Tuesday, May 14, 2019
St. Matthias, Apostle
1st Reading: Acts 1:15–17, 20–26 Gospel: Jn 15:9–17
Jesus said to his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love! You will remain in my love if you keep my commandments, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.“I have told you all this, that my own joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: Love one another as I have loved you! There is no greater love than this, to give one’s life for one’s friends; and you are my friends, if you do what I command you.“I shall not call you servants any more, because servants do not know what their master is about. Instead I have called you friends, since I have made known to you everything I learned from my Father.“You did not choose me; it was I who chose you and sent you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. And everything you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.“This is my command, that you love one another.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
A story is told of a husband who courted his neighbor. When confronted by his wife he quipped: “I thought I was just carrying out the great commandment of loving the neighbor”. The Love commandment is love of the highest form, not the erotic kind the husband had in mind. In its lowest form, love is essentially selfish. In its highest form, love makes sacrifice bearable to the limits – even to the point of death.
Experience tells us that the higher we climb the ladder of love the stronger we experience human weakness’ gravitational pull. We have all fallen from the ladder many times. Some have arisen to resume the climb while others have given up because their repeated falls had led them to the conclusion that love is impossible in its highest form. But the lives of saints have proven their conclusion wrong.
The sinner who falls but rises up once more is closer to God than ever before (Fr. Capili, SDB). From the psychological level, rising up after every fall makes us stronger because of lessons drawn. “There are no mistakes, just lessons to be learned” (The Barbara Streisand Album Higher Ground, 1997). From the spiritual level, rising up is being in step with Christ who did not remain in the tomb but rose to the light of the resurrection.
Those who are in step with Christ will find grace in abundance to sustain them in loving to the limits. But those who only have in mind love of the erotic kind, and there is no room for God’s grace in their hearts, of course they will say like any fool that love in its highest form is not possible at all. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M.

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