To Love As You Have Been Loved

To Love As You Have Been Loved

Jn 13: 31 – 35

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Introduction

In today’s gospel, Jesus exhorts his disciples to love one another. Jesus tells them that in loving one another, people will know and recognize them as his disciples.

The Gospel

Today's reading situates us at the Passover meal celebrated by Jesus and his disciples inside a room. There in that meal, Jesus reveals who would betray him. Then when Judas leaves the room, Jesus tells his disciples: “ Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and he will glorify him at once.”

Notice how the word “glorify” is used by Jesus several times. The word “glory” in the gospel of John has a peculiar meaning. It connotes a moment in time when Jesus was with the Father before the world began. However, when Jesus utters the word “glory” he also refers to the time when one day, he will return and will be reunited with the Father once more in glory with him.

But the word glory has also an implicit meaning. It points to the time when finally, Jesus is taken to the cross to suffer and die since without this suffering and death, his mission would not  be accomplished and his return to the Father not yet possible. In John’s gospel, Jesus is glorified beginning with the cross. There, too, God is glorified in him and God glorifies Jesus also in the cross.

Then Jesus tells his disciples one of the most moving lines in the bible, saying: “ I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Reflection

When Judas left the room where Jesus and his disciples were celebrating the Passover, it was the sure signal for Jesus to know that he was going to be handed over to the authorities to be crucified. It was at this moment when death became certain, that Jesus spoke of his glorification.

The cross was to be Jesus’ path to glorification. It was to be the beginning of his suffering but at the same time, it was to be the moment when the Father’s will would be accomplished, leading eventually to his return to the bosom of the Father, a place of glory.  

In the gospel of John, Jesus does not fear death. And because he doesn’t fear death, he willingly lays down his life. This is why in John, the cross is a point of glory. It is a point where Jesus reveals himself fully. Hence Jesus’ glory shines brightly on the cross because there we see his humanity and divinity all in a single snapshot. In the cross, we see God making this ultimate sacrifice in order to save a fallen humanity. Ultimately, however, God does all of these because of his great love for the world, according to John.

And so, it is with this same love that his disciples were to love one another. They were to love like Jesus; they were to love with a love that was willing to sacrifice; a love that was concerned for the welfare of others.  Only with this kind of love will people recognize that they were truly disciples of the Lord.

This gospel explains to us our fundamental identity as Christians; that we are Jesus’ disciples only when we love those around us in the way that Christ loved us. The love we have received from Jesus should be the same love we need to show our fellowmen.

This is quite a challenging invitation for us because many times we really don’t love like Jesus. Our selfish ways prevent us from truly loving others in the way the Lord has loved us.

During the holy week, we have contemplated how much the Lord has loved us; how he gave up his own life to save us. In his passion and death, the Lord showed how unconditional was his love for friends and enemies alike. That love which we have contemplated should not remain as a mere contemplation of his love. It is ours now to share this love so that the world may know that we are his.

Prayer

Jesus you loved us so unconditionally. Teach us divine master to love as you love. To serve as you have served us. To understand our fellow men in the way you have understood us. To be caring in the same way you have cared for us. Amen.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. “ – 1 Jn 4: 7-8