May 6, 2018

6^th Sunday of Easter (B)      

“We Cannot Love Like Christ Without Christ”

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I love you.” Our Lord’s command is so lofty it seems nearly impossible. And yet, it is the very heart of the Christian life. Jesus does not simply say, “Love one another” he commands us to love one another as he loved us. That’s a tough mission! After all, a rhyme reminds us:

"To live above with those we love, O, how that will be glory.
To live below with those we know, now that's another story.”

At times, it’s hard to love our relatives and fellow parishioners. In a former parish, a lady who was, how shall I say, not one of my ‘fans” to my surprise, presented me with a cake, saying, “Enjoy the cake, Father, I made it for you, it’s devil’s food.”
 
Does the Lord’s commandment of love include those we dislike, those we find annoying, those who hurt us? The answer is yes but the truth is we cannot love others like Christ without Christ. So looking to Christ we must ask, “How did he love us?”  
 
We find the answer at the foot of the cross…there extraordinary things happen. Before Christ Crucified we see ourselves as we truly are, how very small we are. There, our pride fades away and we become aware of our sins, our foibles, our weaknesses and we can only say, Domine non sum dingus…Lord, I am not worthy! We begin to understand that the Lord’s love for us is unmerited! We begin to see that His way of love is so different than our own.
 
Cardinal Angelo Comastri wrote that very often our acts of love are like mailing a registered letter—we expect a receipt; which is to say, we expect the other’s gratitude. So, there is a bit of self-interest involved! Loving those who are good to us or those we find pleasing is easy. Yet, our Lord reminds us, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even pagans do as much.”
 
Yet, Jesus Crucified expected nothing in return. He loved despite the cruelty of his persecutors, despite being betrayed, abandoned and denied! His response was forgiveness and mercy! So at the Cross should we not ask, who am I to disparage others? Who am I to hold a grudge or refuse to forgive? Who am I, a sinner, to judge or to look down others?
 
When this humility before the Lord takes hold of us, we change! We begin to look upon others with new eyes. Thomas Merton put it clearly enough:

“…our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy if anything can…If we wait for someone to become more attractive or likable in order to love them, we will never begin to fulfill the Lord’s command.”

We cannot wait to love, and we cannot love others like Christ without Christ. With the strength that comes from the Holy Eucharist, “the Sacrament of Love” let us find the renewed vigor to love one another as Christ loves us.