Reflection for Wednesday May 14 Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle: John 15:9-17

Gospel: John 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.  

“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.  

I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”

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Reflection:

Have you been in love?

Many of us have already fallen in love, and many have fallen out of love as well. For those who are still in love to this very day—say, for example, with your spouse—despite the hurts and pains, the love you carry in your heart is somewhat close to the love of God.

The love of God is a forgiving love. It is not a discriminating love, for it does not look at a person’s physical attributes, sins, or social standing. The love of God is a love that restores and heals.

In the Gospel, Jesus gently commands us: “Love one another as I love you” (John 15:12). What a tender yet powerful invitation this is. It challenges us deeply, for if the love of God knows no boundaries, then our love for others must also stretch beyond what is easy, comfortable, or familiar.

We should be capable of loving even those who have hurt us and those who do not love us in return. If we truly love Jesus, we have no other choice but to love like Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas