On this Fifth Sunday of Easter, we find ourselves once again at the Last Supper, in the Gospel of John. This is part of Jesus’ farewell discourse to his Apostles. Before he suffers and dies for them, Jesus gives them a new commandment: to love one another as he has loved them. This is how all will know they are his disciples.

The Church is the Bride of Christ. Loving God and one another is the way we prepare ourselves to meet our Bridegroom when he comes again. But we cannot keep Christ’s commandment to love as he loves by simply gritting our teeth and trying to imitate him. The love with which Christ loves us is far beyond the capacity of our fallen nature. Therefore, it is only through God’s grace that we can love with a radical, Christlike love – even to the point of loving and sacrificing for those who oppose or belittle us.

At our baptism, we are initiated into the divine life, the love shared among the persons of the Trinity. At our confirmation, we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which strengthen us to bear witness to this love. These sacraments are sources of grace which help us grow in that radical love to which God calls us.

Paul and Barnabas were some of the first to heed the call of radical love – spreading the Good News, establishing Churches, and appointing leaders. They encouraged the early Christians to persevere in faith, saying, It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. Their message to the world is that Jesus loved us so much that he died for us, so that we might have eternal life. This must be the message we bring to others as well.

This is the love we are called to emulate. We must remain convicted that this type of love is possible; furthermore, we must believe that it will be impossible for us to respond to God’s call personally and as a society without depending on his grace to help us love like this.

Just as God worked through Paul and Barnabas to spread the Good News to the Gentiles, we must allow God to work through us, sharing the holiness, mercy, and love we receive each time we are forgiven in the sacrament of reconciliation or nourished by the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist. In communion with Christ, we can love others not for what they have to offer, but for who they are – beloved children of God.

(Fr. Michał Pająk, OMI, May 18, 2025)