No Greater Love

Sixth Sunday of Easter

LOVE one another - John 15:12

Love in this context is a VERB - it needs to be practised and used everyday

"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13). Try to imagine for a moment an instance when one might be compelled to set aside concern for his or her life for the sake of another. What are the circumstances? Perhaps in the midst of an accident, the causes of which could be human or natural. Perhaps the situation that of a rescue or intervention, to protect someone from harm to one's self or from another. In either case, we sense that something is nor right. In a perfect world occasions would not arise which summon one to risk one's life for that of another.

As Jesus says these final words to his disciples at the last supper, we know that things are not as they should be. Judas just departed in order to betray Jesus. Peter has made a bold claim to remain with Jesus to the end, a claim he will be unable to fulfill. A heavy mood looms over Jesus and his disciples as he gives them his "last will and testament," the core of which is a simple command: "Love one another."

Share the LOVE - it's contiguous!

The air is heavy over the dinner because the air is heavy over the world. Jesus will die for his friends, as well as his enemies, because the world does not know the peace God envisions for it. And the peace Jesus will bring is different from what the would would call peace, which is often little more than pacification or merely truce. The peace Jesus brings will demand his life, a life he will give to all, that the world may know God's boundless grace and love. As disciples, our deepest joy is to share Christ's peace with the world. How can we show this "greater love" to friends, enemies, and strangers alike? What will it cost?@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@