THE LOVE THAT TRANSFORMS THE WORLD
The readings of this Sunday focus on themes of love, renewal, and discipleship. In the first reading, Paul and Barnabas taught believers to remain strong in faith despite hardships. The second reading gives us a vision of the new heaven and new earth, where God dwells with his people and wipes away every tear. The vision of a new heaven and earth reminds us that God's love renews everything. In the Gospel, Jesus commands His disciples: "Love one another as I have loved you."
This commandment is new because the old laws given by Moses became corrupted by the traditions of the Pharisees and the Scribes. While both the old and the new commandments ask us to “love our neighbor, the motive behind the new is different. The old commands: “Love your neighbor as yourselves” (Lev. 19:18), while the new states: “Love your neighbor as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34). In this new commandment, Jesus is the measure of the reason and how to love and not the human person as in the old commandment.
What Jesus means by the new commandment is demonstrated on the cross. On the cross, we see a new way of loving: a love that is unselfish and selflessly oriented to serving others for their good, and a love that is forgiving, compassionate, and merciful beyond comprehension. An example of this love in action is shown in the foot washing, where Jesus becomes the servant of the disciples and washes their feet as a fellow servant (Jn 13:2-10). It is this love that Jesus commands us, his disciples, to share with one another just as he did for us.
Unfortunately, this love is opposed to our human view of reality. It goes against what is ingrained in some of us who want justice or revenge in moments of conflict. It goes against those of us who are told to strike back when offended. It goes against the way we live in our societies where people love with a favor in view, and when such anticipated favors are not forthcoming, the relationship comes to an end. It is opposed to romantic love, which pop culture and movie stars present to us.
It is in this our society of romantic and selective love that Jesus wants us to make a difference by permeating society with true and genuine love like his own. He wants us to know that what changes people's lives is not so much the collection of truths, not even teaching or preaching, but people in whom they can see the truth of the Gospel’s love lived, and its belief put into life.
One of the most striking signs of this love is its selflessness, namely, its ability to care for others without expecting anything in return. This kind of love is powerful because it endures. It’s the foundation of true discipleship. Inspired by this love, Paul and Barnabas embarked on the first great Christian missionary journey, reaching out to those far from Jerusalem, as we hear in today’s first reading. That same love can inspire us today. Each one of us, transformed by love, can become good news to a world so often overwhelmed by bad news. With God’s help, we can bring renewal to our families, our communities, and even to the Church.
The Good News today is a call to embrace the new commandment of love, not as something we "fall into" or "out of," but a deliberate, unwavering commitment to act in accordance with God's will, regardless of our emotions. This is how the world will recognize us as his followers: not by our words alone, but by the depth of our love as Christ did. It is when we love as Christ loves us that the kingdom of God begins to break into the world, and the world becomes transformed by love. This new creation is not just a distant hope; it begins with us today when we choose to live in love.
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