Lesson from Fr. Paulus | Loving Christ Means Observing His Commandments

During these Sundays of the Easter Season, the Church takes us back to the Last Supper, giving us a chance to dig deeper into its meaning.

Throughout his Last Supper discourse, Christ's constant refrain is: if you love me, you will keep my commandment. That commandment is to "love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34), the commandment of Christian charity. These are his parting words to his closest disciples, the last flow of love from his Sacred Heart before it is broken and pierced.

They are special words. We need to hear them, to let them sink in. Jesus knows that these twelve men are normal, fallen human beings. They are weak and ignorant, stubborn, and headstrong.

And yet, he also knows that they truly love him. They want to be his disciples. They are just like us: flawed, but committed. He earnestly desires to teach them how to live out their commitment to him, and so he gives them his new commandment: love one another, as I have loved you.

That is the mark of a Christian, a true follower of Jesus Christ. It's not in pretty words, fancy rituals, and complicated prayers. It's in following the example of Christ, who gave his life for us on the cross. To give our lives, leaving behind our comfort zones in order to help our neighbors and build a better world, to be truthful, responsible, honest, pure, and faithful even when it feels like we're being crucified, that's how we follow Christ.

This is the path to loving him and living life to the full. It was the path he taught his Apostles, it's the path he teaches us, and it's the path he blazed before us by his passion, death, and resurrection.