Word to the Wise
Thursday, May 2, 2024 - 5th Week of Easter - Thurs
[Acts 15:7-21 and John 15:9-11]"As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete." [John]
MAY 2 ST. ATHANASIUS, bishop and doctor of the Church (295-373)
Throughout the Gospel According to John, the Greek verb menein [remain] occurs as a way of describing a relationship both between Jesus and the Father as well as between Jesus and the believer. The challenge Jesus gives in today's passage from the Last Supper discourse is to "remain" in his love. A traditional Catholic way of describing this is "the state of grace," but it's more than that. A person may be "in good graces" with someone else without loving them. Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis co-authored an encyclical called Lumen fidei [The Light of Faith] in which they say that faith is the result of an encounter with a love far greater than we could ever experience on our own. In a world torn by violence and abuse and secular consumerism, such a love seems almost unattainable. But Jesus promises us this love if only we will place our faith in him.
Remaining in love will always be a challenge. Any married couple can testify to that challenge! The same can be true of our closest friends. Commitment and communication are vital to "remaining." The knowledge that we are loved by another human being is a powerful motivator, but the knowledge that we are loved by God goes further. That relationship is sustained in prayer - the communication - just as an ordinary friendship is sustained by a commitment to communication and sharing of life. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that human friendship is the best analogue for a human relationship with God. The First Letter of John 4:19-21 reminds us that if we cannot love one another (whom we can see), we cannot love God (whom we cannot see). If we want to know how we are remaining in Jesus' love, we can start by asking how we love one another. AMEN
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