NEW COMMANDMENT

During the Last Supper, Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you should also love one another!” (John 13:34) This is mandatum novum in Latin, which means the mandate of love. It is a command, not an invitation nor a request. It is not a recommendation nor a suggestion. Ignoring the new commandment is not an option. It is because the mandate of love leads us to fullness of life,  Eternal life. Where there is love there is God. We are called to make the love of God shine in our lives. We are called to reveal God into world by loving one another. It is the Holy Spirit that makes the observance of the new commandment possible because He is the agent of rebirth, regeneration,  Transformation and new life. He is the love that connects the Father and the Son. We belong to the Holy Trinity. We are called to participate in the life of God and be imitators of Christ. What makes the commandment of Jesus new? What is new about His commandment? First of all, He is the model. He said that there is no greater love than this, laying down one’s life for his friends. (John 15:13) He did that on the Cross. He gave all and loved to the end. He sets the standard of love. His self sacrificial actions on the Cross reveal that God’s love knows no bounds. He is the perfect manifestation of God’s love. Secondly, the new commandment focuses on the Christian community and it inaugurates a New Covenant sealed by the Blood of Jesus. It means that nothing can separate us from the love of God. The New Covenant is irreversible, irrevocable, eternal and everlasting. God is always on our side. When we sin, God does not stop loving us. It is we who stop loving Him. It is we who break our relationship with Him – always. Thirdly, the new commandment is positive and open ended. We can never claim full compliance. There is always need for more love. And the test of love is to love even our enemies, even those who are unlovable. We need the Holy Spirit so that we can be true witnesses of the miracle of Easter. That God’s love never ends and dies and we are called to enter into that same love. To proclaim that God’ love is the only true power and to live fearless lives like the saints and martyrs.