LOVE ONE ANOTHER
Alleluia! Christ the Lord has conquered sin & death & He is Risen! Blessed 5th Sunday of Easter. We continue to exult & rejoice in the Lord this Eastertide, especially since God has given us our new Pope – Pope Leo XIV.
Today we hear from our Eucharistic Readings the powerful theme of Love. In fact, this is the most important theme in the whole bible – “For God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). In our Gospel today, John 13:31-35, the Lord Jesus gives his disciples & us a new commandment – to love each other as he has loved us. Jesus insisted that by our love for each other, the world will know we are his disciples & will know that He is truly risen & alive.
One true measure of our love for each other is the Unity we share as a community, in the Holy Spirit. I’m prompted to draw from a talk I had given late last year to the Charismatic Groups of the Church of the Transfiguration & Church of the Risen Christ to bring this message of love, titled ‘One Body One Spirit in Christ’. Here’s Part One; we’ll cover Part 2 next week.
From the Letter of St Paul to the Ephesians 4:1-6, St Paul made the appeal for love & unity to the Ephesians while in prison.
The seven-fold unity that St Paul mentions is necessary for our lives as Catholic Christians, if we are to be faithful to our calling to build the Kingdom of God.
The seven-fold unity – There is:
Ø One Body
Ø One Spirit
Ø One Hope
Ø One Lord
Ø One Faith
Ø One Baptism
Ø One God and Father of us all
Our Model of Love & Unity is the Holy Trinity: One, Perfect, Holy & Undivided Unity, a Communion of Love & Life.
The Father, Son & Holy Spirit are in an eternal dance of love (Perichoresis). The Triune God is in a perfect & intimate relationship of mutual love & self-giving.
The harsh reality now is we live in times of great division. Many hundreds of years of disunity among the various Christian denominations; millions of divorces; families torn apart due to unforgiveness & disputes; disregard for living our baptismal calling as brothers & sisters in the Lord Jesus; utter divisiveness & disunity of sin etc.
How can we live out the life of love & unity? What can we do in the fight against the prevalent culture of death that sows hatred & division?
Ø Firstly, we’ve got to recognize that we are all one in the Mystical Body of Christ. Our backgrounds are diverse & our gifts differ, yet we are all called to Unity & Oneness by the Holy Spirit. Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-7. 12-13.
Ø Next, we have to “drink of the one Spirit”. This spiritual nourishment involves praying, yielding & surrendering to the Holy Spirit, reading the Word of God, gathering in community to pray & praise, & most importantly, celebrating the Eucharist. For ‘The Eucharist is the source & summit of the Christian life.’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1324). In listening to the Proclamation of the Word & receiving the Body & Blood of Christ at each Eucharistic celebration, our lives are renewed & transformed. We experience the great love of God for us & this will compel us to love & care for others.
We will see next week how the most powerful driving force, the true radiant glory of God will help us love each other as Christ loves us. In the meantime, here’s a beautiful hymn called “By Our Love” by Tom Kendzia to seal & lock in today’s core message – to love one another as Christ has loved us,
https://youtu.be/yrvPSE0Ih3s?si=dyTrDPGw-je1WYbj
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead