I heard someone say that the problem they have with Christians is that they have just enough religion to hate and not enough religion to love. It’s a well-known fact that Christians are called to love others. It’s also a well-known fact that we don’t always manage this. Throughout history, the some in the church have been less than loving to some sections of society. It is for this reason that we are labelled hypocritical. Just a quick look on the comments section in social media posts relating to religion soon reveal this. While it may be the case that some people seem to go out of their way to be unlovable, alas, Jesus did not give us the option to opt out. We are called to love all people, not just those people that we approve of or who speak or act like we do. Our readings this week reveal a good reason behind the commandment to love that we should bear in mind.
In our gospel reading from John, Jesus expands on His theme of Himself being the true vine. He wants us to love so His joy may be in us and our joy may be complete. If we show love Jesus considers us His friend rather than His servant. Showing love to others therefore brings us into a new, closer, relationship with Jesus. And this idea of completion is picked up in our second reading from the first letter of John. There we are told that by showing love to others, we are in fact showing our love for God. If we love God, we must also love the children of God. And that’s these “others” Jesus is talking about. Whether or not someone accepts they are a child of God has no bearing on the fact that they are one. In order to show our love for God, we therefore have to show love to others.
We like to hear that God loves us, it makes us feel special and blessed. And God does love us. But that’s only half the message. We should show our love for God in response to God’s love for us. And we do that by showing love to others. We shouldn’t love others because we are trying to keep God’s love or because we are afraid of losing God’s love. We should show love to others because we are in a reciprocal, loving relationship with God. When we love others we are showing them a new vision of God’s love for them and bring God closer to them. In loving others we bring ourselves closer to God which completes our joy. People who do not share our faith may think God is distant. Showing them love brings God closer to them and, at the same time, brings us closer to God. As John demonstrates, showing love to others is an effective way of worshipping God, and something we can do every day.