CAMINANDO WITH JESUS: All You Need Is Love

The Fifth Sunday of Easter | May 19, 2019

By the Rev. Habacuc Ramos Huerta

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“I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other."

- John 13:34-35

 
Love and fraternity among Christians was a special feature from the beginning of Christianity in the early years after the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Jesus was saying goodbye to his disciples when he assigned them the greatest of tasks, the greatest challenge for all followers of Jesus: love each other. If you love each other, the world will know that you are my disciples. This is the complete synthesis of all teachings: love. We are all called to love our neighbor above all things and in spite of all things. Jesus Christ's love for us is unconditional and we in our lives have to think deeply about what only seems easy.

Now we see with sadness that "certain challenges" are fashionable among young people. These challenges put their lives at risk. That's where we, as priests and as parents, have a lot of work to do with young people. We all have the challenge of loving them and raising them so that instead of trying to harm themselves, they love their lives and the lives of others. Young people and children are the most vulnerable and most susceptible. We must pay attention to the development of their lives and influence them in the best possible ways so that they grow and develop as healthy people, loving people, people who take care of others in addition to taking care of themselves.

Therein lies our greatest challenge, because, when we teach Jesus Christ's love by word and example, we fulfill the new commandment. And when we love others, the world will know that we are disciples of Jesus.

And since this is a commandment, we have no choice. Jesus did not say: "I'll leave this up to you, so that if one of these days you are in a good mood, you practice it." No. He said: "Just as I love you, so you must love one another."

The Rev. Habacuc Ramos Huerta is the rector of El Buen Pastor, Durham.