Jesus said: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you” (John 15: 12). This is a command, not a request, not an option nor a recommendation. It is a command because God is love and we are His children. God’s love brings healing, complete joy, fullness of life and empowers us to become His friends. When we love we become the best that we can be. We are created in the image and likeness of God and we are called to make the love of God shine in our lives. The love of Jesus defeated evil, sin, and death forever. Different religions speak of God as Supreme intelligence, Supreme power, Supreme bliss but only Christianity speaks of God as a loving Father with a heart. It is Jesus who reveals God’s extravagant love on the Cross. He loved to the end and He gave all. He said: “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15: 13). This is a complete and greatest form of love. True love is sacrificial. It reaches out to others without expecting anything in return. It comes from the Greek word Agape, which means working for the well-being of others. God’s love is poured out in abundance on every single creature whether there is a response or not. This is a command that brings healing to our world where the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. We live in a world where there is war, intense consumerism, infidelity, addiction and culture of death. Life is good when we are happy but much better when others are happy because of us. This is understood by the saints and they work for the well-being of others. They fulfilled Jesus’ great command of love. Pope Francis said that the rule of nature is living for others. Rivers do not drink their own waters. Trees do not eat their own fruits. Flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. The sun does not shine on itself. It is always living for others. And we are God’s masterpiece. We are called to make God’s love visible, real and concrete in our lives
THE GREAT COMMAND OF LOVE
