Readings: Acts 14:21–27; Psalm 145; Apocalypse 21:1–5; John 13:31–33, 34–35
Grace and mercy be multiplied to you, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. We thank God for the gift of life, the grace of this season, and the faith that binds us together in Christ.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks words that are both profound and deeply personal. He begins by saying that God has been glorified in Him. Let us pause for a moment and ask ourselves:
Can I say that God is glorified in me?
In the way I live, in what I do, in who I am becoming – is God glorified?
Jesus then goes on to give His disciples a NEW COMMANDMENT—not a suggestion or a piece of advice, but a command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love one another. The weight of this command lies in the phrase: Just as I have loved you. Jesus is not calling us to any love, but to His kind of love—a love that is deep, transforming, and divine. He then says that this Christ-like love is the true sign of discipleship: By this all people will know that you are my disciples. It is not by the stickers on our cars, not by the rosaries on our necks or the statues in our homes, but by the love in our hearts – a love that reflects Christ.
Today, let us meditate on three qualities of Jesus’ love—and what they demand of us:
HE LOVES US IN OUR IMPERFECTIONS
Jesus does not wait for us to become perfect before He loves us. He loves us in our weakness.
He loved the disciple who was a traitor, the ambitious, the bad tempered, the timid, the impetuous, the slow to understand. He saw their flaws—but He loved them anyway. This is the love we are called to imitate: to love people despite their weaknesses. We may not approve of certain behaviours, but we are not permitted to hate. True love looks beyond fault and sees the image of God still present. Loving others despite their flaws is a mark of spiritual maturity.
HE LOVES US AND YET DISCIPLINES US
Scripture tells us: The Lord disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6). His love is not soft and indulgent—it is shaping, pruning, refining, and purifying. Jesus corrects, prunes, and allows life’s difficulties not to destroy us, but to make us better. There is a kind of love that shelters people from truth, but real love will risk the discomfort of correction. A good shepherd must carry both staff and rod—to guide and to correct, to comfort and to discipline.
Let us ask:
Do I love people enough to tell them the truth or correct them in love?
Am I humble enough to receive correction from those who love me?
HE LOVES US SACRIFICIALLY AND SELFLESSLY
Jesus gave all for us, asking nothing in return. His love is never self-seeking, never manipulative, never a disguised pursuit of personal interest. In the First Reading, we see the Apostles risking their lives to strengthen the faith of the people. They returned to places where they had been rejected and persecuted. This is what love looks like—selfless, bold, and persevering. In the Second Reading, John shares his vision of a NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH. He speaks of a NEW JERUSALEM where God dwells with His people.
But we need not wait for eternity to encounter this presence. Wherever there is true love—a heart renewed by divine charity—there is a new Jerusalem. There, God lives and reigns. There, heaven begins. Yes, where there is love, there is God. And where God is, there is beauty, there is peace, there is the fragrance of eternal life.
Dear friends, today the Lord asks us not merely to love—but to love as He has loved us:
A love that embraces the imperfect.
A love that speaks truth.
A love that gives all.
Let us examine our hearts. Let us ask: Lord, is there someone I am withholding love from?
Teach me to love as You have loved me. And may our lives be a living sign of His love, so that through us, the world may know that He lives.
Amen.
Sermon preached by Fr Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on May 18, 2025.