Love One Another

Love One Another
Throughout this entire week there has been but one consistent message in all the Gospel readings. That message from Christ is; “Love one another as I have Loved you, there is no greater love than this” (John 15:12)
Why is it that we, humans who profess to be believers in the message of Jesus Christ, seem to find ways of not loving each other? We decide that because a person speaks a different language has a different ethnic background, possesses a same sex orientation, that they do not deserve the same kind of love that Jesus gave to all that he encountered.
How do we justify this kind of action? Where in scripture do we find validation for our actions? There are some who use incorrect translations or out of context statements from scripture to justify their actions, but they do so because it fits their personal agenda and makes them feel good.
This week each of the Gospels focused on LOVE, not the sexual thing that we today affiliate with love, but on the true and perfect meaning of love. That love is unselfish, kind, merciful, forgiving and not judgmental. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” (John 14:27) It is clear from this quote, that Jesus lets us know that the perceptions of the world are not the perceptions of God. He implores us in John 15:7 “If you live in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you want and it will be done for you” With Jesus as the vine and God as the “Vine grower” who tills and prunes the fine to keep it fresh and fruitful through the Holy Spirit, we need to do our part as the “branches” and keep faithful to the teachings Jesus taught us, pruning out those things that humans have inserted for the purpose of control, power, prestige and wealth. We need to speak out against injustice, as Jesus did, wherever we encounter it. We need to let our voices be heard when governments, churches, business engage in acts that are unjust and discriminatory. That is the call Christ has given to us. It is possible that, just as Paul, Barnabas, Stephen and Christ himself experienced, we may be rejected, disparaged and abandoned by even those who we thought of as friends and even our family. That should not stop us just as it did not stop them.
We need to remember Christ’s admonition in John 15:5 “because without me you can do nothing”.
We, who call ourselves believers, need to begin to act in ways that show others that we believe and have Christ in us. We need to have our actions match our words. If and when all of us begin to live in this way, then, possibly we will see magnificent changes taking place. Possibly we will witness a world where all people are respected and provided for just as Christ provided for those multitudes who followed him and turned a few loaves of bread and a few fish into enough to feed them all and still have some left over.
We are Christ’s army, a peaceful band whose acts of compassion can counteract the evil ones designs of greed and power to take control of God’s earth. AMEN
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
Web Site: www.missionstsergius.org
Blog Page: http://missionstsergius.org/blog.html
Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mission_Sts_Sergius_and_Bacchus