LOVE ONE ANOTHER

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn 15:13) Every time I hear or read this passage I can not help but think of my fellow service member's sacrifices.  It is especially true for me as we’re about to move into the Memorial Day weekend. 

Most people are excited for the three-day weekend away from work!  They’ll be gathering with family and friends for to celebrate the beginning of the summer season, picnics, vacations, no school.  Yet for some of us this tends to be a more solemn time as we remember a family member, a friend of the family, a comrade in arms who has paid the ultimate price.  Some will ask why, why does a young man or woman join the armed forces knowing the potential price?  I did a little research on why young men and women join the military, and to be honest my heart sank as I read the reasons.  I had visions of the love of country, family tradition, all for one and one for all, but the reality is it seems to be all about the first steady job, the trades training, the benefits to take care of their families, escape from poverty, travel, and adventure.  It was a this point I had to be honest with myself.  The later motivations are where I most fit at the time I joined the service.

However, what I learned over my 22 years of active service was how to love.  Yes, it’s that simple, at the core of it all the laws, the regulations, the disciplines were a lesson in how to love another who was often a stranger.  A love that called for putting someone else ahead of self.  A love so strong that you could find the supernatural strength to carry unthinkable burdens, the physical, psychological and spiritual wounds.  A love so pure that you’d be willing give up your very life for another human being.

This is the love that Jesus had for his disciples.  This is the love Jesus has for us as His chosen and beloved friends.  He chose us first!  He tells us two things in scripture today: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you." [you really must think about the level of this kind of love.  The Father is the Son and the Son is the Father.  It is a perfect union of being.] So he continues: “Remain in my love.” (Jn 15:9) Then he talks of our relationship with one another saying, “Love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn 15:12)

What a challenge it is to do those two things in our daily lives!  It’s really easy to forget that Jesus loves us as the day becomes intense.  The minute we forget we must remain in his love, subtly, we lose touch with His compassionate, His mercy.

When someone hurts or annoys us, when we’re dealing with a difficult person or someone who has made us angry, often we try to command the situation on our own, much like the disciples who went without mandate, to explain the law, the rules of the faith, only to the point of upsetting the gentile Christians of Antioch.  This behavior only blinds our ability to see people with Christ’s loving understanding.  When we stay in touch with God’s love, we can have empathy, forgiveness, and mercy.

It’s a giant step forward when we accept Jesus’ invitation seriously.  Can we stop just long enough to realize how blessed and loved we are, despite our own failings?  Even the stoniest heart melts in the face of such unconditional love.  Nothing else feeds our souls the way God’s love does.  Nothing can make us happier than abiding in the self-giving love of Jesus and sharing His love with others.