Acts 15:1-2, 22-29;
Rev 21:10-14, 22-23; Jn 14:23-29
“Whoever loves
me will keep my word.” This statement of Jesus is not difficult to understand
because we feel its truth so strongly in our daily interaction with people. If
someone close to us does not care about what we say, we feel offended. In
contrast, it feels good when a loved one considers our instructions and
observes them.
“Whoever does
not love me does not keep my words.” For Jesus, love to be true must
be seen in action. The Lord knows that some people express their love in
beautiful words, but the words do not match their actions. To truly love Christ
we must have within us the sincere desire to do what he wants.
“Whoever loves
me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and
make our dwelling with him.” Jesus is telling us today “If you really love
me, you will try to do what is good because the good gives you life and pleases
God.” It is wonderful for one who lives the word of God because the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit will dwell in that person’s heart.
What Christ and the Father want us to observe are found in
the Scriptures, namely, the Christian ideals which are briefly summarized in
the twin commandment of love of God and love of neighbor.
Unfortunately, some people have come to falsely believe that
all we have to do is love God (perhaps by attending Sunday Mass or saying a little prayer
each day) and not bother or worry about our neighbors. But “how can we possibly
love a God whom we do not see if we cannot love our neighbor whom we see?” When we worship God, we also need
to serve the poor and the needy. When we pray the “Our Father”, we also
have to treat others as brothers and sisters. And when we praise God for his
goodness, we also
need to walk humbly, live justly and work fairly.
British TV celebrity Malcolm Muggeridge went
to India to film Mother Teresa’s nuns working with dying patients. His camera
crew didn’t anticipate the poor lighting in the building and failed to bring
extra lights. So they thought it useless to film the sisters at work. But
someone suggested they do it anyway. Maybe some footage would be usable. To
everyone’s surprise, the film was spectacular. It was illumined by a mysterious
light. Muggeridge believes the light resulted from a “glow” of love radiating
from the sisters’ faces. He sensed this “glow” himself when he first entered
the building. He says it was “like the haloes that artists have seen and made
visible round the heads of saints.”
God’s presence in a person’s heart
glows and radiates. If we start living God’s will, the Lord will make a home in
our hearts, and the world will never see darkness.
