Agape
30TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
The Commandments of Love.
| “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” [Jn 15: 13] |
In the Gospel reading this Sunday, Jesus illuminates, summarises and perfects the Old Testament Law and Prophets. He gives us the greatest commandments of all – the Commandments of Love:
(1) First, we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind.
(2) And second, we must love our neighbours as ourselves.
The Christian love.
But what is this love that Jesus is always talking about?
1) C.S. Lewis clearly points out that this love is agape. And agape must not be confused with storge (natural affection or liking), eros (sexual desire or romantic love), or philia (friendship).
2) Agape love is selfless, sacrificial and unconditional. It is the highest of love in the Bible, appearing in the New Testament for over 200 times.
3) According to St Thomas Aquinas, to love (agape) is “to consistently will and choose the good of the other”.
4) The distinguishing mark of a true Christian is agape love. Love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God. [1 Jn 4: 7-8]
Love is a choice. Love is a (conscious) decision. And love is an action.
To love God means putting God first. More often than not, we ignore God, we ‘deep-freeze’ Him, and we keep Him at arm’s length. We only seek God when the need arises, when life condition compels us, when our mood suits us, or when the moment conveniences us. Putting God first in our life is to strive to know Him more dearly, strive to love Him more intensely, strive to follow Him more closely, and strive to serve Him more passionately. To love God means consecrating the best part of our day for prayer to Him and seeking to live His Will at every moment out of love for Him.
To love our neighbours means to be ‘other-centred’. If we truly love God, we will love others, created in His image and likeness. To love others requires us to move out of ourselves and put others ahead of ‘I-Me-Mine-Myself’. Self-centeredness, self-love and self-absorption only lead to loneliness and isolation. Being ‘other-centred’ is the key to our happiness and fulfilment. To love others is to will and choose the true good of others, and to seek to serve them out of love for God. The more we love authentically, the more fulfilled our life will be.
The JOY of love.
The late Fr Leo Chang of the Church of Holy Family, Kajang once shared, “JOY means (in the correct sequence):
Jesus,
Others,
Yourself.”
May we find and experience JOY in loving God and loving others.
Let our fervent prayer be:
“ Lord Jesus Christ, teach me to love You and teach me to love what You love!”
Let us also pray that God’s justice, peace, truth and love may prevail in Malaysia, Israel-Palestine, Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Nicaragua.
[Note: This Gospel reflection was first published on Porta Fidei, Gospel Reflection, 25 Oct 2020.]
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