LOVING AS HE LOVE US

A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love

one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love

one another’. (John 13: 34.) This is a new

commandment that Jesus Christ gives to His friends

in this moment of intimacy, on the eve of His

crucifixion. The evangelist John describes this final

moment with Jesus in a special way: symbolic

actions, a shared meal, meaningful words

announcing His imminent departure. The disciples

experience unforgettable moments marked by

Judas’s departure in the night after he took the

dipped piece of bread, the disciples’ incomprehension

and even disbelief, the promise of the Holy Spirit …

until their departure for the garden ‘on the other side

of the brook Cedron’, the place where the Lord would

be handed over by Judas to his executioners. But

before leaving them, He insisted on the new

commandment.’

This commandment given in intimacy to His

disciples is of utmost significance. However, many

people do not take the time to try to understand it,

to delve into the depths of this word that will form

the foundation of the gospel that the apostles will

take time to preach to the Christians.

I have given this commandment a great deal of

thought. In fact, I even taught on this subject

during a retreat. Gaining a deeper understanding of

this word during the retreat transformed my

perspective. It is indeed true that the Word of God is

a double-edged sword. At the end of the retreat, a

fellow attendee who had also been deeply touched

by the teaching suggested that I write it down in a