To love Jesus is to keep his commandments

Fr Paul in reflecting on last week’s gospels says we should be able to identify a pattern in today’s Gospel (John 14: 21-26) – Jesus gives a teaching, one of the disciples questions that teaching and then Jesus teaches again.

This Gospel shows the unity of the Father and the Son. Jesus is leaving and going back to the Father. He shares that to love him is to keep his commandments.

Fr Paul says this does not mean being obedient to these commandments but to lovingly imitate Jesus. The actions of Jesus reveal his love. They reveal the nature of Jesus and the Father because Jesus through his actions encapsulates those commandments. Jesus heals, loves, judges, forgives and commands. The meaning of love is to imitate him in what he does.

This is the first time we hear reference to the Holy Spirit. Like Jesus, we have the Father sending the Spirit, who will be there to walk beside us. The Spirit will represent Jesus; the Spirit will carry on the work of Jesus; will act in the name of Jesus; and will make Jesus present when Jesus is no longer there. This is the role of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit makes it possible for human beings, in all our frailty, to carry out the work of Jesus. We have that advocate by our side reminding us of who Jesus is and what his mission is.

Fr Paul invites us to take some time to reflect and offer a prayer to the Holy Spirit, asking the Spirit to continue to walk beside us and to guide us at this time.