Skip to main content

Love One Another, As Jesus Loves Us (John 15:12-17)

 Jesus had already said that the law and the prophets were summed up by the two great commandments: love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. Now he says to the apostles, "...love one another as I have loved you." Once again, this is not something that we are able to do in our own strength. God must give us the grace to do it, but in light of the fact that he has given that grace, we should do what Jesus is commanding us.

Jesus is preparing them for his death on the cross. That is the greater love of which he is speaking. As soon as he mentions laying down his life for his friends, he calls them friends, if they did not know. The apostles are in the inner circle; that's what Jesus means when he's telling them everything. They know the Father's plan, and they will know their part in carrying it out.

It was not their superior knowledge or wisdom that caused Jesus to choose any one of them, but it is a mystery of grace. In a sense, we are chosen in a similar way. We may not think that we deserve any of the blessings God chooses to give us, and we are right. Yet we share our blessings, and more importantly, we share the good news of Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Father's joy will be the fruit that abides in us.

We must remind ourselves that we can ask Jesus for anything, but what he will give to us is only in accordance with the Father's plan. Let us desire the spiritual gifts that Jesus wants to give us. Those prayers will always be answered. He cares about our material needs as well, but you may notice that he tends to give us what we need, and not necessarily what we want, in that area of life.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Thoughts On The Harrison Butker Commencement Speech

Update: I read the whole thing. I’m sorry, but what a weirdo. I thought you [Tom Darrow, of Denver, CO] made a trenchant case for why lockdowns are bad, and I definitely appreciated it. But a graduation speech is *not* the place for that. Secondly, this is an august event. It always is. I would never address the President of the United States in this manner. Never. Even the previous president, though he deserves it, if anyone does. Thirdly, the affirmations of Catholic identity should be more general. He has no authority to propound with specificity on all matters of great consequence. It has all the hallmarks of a culture war broadside, and again, a layman shouldn’t speak like this. The respect and reverence due the clergy is *always due,* even if they are weak, and outright wrong. We just don’t brush them aside like corrupt Mafia dons, to make a point. Fourthly, I don’t know where anyone gets the idea that the TLM is how God demands to be worshipped. The Church doesn’t teach that. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dear Alyse

 Today, you’re 35. Or at least you would be, in this place. You probably know this, but we’re OK. Not great, but OK. We know you wouldn’t want us moping around and weeping all the time. We try not to. Actually, I guess part of the problem is that you didn’t know how much we loved you. And that you didn’t know how to love yourself. I hope you have gotten to Love by now. Not a place, but fills everything in every way. I’m not Him, but he probably said, “Dear daughter/sister, you have been terribly hard on yourself. Rest now, and be at peace.” Anyway, teaching is going well, and I tell the kids all about you. They all say you are pretty. I usually can keep the boys from saying something gross for a few seconds. Mom and I are going to the game tonight. And like 6 more times, before I go back to South Carolina. I have seen Nicky twice, but I myself haven’t seen your younger kids. Bob took pictures of the day we said goodbye, and we did a family picture at the Abbey. I literally almost a...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Friend I Once Had, And The Dogmatic Principle

 I once had a friend, a dear friend, who helped me with personal care needs in college. Reformed Presbyterian to the core. When I was a Reformed Presbyterian, I visited their church many times. We were close. I still consider his siblings my friends. (And siblings in the Lord.) Nevertheless, when I began to consider the claims of the Catholic Church to be the Church Christ founded, he took me out to breakfast. He implied--but never quite stated--that we would not be brothers, if I sought full communion with the Catholic Church. That came true; a couple years later, I called him on his birthday, as I'd done every year for close to ten of them. He didn't recognize my number, and it was the most strained, awkward phone call I have ever had. We haven't spoken since. We were close enough that I attended the rehearsal dinner for his wedding. His wife's uncle is a Catholic priest. I remember reading a blog post of theirs, that early in their relationship, she told him of the p...
Post a Comment
Read more