WE ARE CALLED TO LOVE
Introduction
Today, we hear Jesus call several of his apostles: “Come, follow me,” he says, and they follow him. They recognize him as their Savior, the Son of God. From now on they will not only have to accept his word but also to live as he lived.
This is why the reading from John’s letter fits in very well: the life of the Christian must be marked by love, for Jesus gave his life for us. Love is not a theory or a mere sentiment but an experience of commitment.
Opening Prayer
Lord, our God,
when we do not know what to do or how to live,
you refer us to the living example
of Jesus, your Son.
Help us to learn from him,
not in theory but in practice,
what it means to love.
Give us the courage to follow him
by opening with him our hearts
to our brothers and sisters
and in giving ourselves to them in life and in death
by the strength of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever. Amen!
1 Reading – 1 JOHN 3:11-21
Beloved: This is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another, unlike Cain who belonged to the Evil One and slaughtered his brother. Why did he slaughter him? Because his own works were evil, and those of his brother righteous. Do not be amazed, then, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts before him in whatever our hearts condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God.
Responsorial PSALM 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
R. (2a) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song. R.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends. R.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name. R.
The LORD is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations. R.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.
Today a great light has come upon the earth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel JOHN 1:43-51
Jesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Commentary
Love others not only with words but with actions
John begins this section of his letter with his central theme of love:
“This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.”
Today we have a vibrant passage on the centrality of love in Christian life. Christianity can be summarised in the opening sentence: “…we are to love one another.” The big question that would immediately confront us would be, “how do we love those who hate us?” or “why are there so many who hate the believers?” Why does the Church suffer persecution when it teaches only to love?
John the Evangelist finds the answer from the Genesis story of Abel and Caine: Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy and spite. And so, we should not be in the least surprised if this world of sin and self-centredness hates the Lord who teaches to love! It hated and killed him then, and it wants to harm his Church today. It is, of course, happening all the time.
We might expect people to return our love. But the example of Cain is still to be found everywhere – even within the Church. People are hated not because they are bad but because they are good. Goodness for some people can be threatening.
The only valid sign of a Christian is the love we show for our brothers and sisters, irrespective of the response. God’s love cannot survive in us if we refuse to share what we have with those in need (James 2:14-17). God’s Word and our faith teach us that when we treat someone as if they are dead to us, we have already killed them in our hearts.
Jesus offered his life for the life of others, and he invites his followers to do the same. How do we live a lifestyle of laying down our lives for others? It demands caring for the physical needs of our brothers and sisters in need (v. 17), and loving others not only with words and speech but with actions and truth (v. 18).
Intentions
– Lord, you have seen us in our struggles, in our plodding attempts to follow you. Keep us in your love, we pray:
– Lord, you have seen how we are often blind to the needs of the poor and the downtrodden. Open our eyes and hearts, we pray:
– Lord, you know how often words of love are on our lips. Help us to make them come true in our actions, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, loving Father,
you share with us these gifts of bread and wine
and in them you will give us
your Son, Jesus Christ.
May we learn from you and your Son
to share what we have
with people in need
and with our gifts our very selves.
May our love be not just empty words
but something real and active,
on account of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, loving Father,
in this Eucharistic celebration
we have encountered your Son
as our Lord and Saviour.
He has seen us and he loves us.
May we live as we believe,
that there be no deceit in us,
but that we follow your Son
on the road of self-giving love,
for he is our Lord for ever. Amen!
Blessing
The Lord sees us where we are and as we are, people mostly full of good will but full of limitations. He sees us, not to police us but to love us. May Almighty God bless us, the Farther, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!