Word to the Wise
Monday, April 21, 2008 - Monday in the Fifth Week of Easter
[Acts 14:5-18 and John 14:21-26]Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
These words from today's gospel scripture from the Gospel of John are some of the most consoling to me. They state the foundational spirituality of this gospel. God has "so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son." If we respond in love and keep Jesus' word, we can be sure that God will dwell in us. Note that it is not sufficient just to say, "I love Jesus!" but fail to love our brothers and sisters. The washing of the feet of the disciples, which takes place just before this "farewell discourse" is the sign that makes clear what Jesus says in the words quote above. Implicit in all of this is the question of "openness" to God. Love is an act of the will, a reaching out to another. To the extent that we keep ourselves apart and separate from God, for whatever reason - a sense of sinfulness, a lack of faith, a fear of loss of self, etc. - we create our own hell! To the extent that we love God and neighbor and invite them to love us (God will never refuse), we create our own heaven - eternal life! The Farewell Discourse, for all its repetition and seeming abstraction, is one long statement of the love of God and the invitation to receive that love in faith. It's an offer we can't refuse! AMEN