“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you… love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:9,12).
After three years of being with his Apostles, Jesus must prepare them for His Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension. This is what he chose to emphasize…
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you… love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:9,12).
If we are going to be His disciples… if we are going to say that we love Jesus… we must be a people of love!
So how do we love Him and love one another? Those who know me have heard me frequently ask, “What is your most important task on earth? What is the meaning of my life?” The Catechism teaches us we are to know, love and serve God in this life so as to be with Him forever in the life to come. The most important thing we do is to attain heaven and to be the instruments by which others attain heaven. This is the supernatural end that our God wills for us.
We serve God by serving others… by being Christ to them. But notice that service flows from our knowing and loving God. We cannot love others, with the love of Christ, unless we first love Him in humility and obedience and allow His love to transform us. It is our love for Him and His love for us that must motivate our love of neighbor.
Notice also that loving God comes from knowing Him. We cannot fully love God, if we do not know Him. And we cannot know Him, if we do not spend time with Him, each day in prayer. Our good works, to be effective toward our spiritual end, must flow from an ever-deepening love of God in our very souls.
Remember, you are dust, and to dust you will return. Repent and believe in the Gospel.
Editor’s Note: Join us each weekday morning during Lent for Daily Lenten Reflections.
