Does your life proclaim God’s love for the world?
From ancient biblical times, we know that God has always
been true to the covenant God has made with humankind. We hear covenant language in Psalm 145: The Lord
is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The Lord is good to all and compassionate
toward all his works. The psalmist appreciates God’s fidelity, and thus
shows his gratitude through this psalm of praise and thanksgiving. How much more, then, might we give thanks and
praise – and proclaim the Good News – now that we have been saved by the
ultimate fulfillment of God’s covenant, Jesus Christ himself?
In John’s Gospel, Jesus offers the disciples a new way to live this new covenant once Jesus
himself has been glorified: I give
you a new commandment: love one another…
This is how all will know that you are my disciples. Jesus calls upon all of his disciples not only to proclaim the Good
News, but to love those to whom they
are proclaiming it, proclaiming, therefore, both in words and in actions. You have witnessed my love for you and for all,
he seems to be saying, now emulate it, live
it, daily. Paul and Barnabbas are doing
as much in Acts: they are sharing
the Good News with their lives, persevering
in the faith and undergoing many
hardships, praying and fasting, and proclaiming
the Word on every step of their journey.
The Book of Revelation reminds us that God’s dwelling is with the human race; the Christian community thus
lives in the new order of God’s kingdom, where God himself will always be with them as their God.
Jesus came to save, not to condemn; this is only possible
because God, in the form of Jesus, has come to dwell among his people. Our post-Paschal challenge is to love enough
to allow the Word that is Jesus to dwell in us and then flow from us, as we
proclaim with our very lives God’s love for all the world.
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
Image source: Wordle
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