Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter - John
15:9-11
This Gospel is very brief: only 3 verses. Yet it is a
powerful and loving reading. Jesus tells us that He loves us as deeply as His
Father loves Him. Think about that for moment. Who are the people you love most
deeply: your spouse, your children, your parents, or a very good friend?
Now choose one person you care deeply about and ask
yourself: What does that person mean to me? What are the gifts he or she shares
with me? Truly, love is the greatest gift on the face of this earth. If we are
not loved or if we believe that we are not loved, we truly are lost and alone.
How horrific that must be!
Love is something that we often take for granted. How sad
that is. Jesus said: “The greatest gifts are faith, hope and love.” If we do
not have these gifts in our lives to some degree, we truly are lost and alone.
Can you imagine your life without love? What a horrendous life that would be,
having no one in your life who loves you and cares about you!
We human beings were created with a great capacity to love
and a need to be loved. The gift is that there are many kinds of love: love of
a husband and wife for each other, love of parents for their children, love for
our parents, siblings, family members, and neighbors, friendship and spiritual
friendship.
Jesus not only loves us with all his heart, He desires that
we also love others deeply. We were created for love and love sustains us.
Today I invite you to sit down and think about the people you love and who love
you. What are the gifts they give you? What is the joy they bring into your
life? Do they know how much you love and appreciate them and their presence in
your life? Today may be a good time to let them know how much they mean to you.
They are a gift! You are blessed!
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