Thursday of the 5th week of Eastertide
Acts 15:7-21
Psalm 95(96):1-3,10
John 15:9-11
Our Living In Christ Is An Appreciation Of The Father’s Love
What manner of love does God the Father bestow upon us, and how do we remain in the love of God?
In today’s gospel, Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us, ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you’ (John 15:9). This divine love of God is beyond mere words because, even while we were still sinners immersed in sin and separation from God, He loved us unconditionally by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, who was born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus lived a sinless life, suffered and died on the cross to atone for our sins, and rose from the dead to offer us eternal life.
We were like branches snatched out of fire, rescued from destruction and death (see Zechariah 3:2). We were spared from the lion’s jaw, set free from the shackles of sin and captivity, and we are now brought into new life through God’s grace.
Keeping the commandments rooted in love—following Jesus’ example of sacrificial love—indicates that we remain in Jesus. Loving God wholeheartedly and loving our neighbor as ourselves brings true happiness and inner peace. His commandments of love unify us with others, helping us accept people as they are and as God has called them to be.
Just as God accepted us in our imperfect state, do we genuinely accept one another? Do we respect different perspectives and ideas? Must someone else accept our sentiments before we accept them as they are? What are the core elements of Christianity that are essential in relation to others?
True repentance involves a sincere desire to love as Christ Jesus loved us, and a willingness to sacrifice for the good of others.
Let us remain instruments and active agents of love, peace, and divine grace in our world. May God help us to love as He wills us to. Amen.
Fr Joseph Osho
