The Holy Gospel according to John (15:12-17)
Jesus said to his disciples: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”
Reflection: Today’s Gospel begins and ends with the same command of Jesus, “to love one another.” He would never command us to do what is impossible for us to do. The secret is that we are too love as he loves us. Jesus shows us his love for us by laying down his life for his friends. As Jesus tells us, “I no longer call you slaves…I have called you friends.” Jesus is offering us his friendship and wants us to be his friends. The dictionary defines a friend as “one attached to another by affection or esteem.” The Scriptures, in the book of Sirach 6:14-15, describes a faithful friend.
“A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth.”
True friendship has 3 characteristics.
- Reciprocity. It is a mutual, two-way relationship.
- Fidelity. It is about being loyal and trustful.
- Freedom. There are no conditions on the relationship.
All of these characteristics certainly describes Jesus’ friendship with us. Jesus also reminds us that we are his followers, because he has chosen us first. Friendship with Christ is not supposed to be a static thing. The deeper our friendship with the Lord, the deeper our obedience to Him, the deeper our sensitivity to the work of His Spirit in our lives, the more fruitful we’re going to be in the mission that he’s given us.
Action of the Day: If I truly believe that Jesus regards me as his friend, does this have any effect on my life? Does this show in the way I treat others? How am I called to respond to this offer of Jesus’ friendship? Our live as Catholic Christians must be productive in building up the kingdom of Heaven in our environments. What will we do today to build up that kingdom?
Audio Reflection:
