Sixth Sunday of Easter<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 26, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John 14:23-29<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhoever loves me will keep my word\u2026 (Jn. 14:23)\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The basic form of love is obedience, and the minimum of love\nis to obey the Law. We can say \u201cI love you\u201d, but do not do what we ought to do\nas a lover. That\u2019s a plain lie. A man asked a priest whether it is ok to say \u201cI\nlove you\u201d during the Lenten season, especially during the days of fasting and\nabstinence. The priest immediately replied that it was a violation of God\u2019s\nLaw. The answer shocked the young man, and he asked why. The priest answered,\n\u201cIt is a violation because surely you tell a lie to your girlfriend!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we say that we love someone, but we fail to do what is\nrequired, we just hurt ourselves and the persons we love. When a child loves\nhis mother, he will follow the instructions coming from his mother even though\nhe does not understand why. Yet, sometimes, a child gets stubborn and refuses\nhis mother\u2019s plea to stop playing outside because it is time for study. This\nhurts the mother and father who have worked hard to pay the education and long\nfor a better future for their son. In the long run, it also hurts the child and\nhis future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same with our love for God, we need to do at least the\nbasic, to observe His Law. From the Old Testament, we have ten commandments. We\ncannot say that we love the Lord, but we put our faith also in other \u201cgods and\nidols\u201d. We profess only one and true God, but we also believe in Horoscope,\nFeng Shui, and superstitions. We go to the Church every Sunday, but in our\nhouses, we collect all kind of statues of animals for charm and luck. We\nbelieve in God who is just, but we steal the money or things from the\ngovernment or the companies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the New Testament, we have the New Commandment: love one\nanother as Jesus has loved us. Unfortunately, what we say is different from\nwhat we do. We attend the prayer meeting and shout to the top of our voices\nthat we love Jesus, but we still are not able to forgive our enemies and still\nwish that they be dead. We pray the rosary regularly, but we do not even care\nfor our ageing mothers at home. We say that we condemn the killing of the\nbabies in other countries, but we get easily angry and make our wives as\npunching bags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we say that we love the Lord, but we do not keep His\ncommandment, it hurts God\u2019s heart. Perhaps, it is more hurtful than people who\nnever say love at all to God. We\ncan learn from our brothers and sisters who lived when the Church was still\nvery young. Living in a hostile Roman Empire, they acknowledged that they were\nChristians means capital punishment. They were a good and a law-abiding citizen\nof Rome, except for one thing: they refused to worship Caesar. The Roman\ngovernment believed that the unifying factor of the vast and diverse empire was\nthe cult of the emperor as the embodiment of the Roman spirit. Any Roman\ncitizen was required to offer incense and proclaimed, \u201cHail, Caesar is Lord.\u201d\nThen, they may worship their other gods. Christians refused to do this because\nthey loved Jesus dearly as their God, and as proof of their love, they were\nready to offer their own lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is the same with us. God loves us immensely that every\ntime we do not observe His Law, we hurt God and make Him jealous. If we cannot\ndo the essential requirement of love, our words are empty and our love cheap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sixth Sunday of Easter May 26, 2019 John 14:23-29 \u201cWhoever loves me will keep my word\u2026 (Jn. 14:23)\u201d The basic form of love is obedience, and the minimum of love is to obey the Law. We can say \u201cI love you\u201d, but do not do what we ought to do as a lover. That\u2019s a plain lie. A man asked a priest whether it is ok to say \u201cI love you\u201d during the Lenten season, especially during the days of…<\/p>\n