Love One Another!

April 28,2013

Reading 1, Acts 14:21-27

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13

Reading 2, Revelation 21:1-5

Gospel, John 13:31-33, 34-35

³⁴ I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you.³⁵ It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognize you as my disciples. John 13:34-35

¹ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. ³ Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, 'Look, here God lives among human beings. He will make his home among them; they will be his people, and he will be their God, God-with-them.⁴ He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness or pain. The world of the past has gone.' Revelations 21: 1, 3-4

LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

Moses in the Old Testament got the Ten Commandments encrypted in stone tablets by God that he was not even able to see. In the New Testament it was Jesus speaking directly to His disciples a New Commandment of Love. And not only did He give His disciples a command He has shown by His examples how each one must love one another. In this Sunday’s gospel scene, Jesus already had done the lowliest of the low job of a servant by washing their feet. Jesus by this time already had shown them that He has gone through the sacrifice of dying in the cross for the sins of men, and that he already told them to be of service to many like a faithful shepherd to his flock. This scene in the gospel I liken to a “habilin” (a last will) to His disciples before He is lifted to Heavens. Jesus is commissioning His disciples to continue His ministry on Earth by loving one another as we are loved unconditionally by Him our Lord Jesus, our God. Thus Jesus say “³⁴ I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you.³⁵ It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognize you as my disciples.” John 13:34-35

It is all about LOVE. Love will restore us to the new heaven: “1 then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. ³ Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, 'Look, here God lives among human beings. He will make his home among them; they will be his people, and he will be their God, God-with-them.⁴ He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness or pain. The world of the past has gone.” Revelations 21: 1, 3-4

Love is so exciting and wonderful feeling. But it is not too easy to do all the time even to the person I dearly love. Envy, distrust, and other deception by the evil one sometimes win over my decision to love. I keep falling out and in love. A continuous struggle which I believe is true for most of us. But I am so driven and praying even harder that I would be able to follow the new commandment of love for I am looking forward to the reward of being part of  the “new earth without a sea”.  Wow, we can traverse the world on foot. We can reach out to so many people and places.” A new earth where God lives with humans.  A new earth where there will be no more death, no more sadness or pain, no more tears.” A new earth filled with love. It is really all about LOVE. And all I have to do is LOVE. LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, we praise You, we adore You, we glorify You! You are so loving You don’t give up on us. We continuously fall for sin of envy and hatred yet You continually give us hope of eternal life with You!  We pray You grant us a new heart filled with Your love that we may be able to love one another and follow the new commandment that Your dearly beloved Son has given us! We ask this through the intercession of Mary our mother, AMEN!