Gospel Reflections
Love of Mom on Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day and Mom’s vocation to love
Let us think about love. It is so important. Arguably, it is the most fundamental of all human emotions. Is there anything more important to us than love? Think about how many songs there are about love. Just one example is the Beatles’ song, “all you need is love…”. Think about all the movies about love, all the books about love. As Mother’s Day is approaching, think of all the love out there this week: the love our mothers have for us, and the love we have for our mothers. In the heart of every human being there is a great longing for love. Love motivates us, inspires us.
So, when Jesus gives us his great command to love in the Gospel of John, it makes a lot of sense. In so many ways, this one law simplifies and summarizes the mission of the Christian disciple, our mission is to love. We are supposed to love, we can feel it deep down in our hearts. And the stakes are high. St. John tells us: if we don’t love, we don’t know God, for God is love. Wow, pretty amazing. If we don’t love we don’t know God.
We all want to know God, don’t we? Love is the pathway to our relationship with him. If we have love, we know God; if we don’t, we won’t. Pretty powerful. St. John Paul II once said that love is the fundamental vocation of every human being. Whether you are a mother, a father, a child, a priest, a religious sister, it doesn’t matter, we are called to love. Only by love will we find happiness and fulfillment in this life.
God is love
Why is love so important? St. John gives us a great insight in the second reading: because God is love. God is love. It is so simple, yet so beautiful. This one sentence might have been the first thing we learned about God in school or in religious education. Pope Benedict wrote an encyclical titled Deus Caritas Est, God is love. Yet with anything that is so basic and fundamental, it can easily be one of those things we take for granted without really thinking too much about it.
God is love. How do we know that God is love? He created the universe. God is sufficient in himself, he didn’t need to create us, but he did because he loved us. Then what happened, we went astray. How do we know God still loved us? He sent Jesus to be our savior. How do we know Jesus loved us? He died on the cross. How do we know he still loves us even today? He gives us the Holy Eucharist. If we have eyes to see it, we can see the love of God everywhere around us. We know that God loves us because he made us, he sent Jesus to save us, he feeds us through the Eucharist. There is a lot of love there.
Since the whole universe is made through love, and since we were made through love, this is why love is so important to us. Love literally brought us into existence, and if we are going to be true to who we are, we need to love. God is love, he made us in his image and likeness, so if we are going to be happy we need to love.
Love is a choice
Most people think of love as an emotion, a feeling. We have these feelings for the people we love: there’s romantic love, love for family, children, love for country, love for justice, etc. These things might inspire emotions and feelings. But, love is not the same thing as the emotions. In fact, love is much deeper. Love is not an emotion, but it’s a decision. Love is an action of the whole human person: body, soul, heart, mind, everything. And what does love look like? It looks like the cross. Jesus says: love one another as I love you, no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends. Love is not about feel-good emotions. Love is about giving one’s self for others.
One thing we might forget if all we do is listen to love songs or watch romantic comedies, is that love is hard. Love is never easy. Jesus tells us to love today, but he tells us to love one another as he loved us. Look again at the love he has for us. He died for us, he gave everything for us. Now, if we want to know God, if we want to inherit the eternal life Christ promises us, if we want to a share in that resurrection, we must fulfill the command of Christ: love on another.
You might get a little discouraged when you hear Jesus’ command: “love one another as I love you”. You may think, “How can I love like Jesus loved? I’m too weak, too sinful, too proud, too selfish”. But, rather than seeing this as a condemnation, let the words of Jesus inspire you all over again. When Jesus commands us to love he does so because he really thinks we can do. And he really knows that this is what is absolutely best for us, even though love is never easy. Ask your mother on Mothers’ Day if love is easy. Don’t be surprised if she says “no”, but as you may know, love is always worth it.
What a beautiful gift we have in the Holy Eucharist. This sacrament of love is given to us by Christ to be a great lesson in humble, serving, love. He literally gives himself away for our benefit, and then he calls us to go and do likewise. This I command you, love one another.
Joy and Love
What role does joy play with love? So much of our lives are lived in pursuit of these two things: love and joy. We long for both love and joy. We long for these of ourselves and also for those closest to our hearts. And if these things are missing, we can be quite unhappy. Every human being wants love and joy, unless you’re a big grump or something.
Yet, Jesus shows us that there is a deep connection between love and joy. “I have told you this so that your joy may be complete.” What did Jesus tell us? Follow my commandments: love one another as I have loved you. If we want joy, and who doesn’t, the pathway is the pathway of love. A life of love will be a life of joy.
In order for the joy of Christ to remain in us, we have to follow the pathway of love. The pathway to self-fulfillment is the path of self-giving. The pathway to resurrection and life is the sacrifice of the cross. We all want that life of joy and fulfillment, so Jesus teaches us the way to that life is the way of the cross.
But, we might find this to be a bit disheartening right? Deep in our hearts we are searching for joy and happiness. We look everywhere for this satisfaction: money, power, pleasure, prestige: none of them satisfy. And Jesus comes along to tell us: if you want this joy, peace, and happiness, all you have to do is to love one another as I love you.
Love One Another
Have you ever thought about this command as being a little bit unfair? Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is perfect love and goodness. He is absolutely free of sin, selfishness, self-interest. His whole mission on earth is to show the love and mercy of the Father for all of us in the fallen human family. He is love. Then, he tells us to love just as he does. Seems to be well beyond our abilities.
But, always remember that if Christ calls us to something difficult, he always provides us with the means to attain them. If he calls us to love one another just as he loves us, he will give us the means. And this brings us exactly to the importance of the going to Church and receiving the Holy Eucharist.
Very often, the Holy Eucharist is also called the sacramentum caritatis, which means: the sacrament of love. The Eucharist is the very love of Christ. Jesus loved us so much that he gave his life for us. He handed over his body, soul, everything. He continues this handing over until the end of time with the gift of the Mass, with the gift of the Eucharist. By receiving this amazing gift, we become enabled to live Christ’s call to love. No wonder the Mass is called the source and summit of the Catholic faith.
We would all do well to remind ourselves why we choose to love those around us. Christ calls us to a life of joy. The pathway to this life is the pathway of love. Christ makes it possible for us to follow this path by giving us the Holy Eucharist. What a joy it is, then, to celebrate this mass and to receive the sacrament of love.
Remain in My Love Gospel
Jn 15:9-17
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“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.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
About the Author
Father Jake Runyon is a priest in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend where he serves as the Rector and Pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne. This post was originally published on his personal blog Docete and is shared here with permission.
12 Popular Catholic Mother’s Day Gifts
Nothing says “I love you” to Mom better than a special gift on Mother’s Day. She works so hard for us all year round. When we are young, she changes our diapers, feeds us, and teaches us how to grow up. When we are older, we realize that we are still growing up, since we turn to our mothers for so much help through our day-to-day lives. Whether it is advise on raising a child of our own or simply just sharing about our day, our mothers are always there for us.
Let us be there for our Moms on Mother’s Day as we celebrate the special role our mothers play in our lives. Mothers have unconditional love for their children, just as Mary loved Jesus unconditionally, even while he was in her womb.
Giving a Catholic Mother’s Day gift shows our deep admiration for the mothers in our lives. Mothers can turn to the Blessed Mary as a role model to immaculate in their own life. What a lovely gift it is to receive a Mother’s Day card with an image of the Holy Mother or an apron that shows your love an appreciation. Mothers would also appreciate a Immaculate Heart of Mary Prayer Card, as a way to constantly seek intercession for Mary in their lives. Serve Mom bed in breakfast this year with a Mother’s Day mug that she can enjoy all year long.
