you. Also see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 826 and 1965-1974 for reflection on the importance of love and Christian charity.
- How loved by God do I feel? What can I do to get in closer touch with the love God has for me? Consider all the ways God continues to show His love. Do I find myself in anyway separated from God’s love?
- As Catholics, we believe that the sacraments provide us with the strengthening graces we need to love as Christ has loved us. Which sacramental graces do I most need to seek in order to increase my ability to love? Eucharistic? Penitential? Matrimonial? Healing?
- What one thing will I do this week to share Christ‘s love with others? How might I be more loving to those I often disagree with?
