The reflections for Sundays and Solemnities is an activity of Society of St Paul, India
A Reflection by:
FR REUBEN TELLIS,
MOUNT CARMEL CHURCH,
BANDRA(W), MUMBAI
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“I love you” is a set of words often whispered to another in a moment of intimacy. People never tire of hearing this repeated over and over again. And the response is often, “I love you too.” Love cannot be built on shaky foundations of mistrust and hatred and very aptly today we can learn about love at the Lord’s feet. Love is the basis of all our relationships in life, but it is the Lord who teaches us to love. When we learn the elements that characterize our relationship with Jesus, we can apply this learning to all other human relationships as well.
Jesus gives us a commandment in today’s gospel, and it is not an easy one. We are to love one another as he has loved us, the fact is repeated in the 2nd reading. And St Peter in the 1st reading is presenting a dynamic truth – he says “that God does not have favourites.” Now loving others in general is a noble and beautiful ideal. But loving particular people can be a challenge. When someone irritates us at work or at school or in our family or our community, loving that person seems unreasonable. When someone ignores us or hurts us, loving that person can seem impossible. So there could be a tendency to try to wriggle out of Jesus’ command. We say to ourselves, “That person is a big pain, is very selfish or manipulative. That person does not deserve to be loved.” But Jesus has anticipated our objection and shaped his command accordingly. He says, “Love one another as I have loved you.” And how has Jesus loved us? He has loved us even though we at times are selfish and manipulative. He has loved us even though we do not deserve his love. So Jesus gives us no room to escape from his command. We are to love others, even though they do not deserve to be loved.
So how do we make this seemingly impossible way of loving possible? Jesus shows us the way. In the gospel, before he gives us the command, he shows us how we can follow it. Before he tells us to give love, he tells us to RECEIVE love. And the love that we are to take is the love of Jesus. He says, “Remain in my love. Then my joy will be yours, and your joy will be complete.” Jesus is telling us that we must first RECEIVE his love in order to give love to others.
Now what does it mean to remain in Jesus’ love? It means that we are to remember and to embrace all the ways that he has loved us. Jesus has loved us by giving us life, by directing our abilities, and by giving us family and friends. Jesus has loved us by walking with us on those difficult days when we struggle to hope. Jesus has loved us by giving us the wisdom to make good decisions and the strength to carry them out. In all these ways and more Jesus has loved us. And when we call to mind all those blessings, we remain in his love. Once we remain in his love, we are able to follow his command. Surrounded by the love that we have received from him, we are able to love others, even though they may not deserve it.
So do not despair when Jesus asks you to love someone who has hurt you or someone who annoys you. First surround yourself with his love. Draw strength from the love you have received from him, and then try to love someone who is difficult. If we try to love based on our own love, we will often not succeed. But if we draw strength from his love, we may find that it is possible to accept the people who irritate us and to forgive those who have hurt us. So come, let us be channels of God’s merciful love always.
