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There is a story told of a poor farmer, who never left his small, rural town because of the demands of the farm and the lack of money. When wealthy relative invited him to their wedding, he had the opportunity to come the big city. He was awestruck by the buildings and commotion and arrived at an elegant hotel dressed in muddy boots and worn overalls clearly out of place. The man at the desk politely assigned him to a room on the top floor and treated him like any other paying customer.
With key in hand he started the long climb to the hotel room because he wasn't comfortable with the idea of elevators. He had never encountered them before and wondered what sort of thing this was where a family would step in and when the doors opened again, a minute later, it was empty! As he ascended, on the first landing there was a full-length mirror. The man, who had never seen himself before, was suddenly startled and frightened by the imposing image before him. He yelled to scare him away - only to find that the image in the mirror was willing to threaten and shout the same.
He ran to the next floor and confronted the fearsome giant again, exchanging harsh looks and almost coming to blows. On the third floor, they stood nose to nose and exchanged simultaneous insults as a deepening war-like attitude was taking root in both of them. Realizing there was nowhere to escape this ugly fellow who was aggressively stalking him, he ran back to the front desk in the lobby to file a complaint. After hearing a detailed description of the perpetrator, the man at the desk understood that he had met the enemy and it was the man in the mirror. In order to save the dignity of his guest and to disengage the hostility, he offered simple advice. He said, "The fellow who you confronted is here to protect people. He is really quite harmless. If you will show him a harsh and angry attitude he will do the same. However, if you just smile pleasantly and continue on your way, he will nod and smile at you as well. Enjoy the rest of your stay." That's what he did and remarkably that's what happened...
King Solomon is credited with saying: "Like the reflection of a face in water so is the heart of one person to another.” How we treat each other produces a very powerful reaction, either good or bad, depending on what we lead with. Love encourages others to love; hatred disposes others to hate.
To love properly, whether that be another person or ourselves, is a very difficult thing. We live in a culture that dilutes and distorts the true meaning of love. Many of us experience love that is flawed, conditional, and subject to change. Sometimes we experience love as something to be earned, a prize that can be lost or taken back. We do not always comprehend how much we are loved and deal with people full of anger, bitterness and resentment. Many times, we love others to the degree they love us and reserve the right to withhold our love should someone be deemed unworthy. Over time, the imperfect way we love causes a chain reaction which perpetuates a cycle of hurt, suspicion, and rejection. Yet, in today's gospel, Jesus commands us to love in a way that does not include caveats or conditions. He reminds us of his love which is free, total, and unconditional. He does not offer his model of love as a suggestion or as something that would be really nice if we did it. No, he says emphatically: "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another."
In order to truly love as Jesus commands, we need a standard to follow. We need divine assistance to know what love truly is and what it is not. We need to recognize the Love of God must first be reflected within us by our own personal relationship with God. We need God's help to realize we must love one another because God first completely loved us as individuals, even before we existed. We can never do anything to make God love us more because he already loves us completely and there is nothing we will do to change that, even with our sins. We have not earned this love; it has been given to us. For these reasons, Jesus commands us to share this love with all that we encounter, even those who are mean, nasty, strange, or otherwise hard to love.
I think this is one of the most difficult things Jesus commands us to do. Consider how Jesus loves us! It is by giving himself completely without holding anything back. It is by blessing us even when he knows we are not listening to his voice. The love of Christ is always proactive rather than reactive. It is a free gift he chooses to give. If we have any doubts about this Divine love, all we need to do is look at a crucifix and remember what will happen at this altar in just a few minutes.
If we truly follow Christ, if we want to keep his command, then we must love as he does, without exception, without limits, without counting the costs. It may not seem fair why we have to extend this love when it is so readily rejected and even trampled upon. There will be times when we feel at a disadvantage because we hold ourselves to a different, higher standard. There will be moments when we suffer persecution and pain because of our faithfulness to Jesus' command. However, we have the promise that those who follow Christ enjoy a peace, joy, and happiness the world simply cannot offer.
On this fifth Sunday of Easter, when Jesus gives us a new commandment of love, let’s look at our own hearts. Where do we fail to follow this command? Who do we struggle to love? What do we withhold in loving others, how are there still strings attached and conditions applied? Jesus can only command us to love each other because he has first loved each and every one of us, without exception or condition. He asks us to pass it on to others so that the world may be transformed, one heart at a time. As we celebrate this sacrament of Christ's redemptive love, let us ask for the strength to love one another with His Love. Then our hearts will be made whole, our lives will reflect Christ, and our world will be transformed by the One who is Love Himself.
