We continue to celebrate the Easter season, glorying in the resurrection of our Lord, who has promised to remain with us always. Jesus is with us in our waking and our sleeping, in our joys and our sufferings, in our homes and our communities. In a special way the Risen Lord is here as we gather in faith, in the ministers and in each other, in God’s proclaimed Word, and in his Body and Blood we receive. We pledge to bring the Risen Lord with us wherever we go and whatever we do, striving always to give witness to his love.
Love can make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But, Jesus tells us, the ultimate show of love is “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Love is wonderful until we start talking about its cost. Love can cause us to put someone else’s life before our own. Love can leave us vulnerable. Love can lead to heartbreak and grief. But this is what Jesus himself did, and what he calls us to do. Self-sacrificing love is countercultural and to many, an absurd idea of putting others before yourself, for, as John wrote in his letter, God is love, and this, from the beginning of creation, is what God has done. And in John’s Gospel today he says, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment; love one another as I love you.”
Love, Peace, Joy,
Fr. Bob
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