Scripture: John 15: 9-17
9 As the Father had loved Me, so have I loved you; abide in My Love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My Love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His Love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that My Joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 12"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no man than this, that a may lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name, He may give it to you. 17This I command you, to love one another..
Meditation:
Servanthood is the mark of true Christian living. Jesus emphasized it during the Last Supper, saying that He came not to be served, but to serve, and that likewise we should serve one another. In His parables, He often referred to believers as "servants" of the Kingdom.
But in this Gospel reading, Jesus says that He wants us to be His friends, not His slaves. Is He contradicting Himself?
Not at all! Friends serve because they care. Slaves serve because of duty and fear of punishment. Jesus said, "If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My Love." Do we hear this as a friend or a slave?
Slaves are afraid of what will happen if they fail to keep their master's command; they are self-protective. Friends are eager to find out what God commands, because they view the commandments from the perspective of love, as opportunities to serve; they are otheroriented.
Jesus said, "This is my commandment: Love one another the way I love you." It's the supreme commandment; call it the Commandment of Friendship. He says, "You know how I love you, my friends: I openly share with you everything that the Father tells me." His friends realize that what He shares (through the scripture and through the Church) reveals the opportunities to love that we seek. Every commandment is rooted in love. Every Church teaching is based on love.
When we fail to obey, do we lose God's love? Never! Do we lose our place in His Love? Yes. By living outside of His commandments, we feel unloved even while being loved.
This is slavery. We're enslaved by fear or by false beliefs or by our wounds that have caused us to think that we're not loved enough. God's commands then feel confining, and if we try to escape, we commit rebellion. Those who don't rebel accept their slavery and obey dutifully in the hope of winning God's love.
Friends, on the other hand, know that God always loves them, and in this love, they are free to serve one another joyfully.
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During the sermon, Father Terence mentioned something about Love, that i will never want to forget..
Love, is an overly abused, misused, overused word ever. In his journey in the process of priesthood, alot of times, he was taught to re-examine, re-educate himself on the meanings of words..
People talk about how much they "Love" their new car, how much they "love" their shoes, their bags, their possessions..they "love" their pets! But are they willing to die for what they love?
Love concerns a sacrifice... The word, Love, should only be used on people. People that you are willing to lay down your life for, just like what Jesus did by laying down his life to carry the sins of the World. Jesus's Passion really shows us what is the greatest Love of all...
I've been dreaming of having a family, whenever i see Victoria with her kids, Bernard with his daughter and wife, and how many of my friends getting married with their longtime sweethearts...OhhhH man... how i used to be afraid of the word "marriage"...It just meant "fear of the unknown"!
After getting to know about Christ's Love, it sort of opens up my mind about the whole thing on beauty of marriage, the union of two, that a man is only half a person without the other half, a being is only complete with two flesh becoming one.. and NOW I don't even have anyone with me! *sad sad*..
Thinking about my past relationships... i am sure, very sure, that i really loved Anthony. Not even Charles or Francis fit the criteria of me truly loving them... Anthony could have been a great husband, should he have been a Christ-like man...He is so lost... Only when he's back with Christ, then i'll see Miracle... Even if he's not destined with me, i'll pray for him to be reconciled with Christ...
Nonetheless, God's will be done. I'll go according to the path Lord our Father is going to direct me to...Lord, let it be according to your way, and not my way...
Amen.
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