JOHN 13: 31-33, 34-35
IN THE COUNTRY OF NIGERIA, A YOUNG MAN
FROM THE BUSH APPEARED AT THE DOOR OF A MISSIONARY FROM THE UNITED
STATES. HE WANTED WORK, AND SHE HIRED HIM. THREE MONTHS WENT BY,
AND HE PROVED TO BE AN EXCELLENT EMPLOYEE. THEN HE TOLD HER HE WAS
GIVING NOTICE. SHE OFFERED TO RAISE HIS PAY, ADJUST HIS HOURS,
ANYTHING TO KEEP HIM THERE. HE REFUSED, AND TOLD HER THAT NOW HE
INTENDED TO WORK FOR A MUSLIM. BECAUSE, HE SAID, I AM TRYING TO
DECIDE WHICH RELIGION TO CHOOSE – CHRISTIANITY OR ISLAM. AND NOW
I'VE SEEN HOW CHRISTIANS LIVE. NOW I WILL STUDY MUSLIMS AND THEN
MAKE MY CHOICE. THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY REPLIED, “I WISH YOU HAD
TOLD ME THIS WHEN YOU STARTED TO WORK FOR ME!”
TODAY JESUS GIVES US A NEW
COMMANDMENT. IS IT NEW BECAUSE OF THE COMMANDMENT TO LOVE ONE
ANOTHER? I THINK THAT IS NOT A PARTICULARLY NEW IDEA, EVEN IN JESUS'
TIME. JEWISH LEADERS FOR AGES HAD TAUGHT THAT YOU NOT ONLY LOOKED
AFTER YOUR OWN PEOPLE, BUT EVEN THE STRANGERS AMONG YOU. THE STORY
OF TOBIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT IS A STORY ABOUT LOVING ONE ANOTHER.
JESUS COMMANDMENT IS NEW, HOWEVER, BECAUSE HE SAYS, “LOVE ONE
ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.” IF YOU READ THE GOSPELS YOU CAN SEE
HOW JESUS LOVED. HIS PREACHING, HIS HEALING, AND EVEN THE TIMES HE
SCOLDED THE PHARISEES OR HIS OWN DISCIPLES WERE ALL DONE OUT OF LOVE.
JESUS WAS NEVER AFRAID TO DEMONSTRATE HIS LOVE TO ANYONE WHO CAME TO
HIM. AND OF COURSE HIS FINAL SUPREME ACT OF LOVE WAS TO GIVE HIS
LIFE FOR US. AS HE DIED ON THE CROSS, HE DID NOT EVEN GET THANKED;
HIS GIFT TO US WAS COMPLETELY SELFLESS.
I THINK ALL OF US IN THIS CHURCH ARE
PEOPLE WHO LOVE. WE LOVE OUR FAMILIES, OUR FRIENDS; WE EVEN LOVE
SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HARD TO LOVE, AT LEAST INSOFAR AS WE
DON'T WISH THEM HARM. SOME OF US EVEN PRAY FOR OUR ENEMIES AS WELL
AS OUR FRIENDS. BUT IF WE HAD A YOUNG MAN FROM THE BACK-COUNTRY OF
AFRICA WATCHING US TO DECIDE WHETHER TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN OR GO LOOK
FOR SOMETHING ELSE, HOW WOULD WE MEASURE UP?
PROBABLY NOT TOO WELL. THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH IN THIS COUNTRY IS NOT DOING WELL. WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS TO
BE PROUD OF, NO QUESTION; AND WE CAN TAKE PRIDE IN OUR NEW POPE, IN
SOME OF THE THINGS THE CHURCH IS DOING FOR THE POOR AND THE
ALIENATED. BUT THE FACT REMAINS THAT CHURCHES ARE CLOSING, THAT MASS
ATTENDANCE IS FALLING OFF, THAT MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WHO GREW UP IN
CATHOLIC FAMILIES ARE LEAVING THE CHURCH, JOINING OTHER CHURCHES, OR
PERHAPS THEY HAVE REACHED THE POINT WHERE THEY HAVE BECOME MEMBERS OF
THE “NONES” – PEOPLE WHO DENY ANY RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION. THEY
HAVE OBSERVED CATHOLICS AND SEEN NOTHING THAT MAKES THEM EAGER TO
BECOME PART OF THE CHURCH.
HOW DO WE LOVE EACH OTHER AS JESUS
LOVED US? THAT KIND OF LOVE DOES NOT INVOLVE CHARITABLE GIVING –
THAT'S GOOD, BUT NOT PARTICULARLY CHRISTIAN. IT DOESN'T MEAN GETTING
INVOLVED IN GOOD WORKS OR JOINING CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS. THAT'S
GOOD TOO, AND ALL OF US SHOULD BE DOING IT, BUT IT'S NOT THE ANSWER.
AFTER ALL, CHARITABLE GIVING AND JOINING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DO GOOD
WORKS ARE NOT PARTICULARLY CHRISTIAN THINGS EITHER.
