A masterclass about love

Word of Faith is a weekly break down of this week's scripture readings. Dive deeper into what the Gospel message at Mass will be.

In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. — John 14:17

In our Gospel for this weekend (John 14:15-21), we once again find ourselves eavesdropping on Jesus’ conversation and prayer with the apostles at the Last Supper. Jesus now teaches the disciples (and us!) about the very foundation of faith and discipleship; that is about the nature and practice of love. The first thing we should notice is that Jesus uses a very specific word for love in his prayer. In the language of the New Testament, there are at least three words for “love:” eros, as in sexual love; philia, as in friendship; and agape, as in love for love’s sake. It is that third meaning and word that Jesus employs. As the prayer progresses, Jesus then offers the apostles and, of course, us, what we might call a masterclass about the nature, living and meaning of love.

Jesus begins by saying that if we love him, then we will keep his commandments. The word he uses for “keep” (teresete) is important. It really means more than just observing or keeping. It can also mean guarding, or fulfilling, or even living. In other words, it has a very strong meaning! He prays that in our very heart or soul, we will always let the love of Jesus, expressed in all his commandments, be at the very core of who we are and what we do. Indeed, we know that Jesus sums up all his commandments in one word: love. Love is to be an essential part of our DNA. Why is this so crucial? It is because God is love and because we are created out of love and to love. 

Jesus also tells us how we can remain in his love. It is simply by keeping his commandments. We can think of the Ten Commandments, but also of Jesus’ new commandment: love one another as I have loved you (John 13:34-35). Therefore, we are not just to know God, but to love God, and we show this love by loving others. 

Jesus continues by naming the consequence of keeping his commandments. Above all, Jesus promises that the Father will give us the gift of the Comforter, or Advocate, or Intercessor; that is the Holy Spirit. The word in the original language is parakleton. It is actually quite difficult to translate this word completely, for it means many things. This should not surprise us. After all, the Holy Spirit brings us so many gifts! To name a few of these, it means a profound and real sense of God’s love for us, a great feeling of trust and confidence, so that whatever happens, we have His love and care. It is a spiritual way of living and seeing ourselves, others and the world, of being tuned into God’s will. In this sense, it brings us an attitude to life through those spiritual gifts. What is more, the gifts do not depend on the circumstances of life, or on what happens to us, whether good or bad. As Bernard Bassett puts it, the gifts that the Advocate gives us are not contingent, but permanent. 

A further gift of abiding in love is that of “friendship.” As Jesus says, he will come to us and we will be in him as he is in us. In other words, we are invited to be true and intimate friends of Jesus, not merely distant acquaintances or dutiful servants. 

Sadly, we may not always appreciate this gift of friendship. Sherry Weddell, in her book “Forming Intentional Disciples,” notes that according to surveys, close to 50 percent of practicing Catholics do not think that it is possible to have a personal relationship (or friendship) with Jesus, yet this is precisely what Jesus promises in our Gospel this Sunday.

There is one last point about love and keeping Jesus’ commandments: above all, love is a gift. It is not something that can be grabbed and certainly not a gift that is to be demanded. Love has to be offered first and then received. We can grasp this clearly when we reflect upon the nature of authentic human love: it cannot be demanded or snatched. We all know how destructive such actions can be in relationships. If this is true of human love, just think how much more so it must be with God’s love. No, Jesus chooses us, gifts us and calls us to live and dwell in his love. Indeed, we are to love one another as Jesus has loved us.