Is “Love one another as I loved you”: a new commandment?
Listening the Spirit
Lord, thank you for the gift of Your Word so that all your people may know and love You more and understand You better.
As I go about my day may I not forget the scriptures you have opened up for me. Help me to recognize how You want for me to apply Your Word to my daily life. Holy Spirit, guided by Your Word, may You enlighten my mind and enkindle in my heart a greater love for You and for others in my family and in the world.
Amen.
Listening the Word: John 13:31-33a, 34-35
When Judas had left them, Jesus said,
“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
If God is glorified in him,
God will also glorify him in himself,
and God will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
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.”
Reflection
The Gospel of this fifth Sunday of Easter brings us back to a very intimate and powerful moment: the last Supper, where Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and, after Judas had left, spoke of Himself being glorified and gave them a “new commandment” : “love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34). But what makes this commandment new? Was not love already part of God’s law?
As I was reflecting on this, I remembered the conversation I once had with two friends who are “atheists”. One of them said to me: “you Christians you say that love is central to your faith, but I can love too. You don’t need to be a believer of a Christian to love. Even without God, I can love”. I answered: “you are absolutely right; you can love. But for us Christians it is not just about loving or about feelings; It is about loving as Jesus loves us. And to be able to love like that, you need to experience the love of Christ. We will then see that this “new commandment” brings love to the fullest expression.
Indeed, love existed even before Jesus, and it was already a commandment. In the Old Testament, the people were already familiar to the commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:5) and “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19: 18). So, love was not a new idea that Jesus brought, however He brought a new dimension to it: the measure of love. The newness is to love “As I loved you”.Whereas in the Old Testament, the measure of our love toward others is “yourself” (love your neighbor as yourself), with Jesus, the measure is His Love. With this commandment, Jesus raises love to the highest standard, a love that is self-sacrificial, a love that gives everything . Jesus’s love towards us was seen in his self-emptying, stepping out of the heavenly praise to come down and take on the human condition in order to lift us up. It was seen in His whole life, in his healings, in his attention to the poor and the marginalized, in the washing of the disciples feet, and above all, in his death on the cross. This kind of love is not about feelings; it is about commitment. It is not only spoken in words, but expressed in concrete actions. To love as Jesus loves is to give, to forgive (even our persecutors), and to serve. Jesus’ love is unconditional, even for those who betray and denied him, like Peter and Judas. He loves us not because we deserve it, but because He is love. This is Christian love. This is what I would ask those who don’t believe in Jesus if they are capable of it.
Moreover, this love (like Jesus) is not just for our own salvation; it is our witness to the world, a powerful tool of Evangelization. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn 13:35). People will not believe in Jesus just because we preach or organize activities, but when they see our love in action. They will believe that the Jesus is Love if they in in us love. On this, let each one of us asks himself: “Do I love others the way Jesus loves me”?
To love like Jesus means sacrifice. It means loving even when it is hard; it means perseverance, especially when we face trials. The first reading of this 5th Sunday aligns with this point. Paul and Barnabas encourage the disciples (believers) to persevere in faith and accept even hardships. “It is necessary to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Act. 14:22). This reminds us that Christian love is not simple. But when we love like Jesus, we give life and become signs of God’s Kingdom from here on earth.
Finally, the second reading of this Sunday gives us a beautiful vision of what this love leads to: “a new heaven and a new earth” as seen in the vision of John (Rev 21:1). God wants to renew everything. This new heaven and new earth begin here and now, whenever we choose to love as Jesus loved us, when we decide to forgive like Jesus forgives us, and to serve instead of searching to be served. So, let each one of us ask today: “is my life a sign of this new creation for others, especially to those who don’t know Christ yet?”.
May the Lord grant the grace to love like Him until the whole world is made new in Him. Amen.
Reflection Questions
1. Why does Jesus call “Love one another as I have loved you” a new commandment, if love was already present in the Old Testament?
2. What distinguishes Christian love from any other form of love, and why is it essential for witnessing to the world?
