The New Commandment [April 28, 2013]

The Sunday Gospel [April 28, 2013]

John 13:31-33, 34-35

31When he had left, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32[If God is glorified in him,] God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once. 33My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, ‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you. 34I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. 35This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Reflection

Frederico Fellini’s film La Strada opened in 1954 and became a classic. In one unforgettable scene a clown is talking to a young woman. She has grown weary of trying to love unlovable and unloving people, and she wants nothing more to do with them. As the conversation ends and the young woman turns to leave, the clown says to her, “But if you don’t love these people, who will love them?”

The clown’s words to the young woman and Jesus’ words to his disciples  invite me to inventory how ready I am to take to heart what thy say.

“To love the world is no big chore. It’s that miserable person next door who is the problem.” ~ Anonymous

Reflection Credits: Fr. Mark Link, SJ; Daly Homilies

Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarroabel.blogspot.com/).