Jesus gives many commands on love to both the disciples and us. Jesus tells the disciples to love one another as Jesus loved them (John 13:34). This command is repeated in John 15:12. In Matthew’s Gospel, we are told to love our enemies and to do good to those who hate us (Matthew 5:44). Love is one of the central themes in the Gospel. Through love, we know who God is and can begin to
picture God for ourselves. In particular, love as presented in the Gospel becomes the guiding principle for our interactions and relationships with others.
Much has been said about love; we have seen and experienced it in many different forms. We know from our varied and diverse experiences that love can be expressed in many ways. Jesus tells us that our love for him should be expressed as obedience to Jesus’
commandments.
Jesus’ greatest commandment is that we love the Lord our God with all our hearts and with all our souls and with all our minds (Matthew 22:37). The Lord loves us already; this greatest commandment is an invitation for us today to make a return of love to the One who loves us.
Jesus invites us today to examine our lives
and reflect on how they express love for God.
How might my life better express my love for God?
What am I invited to notice and pay attention to as I reflect on this? What might I be invited to let go of in my life to be able to keep the Lord's commandments?
What am I invited to take up or start doing in my life in response to God’s love for
me?
