To Love One Another As God Loves Us

7 May

The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me
and have come to believe that I came from God.
I came from the Father and have come into the world.
Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.  (Jn 16:27-28)

This is the last Gospel this Easter season in which Jesus tells His disciples goodbye.

For the past week and a half, we have been reading these types of Gospels as we prepare to celebrate the Feast of the Ascension.

At His Ascension, Jesus commissioned His disciples to go out into the world and tell the Good News.  He charged His disciples with His job since He would no longer be with them physically.

Because of that, He kept insisting that His disciples learn to ask for whatever they needed and to ask in the name of Jesus.  If they did, Jesus assured them, they would be heard and their prayers answered.

Why?

All because of love.

God loves us completely.

Talk about unconditional love:  He gave us His only Son.

Talk about unconditional love:  His only Son gave His life for us on the cross.

That is the same kind of unconditional love that God asks of us.

To love one another as God loves us is our great gift to God.

We can only do that, however, if we love Jesus, His Son, without reservation.

FAITH ACTION:  Pray the Act of Love today

ACT OF LOVE

O my God, I love you above all things
with my whole heart and soul,
because you are all good and worthy
of all my love.

I love my neighbor as myself
for the love of you.

I forgive all who have injured me and
I ask pardon of those whom I have injured.

Amen