5th Sunday of Easter – C

I give you a new  Commandment, --that you love one another as I have loved you.
Today's  gospel again boils down to the topic of love.
Jesus reminds us today that His love is the hallmark of a Christian.  He gives us a new  Commandment  which itself is the pattern of love.

But is this something new? No not really.  We have not heard one sermon about this,  because we have life experiences in this matter.
Now, when we look again at these words we find that our love is to be the pattern of Christ's love. Love one another as I have loved you.

So we can ask what's new?

Surely the people before Christ had  love. They gave their lives for others, dedicated their lives.   

Not only Christ taught us to love our fellow man.

We also know how to love today. We love those who are related to us by blood and friendship. We love those who are friendly to us, who  have reached out  their hands to us in moments  when we needed them. We do not need to learn about love from  the Gospel. But usually our love is conditional, often sentimental like  the movies.

The news  of this Commandment is that Christ died  out of love for all.

The enemies and the friends.

For those who have  lived and for those who have just begun their lives. Jesus loves  every person unconditionally. Our love is conditional and, unfortunately, often sentimental.
With this  Commandment, thanks to the unfathomable love of Christ for us, His death  gave us the seed of a new love.

So we have a duty to love every human being. Of course, it will never be an emotional  love  as with loved ones but to love others is to wish them the things  we expect from life. Love of neighbor, is primarily a desire for their good, an ordinary human kindness, respect, honesty to  our fellow man.

We need to know that this new and unconditional love, will cost us a lot.  It will now hurt and often not  be understood by others. But through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 

We read in the Acts of the Apostles...

Let us love each other, our first task, the hallmark of our Christianity. With love we do the simplest daily activities. 

Remember that the we are called to love.

Fr. Tom