As I Have Loved You

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator

I am sure that we have all heard the sermon that informs us that "love" comes in many forms and has many names, especially in Greek. The word conjures us all sorts of images and notions. Sometimes these images derail the meaning of the word as Jesus uses it in his farewell discourse from St. John's Gospel.

The synoptic Gospels tell us that Jesus instructed his followers this way: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:31) It is in St. John's Gospel that we run into a different instruction: I give you a new commandment: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35) The latter statement is proclaimed in the Gospel passage for today's liturgy.

Once again it is important to place this statement in the context of the community out of which this Gospel sprang. The community of the Beloved Disciple was being torn apart by the separatists known as the Gnostics. Consequently, as we discussed in yesterday's blog, remaining in Christ was a concern of this evangelist. It is in that context that we read today's passage which follows hard upon the admonition to remain in Christ. In this case, "love" means loyalty to the community and adherence to the commandments. In this context, Jesus uses his own loyalty to the Father's will and to his disciples as the standard for love.