As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love (15:9)
We are in the central Chapter of the Last Discourse of Jesus, as recorded by St. John. Here we find ourselves at the heart of the teaching of Jesus, of his life, of his mission. In these sublime words, so full of consolation for us, Jesus as it were opens for us a window into his own heart, and into the heart of God. Here he gives us a glimpse of the glory of heaven. At the same time he sets out a programme for the whole of our own life. The language of Jesus here is perfectly simple; the style repetitive. Yet these words contain or point towards the most profound theology, so that we never come to an end of pondering them, and drawing inspiration and life from them.
As the Father has loved me. How much does God the Father love God the Son? Of course such love is divine, infinite, eternal: far beyond our capacity to conceive or imagine. Their love, or the love they pour back to one another, is the Holy Spirit, who is himself divine love: personal, and active, and all-powerful. Now Jesus the man, God’s only-begotten Son made flesh for our sake, speaks of this love. In his human consciousness, Jesus is aware of being loved by his Father, known by his Father, sent by his Father, taught by his Father, commanded by his Father. In his Sacred Humanity he remains always in living communion with his Father. Receiving so much from his Father, Jesus responds in kind. Also as man he knows his Father, loves him, listens to him, obeys him, glorifies him. Now, in fulfilment of his mission, he passes all that on to us. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. This is divine love, infinite love, love flowing from the Person of the Son; now also expressed as the human love in the Heart of Jesus. This is love filled with the Holy Spirit. This love now enfolds us, is poured out on us, illuminates us, transforms us, ennobles us, consecrates us, glorifies us. Why? Because we are invited to share the life of Jesus; to live as Sons of God; to enter the loving communion of the Holy Trinity.
Abide in my love says Jesus. We might well think that this is simply too much for us. The aspiration is too big. We cannot rise to it. But Jesus tells us he has chosen us, commissioned us, sent us (v. 16): to bear fruit. This fruit is love; fruit that comes naturally when a vine branch is attached to the vine; fruit that is borne by those who believe in Jesus, and live in him; fruit that will reach its perfection in eternal life. Bearing fruit like this is possible for us by the power of the Holy Spirit, and by constant renewal through our communion with Christ’s Body, once slain, but now forever alive.
Practically speaking, abiding in the love of Jesus means, in the words of St. Benedict, fleeing from forgetfulness (cf. HR 7:10). We remember Jesus; we live in his presence; we are turned ever towards him. We abide in Jesus (v. 6), and in his love (v. 9), through habits of prayer; through frequent divine reading; through participation in the sacramental and liturgical life of the Catholic Church, which is his Body. Crucially also, we abide in the love of Jesus by loving one another. This might seem hard, but actually it’s perfectly straightforward. As Jesus has been loved, so he passes on that love to us. As we have been loved, so we in turn must pass on that love to others. We are not worthy of the love of Jesus, but we receive it anyway. So we have to love those who by their actions may seem not worthy. To do so is to be conformed to the heart of Jesus. And we find that, as we give, so our capacity to receive continually increases. Whereas: if we fail to love one another, we thereby block out, turn away from the love that is given to us. To do that is madness and folly! Alas! We do it so often! Thank God then that whenever we fail, while life lasts we can always quickly repent, and turn again to Jesus, and renew our desire and determination never to be separated from him!
Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (15:13). Here immediately we are confronted by the mystery of the Cross. The Cross is the guarantee of the love of Jesus; the guarantee of the love of God. By the Cross we know that the love of which we speak cannot be mere emotion, sentiment, triviality. No: divine life and love are passed on to us only through the death of Jesus. And the invitation of Jesus to receive his love is also an invitation to join him on the Cross.
The love of Christ is a terrible thing. If it gives everything, it also demands everything, and must cost us everything. Sometimes people are delighted with this love, and embrace it; but then somehow lose sight of it, and refuse to go any further towards it. Having given so much, they will give no more. This is always sad, because in so far as we give, so much the more do we receive - grace upon grace - and as our love is called upon, and exercised, and stretched, so is it purified, and deepened, and widened, and strengthened, until finally it flows easily, spontaneously, naturally, with all the joy of the Holy Spirit. To reach this state is the highest conceivable good for us. No human aspiration can go beyond that. To live according to this is to be perfectly happy. To live without it is to lack the beatitude for which we were made.
At the Last Supper, along with his new commandment of love, Jesus also gave us the Sacrament of love, which is the Holy Eucharist. Here, ever and anew, we have immediate access to the sacrificial death of Jesus. This is not only the perfect expression of his love, but also the source from which it flows out on us. Here then, in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar, we directly receive, ever and anew, the love Jesus has for us. We receive also the grace we need to be able to abide in this love, and to pass it on to one another. Here, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are united with Jesus and with one another in one Body: for our own unending good, and for God’s eternal glory.