5th Week of Easter: Sunday, 19th May 2019

In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus’s commandment. He commands us, first, “to love one another as He loves us”, and second “to love in such a way that others are able to identify or recognize that we are his disciples.” How can we love others as Jesus loves? There are several things which Jesus has given us as example, things that apply to our own everyday lives.

Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, our Savior, the sinless, truly divine but he is also truly human. He shows compassion for the sick. He cares for the poor. He feeds the hungry. He is kind to sinners. He comforts the afflicted. He forgives those who are cruel to him. These are a few examples from scripture which we all can follow and obey, so we can love others really like Jesus loves. But we may not be able to love perfectly as Jesus does.

To love like Jesus loves, we must place others above ourselves and to daily empty ourselves and emulate the one who did so unconditionally, wholesomely and successfully and it is not easy. Even though we strive to be like Jesus, sometimes we fail, but there is always the grace of God leading us to new life again.

In the Acts of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas, returned to Antioch to strengthen the believers and to encourage them to persevere in faith. We can always rededicate our life to Christ by truly repenting for our sins and by honestly making sacrifices in reparation for them.

God our Father look upon us with love and grant us the grace to be the missionary disciples of Jesus, Your Son.