Jesus once told
us, His followers, that the greatest commandment is to love God with our whole
heart, soul and mind. And the second greatest commandment is to love our
neighbor as ourselves.
Today, as He
prepares His Church for the time when He will no longer be visible among us, He
raises the bar even further. We are no longer to simply love one another as we
love ourselves, Jesus instructs us to love one another as He has loved us.
We need only to
look at the cross to see how Jesus loved us. Love is not simply hearts and
flowers and good feelings. True, deep, radiant love, is sacrificial in nature.
We may not all be called to give up our physical life for another but we are
all called to sacrifice for each other.
All of the gifts
we have received from God, all of our talents, abilities and blessings, are
given to us that we may put them at the service of our brothers and sisters.
This is what it means to sacrifice our lives for one another and to love as
Jesus has loved us.
Do we live for
ourselves or do we live for others? Do we sacrifice not only for friends and
family but for our community, the Church, as well? This is what it means to be Christian. Sacrificial love can
convince the world of the rightness of our faith. It is the proof of all
teachings, dogmas, and moral precepts of the Christian Church.
Pax Vobiscum
5th Sunday of Easter
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