Gospel Reading for the 6th Sunday of Easter: Year B
“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.” (John 15:9)
Our Lord Jesus came to us and walked among us for the sole purpose of sharing the unconditional love of God our Creator in order that we will share this godly love among ourselves. We are told to “abide” in his love. Abide means to take it in and live with it. It may not be comfortable at first but Jesus promises that it will bring us joy. Jesus says “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” So firsts we tolerate and then we receive joy, everlasting joy.
This is how we get this ultimate joy; we follow the Commandment of Jesus. And what is this commandment? Jesus says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) I like this edict from our Lord Jesus much better than the Commandment from the Synoptic Gospels which says to love your neighbor as yourself. The assumption is that we love ourselves. I have met people who hate themselves. I have met people who abuse themselves with cutting, drugs, alcohol, greed, gluttony, and other self abusive disorders. If we then set out to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, we may feel free to abuse others in the same way we abuse ourselves.
In John’s Gospel we don’t get off that easy. Our Lord Jesus commands us to love one another, our neighbors, as He loves us. And we know that Jesus loved us to death, even death on a cross. It is a very difficult command. But we must strive to do just that; to love others as He, our Lord Jesus, loves us. No excuses, no treating others as we treat ourselves if that treatment is harmful.
Another point to ponder about is Jesus saying, “You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another; (John 15: 16 and 17). I have found that in most cases, the people we choose in life are more dear to us than those we were born into life with. Chosen or born into, the love God gifts us with is not a limited love. If we abide in the love of God we are able to love all people as family.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, and our schools including St. Augustine in Raleigh, North Carolina.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
Let us pray:
Dear Lord Jesus, who has taught us the real meaning of self-giving love, strengthen our God-given ability to stretch out our love for all people regardless of their beliefs, nationality, language, sexual orientation, or political affiliation. Help us to abide in the love of God so that our joy may truly be complete. Amen.
onewhoponders 