THE WAY WE LOVE AS JESUS DID BOILS
DOWN TO A PARTICULAR ATTITUDE THAT WE HAVE, AND THAT GOVERNS HOW WE
DEAL WITH OTHER PEOPLE. DO YOU REMEMBER THE STORY OF WHEN JESUS WAS
URGED BY THE YOUNG SYNAGOGUE RULER TO COME AND HEAL HIS DAUGHTER?
JESUS SET OUT TO DO JUST THAT, BUT WAS INTERRUPTED BY A WOMAN WHO
WASN'T EVEN JEWISH. HE STOPPED AND GAVE HER HIS FULL ATTENTION,
OFFERED HIS HEALING GRACE, AS WELL AS A HUMAN CONNECTION, AND THEN
WENT ON. TO ME THAT IS HOW JESUS LOVED. IF YOU CAME TO HIM, HE GAVE
YOU HIS FULL ATTENTION; IF YOU HAD A NEED, HE TRIED TO DO SOMETHING
ABOUT IT. IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE A NEED, HE MADE YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT
YOURSELF, AND REMINDED YOU THAT YOU WERE LOVED. AND IF YOU NEEDED TO
BE TOLD SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULDN'T FIND TOO PLEASANT, WELL, HE DID
THAT TOO, NOT ALWAYS SOFTY AND TENDERLY, I MIGHT ADD. I'M SURE THAT
THOSE TIMES HE TOLD THE PHARISEES THAT THEY WERE WRONG, OR WHEN HE
CORRECTED SIMON FOR GETTING UPSET WITH THE WOMAN WHO WASHED HIS FEET
WITH HER HAIR, OR WHEN HE DROVE THE MONEY CHANGERS OUT OF THE TEMPLE,
HE MUST HAVE TOUCHED A NERVE, AND MAYBE SOME OF THEM RESPONDED BY
CHANGING THEIR LIVES A BIT.
IN SHORT, LOVING AS JESUS LOVES MEANS
BRINGING JESUS TO THE PEOPLE WE MEET, WHETHER FAMILY OR FRIENDS OR
TOTAL STRANGERS, 24-7, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, WITHOUT LET-UP. IT ISN'T
IMPOSSIBLE; WE'VE PROBABLY ALL MET PEOPLE LIKE THAT.
JESUS., UNLIKE OTHER FOUNDERS OF
RELIGIONS, DOES NOT GIVE US A SET OF RULES TO LIVE BY, AS MOSES DID,
AS MOHAMMED DID. HE DOES NOT TEACH US TO TEND TO OUR OWN SOULS
FIRST, AND ONLY IN PASSING HELP OTHERS, AS THE BUDDHA DID. JESUS
TELLS US TO LOVE UNRESERVEDLY, TO HOLD NOTHING BACK, TO LOSE
OURSELVES IN SERVICE TO OTHERS.
AS I SAID, IT ISN'T IMPOSSIBLE, BUT IT
IS FRIGHTENING – NOT BECAUSE WE CAN'T DO IT, BUT BECAUSE WE DON'T
WANT TO. AFTER ALL, THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT OF ORIGINAL SIN. ADAM
AND EVE BOTH CHOSE TO FOLLOW THE VOICE OF THE SERPENT RATHER THAN
THAT OF GOD, BECAUSE THE SERPENT TOLD THEM THAT THEY WERE THE
YARDSTICK THAT MEASURED EVERYTHING, NOT GOD. IT'S ALSO FRIGHTENING
BECAUSE ONCE WE BEGIN LIVING THIS WAY, THERE ISN'T ANY GOING BACK.
YOU CAN'T LOVE AS JESUS DOES MOST OF THE DAY, THEN LET YOUR HAIR DOWN
AND RELAX WHEN YOU GET HOME. THOSE CLOSEST TO YOU ARE YOUR MAJOR
RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAKING JESUS REAL TO THEM.
THE HOLY EUCHARIST MEANS SOMETHING
SPECIAL TO CATHOLICS. WE UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN WE RECEIVE WHAT
APPEARS TO BE BREAD AND WINE WE ARE RECEIVING JESUS HIMSELF AS OUR
FOOD. ORDINARY FOOD IS CONVERTED INTO OUR OWN BLOOD AND TISSUES; THE
EUCHARIST CONVERTS US INTO JESUS, IF WE LET IT. WHEN JESUS TOLD US
TO LOVE EACH OTHER AS HE LOVED US, HE GAVE US THE MEANS TO DO SO –
TO BECOME OTHER CHRISTS THROUGH THE BLESSED SACRAMENT.
SO THIS WEEK ASK YOURSELF, “HOW AM I
OBEYING THE COMMANDMENT OF JESUS – THE NEW COMMANDMENT, THE MARK OF
A CHRISTIAN. AND ASK YOURSELF, IF SOMEONE LIVED WITH ME FOR A FEW
MONTHS, WOULD THEY DECIDE CHRISTIANITY WAS FOR THEM? OR WOULD THEY
GO AND LOOK FOR SOMETHING ELSE?
