Readings for May 17- 18, Fifth Sunday of Easter
By Fr. Jack Treloar | For On Mission
In this week’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.” (Jn 13: 34-35)
It is easy for us to recognize the first part of Jesus’ statement as the second of the two great commandments that appear in the other Gospels. John, however, expands on the other versions when he adds the words, “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”
We understand some implications of the command to love each other when we examine Luke’s narration following the statement of the commandments. When the teacher of the law asks who is my neighbor, Jesus answers by telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
The neighbor is anyone in distress or need. Jesus talks about the action of the Samaritan as a manifestation of genuine love. This action is not restricted to close friends or acquaintances, but applies to all the poor, the displaced, the migrant, the immigrant.
If we are going to love one another, Jesus tells us we must open our hearts to all in the world who require care and concern.
In the Gospel according to John, Jesus expands on the earlier versions when he says, “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”
He gives us a ruler for measuring our observance of the commandment when he says, “… as I have loved you so you should love one another.” In other words, our love should imitate his love. His love is redemptive and selfless.
When we talk about love as selfless, we indicate a love that never asks, “What’s in it for me.” This love puts the needs of the other ahead of our own preferences, convenience and desires.
The Samaritan forgot about himself and manifested only concern for the wounded traveler on the side of the road. The Samaritan manifests a love as deep as Jesus’ own love — a love that never seeks self.
How is such love redemptive?
One needs only to turn to the crucifix to answer that question. By dying on the cross Jesus showed the depth of his love for all of us. He took our sinfulness, pride and self-centeredness upon himself and gave us new life and salvation.
It is a huge challenge to love others as Jesus has loved us. We could read those words about loving as Jesus loves and become discouraged. We realize that we can never meet that ideal, but we can work at it in our day-to-day lives a bit at a time.
Perhaps, at the end of each day, we could do a brief examination of conscience and simply ask ourselves, “What did I do today to make someone else’s life a little better?” Then say, “Thank you to God.”
Fr. Treloar is an assistant director at Jesuit Retreat House in Oshkosh and has served as a professor, lecturer, author and academic administrator
The readings for Sunday, May 18, can be found at the Fifth Sunday of Easter | USCCB.