If anyone loves me, he will keep my word.
We are in the Last Supper discourse of Jesus, as recorded by St. John. Twice already, in the previous few verses (14:15,21), though always in slightly different words, Jesus has spoken of the link between loving him and keeping his commandments. If you love me, you will keep my commandments, my instructions, my word. You will treasure and ponder whatever I have said about my relationship with my Father, and with you. You will rejoice in the revelation I have given of the mystery of God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If you love me, then after my departure, you will remember me. You will remember who I am; remember what I have done for you; remember to what hope I point you. You will remember what a difference I make to your life, and to the whole world. If you love me, you will walk always according to my Spirit; you will live as I have lived, in total self gift to God, and to your fellow disciples.
As we listen to these words, we ask ourselves: do I love Jesus?
Well: we’d be simply insane not to! Jesus is in principle and in the highest possible degree lovable. Jesus is all good, all beautiful, all holy. What Jesus is for us, what he has done for us is wonderful beyond measure; beyond comprehension. For Jesus is God, as well as man. He is man not for his own sake, but completely for our sake, for our benefit, for our eternal good. And Jesus loved us first. While we were yet unlovable, Jesus loved us “to the end”. He loved us at cost of his life’s blood; he loved us so as to make us lovable. And now Jesus ever draws us to himself. He draws us to share his own life, his own goodness, his own beauty, his own divine and human love. Now Jesus ever watches over us, as he ever leads us towards his Father; guides us to our eternal home in God. If we have Jesus, then, if we love him, if we live in him, we walk no longer in the darkness, but in the light; no longer in lies and deceit, but in the truth. If we love Jesus, we are in right relationship with God; and God loves us, and comes to us, and dwells with us, and in us.
So: we definitely should love Jesus!
But alas! We wretched creatures, still weighed down by our sinfulness, still full of self love; still attracted towards the enticing things of this world! How easily we fall short! How readily we slip into forgetfulness, into empty follies of every sort, into ways which, even if not expressly immoral, are still unworthy of a faithful disciple of Jesus! We know what the standard is. Keeping the word of Jesus means walking constantly in his presence; in constant adoration, and constant thanksgiving, in supernatural joy, and in his peace. It means that, as we have ourselves been loved, so we in return love Jesus.
Is this even possible? To nature, let us say it openly: it is not possible. But we are not left with nature alone. For we have the gift of the Holy Spirit. He gives us the ability, the power, the freedom, to love Jesus as Jesus should be loved. This is the vocation of all of us, and it carries with it its own super-abundant reward. Our reward is not limited to worthless trivialities like wealth or power or worldly gratification. Such things are anyway two-edged swords which can easily become for us a curse. No: if we love Jesus we are rewarded with divine love, divine presence, divine indwelling. The eternal, infinite, omnipotent God, source of all that exists: he makes his home, his heaven, in us. Then nothing whatever can separate us from God. And always God draws us further, lifts us ever higher, gives us more grace, more blessing; makes us ever more fit for living the pure and blissful life of heaven.
And yet: the bitter, distressingly sad reality is: most people in the world know nothing of this. And even more sadly, it seems that many, even if they knew, would not care. Just before our passage today, St. Jude, or Judas not Iscariot, had asked Jesus: how is it that you manifest yourself to us, and not to the world? (14:22) We might go even further than St. Jude, and ask: why not make it impossible for anyone not to love you?
But Jesus refuses to answer that directly. The mystery of iniquity, the mystery of the devil’s triumph, the mystery of human infidelity and wickedness, the mystery of eternal loss: these are matters we have to leave to God.
Jesus simply says: Those who do not love me, do not keep my words (14:24).
Yes: alongside so many sublime, consoling, wonderful words for us, Jesus mentions also the dark and terrible alternative. It remains always possible for us, and for others, to become closed to Jesus, and to his Spirit - that is, to God - in both heart and mind. We can choose to reject the love of Jesus for us, and to set our face against loving him in return. We can deliberately not keep his word; not live according to his commandments. Judas Iscariot chose this path, which leads to separation from God, and to death. This is the choice to live outside God’s mercy, outside his love, outside redemption; outside God’s promise, and our hope, of heaven.
This coming Thursday is the Feast of the Ascension. Our Bishops have restored the obligation on all the faithful (of course those who are able) to attend Holy Mass on that day. We have to assist on Thursday at Holy Mass, because it’s necessary for us to celebrate this great feast, with the whole Catholic Church. We need to mark the 40th day after Easter, when the physical presence of Jesus was removed from his disciples, in order that his abiding presence with his Father and the Holy Spirit - and therefore his abiding presence with his Church - might be established forever. We need to celebrate this consoling truth, that where Jesus has gone, triumphant over death according to his humanity, we are called, enabled, drawn to follow. And we need to celebrate all that through the Holy Eucharist. For at Mass we do not just remember Jesus, but we encounter him in Person. At Mass Jesus feeds us with himself, strengthens us in our faith and hope, and gives us the grace we need to love him as we should.