Reflection for the 6th Sunday of Easter

      Jesus attached no conditions to the commandment of love.  Nowhere does Jesus say that we should love only those who are righteous, only those who agree with us, only those who have never cheated us, only those who don’t owe us money, only those who are attractive.  On the contrary, Jesus expects us to love others regardless of whether they hate us or despise us, whether we find them lovable or not.

 

     Love in its pure form is the most powerful weapon we have against hatred, indifference, racism, prejudice, misunderstanding and divisiveness. Most of us won’t even come close to this kind of love because we find it hard to justify reaching out to those who have treated us badly. The more we love, however, the more we understand that this commandment is life-altering for everyone involved.  For just as water rushing against hardened stone eventually erodes that stone, so love in action breaks down barriers between people.  Love is a commandment which brings about miracles.

 

     Next weekend, we celebrate Mother’s Day;  and Father’s Day follows right behind it.  Being a parent is not about giving physical birth — it’s about nurturing and becoming.  It’s about living the call to love and sacrifice; it’s about a life changing experience.   There are no exceptions to the call to love.   And love changes everything.