This weekend’s gospel is a sort of vision and mission statement of Jesus: love one another. It highlights the love Jesus has for us, His call, and His hope that we will bear fruit in this life.
Our baptism is the first recalling of that love, that promise of care and protection for this life and into eternity. It joins us to the Catholic Christian community of love received and love shared.
More than that – our baptism is a call to follow in love since now that we have experienced that love, we are compelled to act on that love and take on the characteristics of being a follower of Jesus in care, love and compassion for others.
Even more than that – we are to bear fruit. The call of Jesus is to share in the salvation of the world, in making the world a better place to live in for everyone. A follower of Jesus is committed to care for the earth and care for others. Love for the earth and love of each and all is ‘fruit that will last’. Pope Francis, during a prayer vigil at World Youth Day in Rio de Janiero in 2013, said, “please, don’t be observers of life, but get involved. Jesus did not remain an observer, but he immersed himself. Don’t be observers, but immerse yourself in the reality of life, as Jesus did.”
It is a high calling, challenging to us at all ages – for the young when making decisions about life…to follow through on our promise to serve God well at all ages of life…and to surrender much to Him as we age and become elderly.
The love, the call and our service are at the root of a great and sustaining joy in life as Jesus wants ‘our joy to be complete’ and we join our lives to his vision of the world and how it might be. So let’s begin today to immerse ourselves in life as we embrace and live out Jesus’ mission statement to love one another.
Our baptism is the first recalling of that love, that promise of care and protection for this life and into eternity. It joins us to the Catholic Christian community of love received and love shared.
More than that – our baptism is a call to follow in love since now that we have experienced that love, we are compelled to act on that love and take on the characteristics of being a follower of Jesus in care, love and compassion for others.
Even more than that – we are to bear fruit. The call of Jesus is to share in the salvation of the world, in making the world a better place to live in for everyone. A follower of Jesus is committed to care for the earth and care for others. Love for the earth and love of each and all is ‘fruit that will last’. Pope Francis, during a prayer vigil at World Youth Day in Rio de Janiero in 2013, said, “please, don’t be observers of life, but get involved. Jesus did not remain an observer, but he immersed himself. Don’t be observers, but immerse yourself in the reality of life, as Jesus did.”
It is a high calling, challenging to us at all ages – for the young when making decisions about life…to follow through on our promise to serve God well at all ages of life…and to surrender much to Him as we age and become elderly.
The love, the call and our service are at the root of a great and sustaining joy in life as Jesus wants ‘our joy to be complete’ and we join our lives to his vision of the world and how it might be. So let’s begin today to immerse ourselves in life as we embrace and live out Jesus’ mission statement to love one another.
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