Who loves the most?

Today, it is common knowledge that streams of words flood the world. The language of propaganda and advertising is how powerful and rich in words, where it is offered, sells goods, and everyone wants to sell, get as much as possible. In fact, people also build on their careers, talk, talk, often deceive, see only profit, their material gain, and wealth here on earth. Therefore, let us not be surprised that one also betrays words that have nothing to do with one’s business in this multitude of words. These words mean something much more valuable, more beautiful than just enrichment, material, and material gain.

These words include the word – LOVE. This word is spoken, sung, and talked about in various forms, variations, but often to our detriment and falsely. After all, we should all long for the real content of this word. That is why we must not remain silent. We must speak, but without pretense, deception, falsification of the content of this word.

Let’s ask right at the beginning: Even in my case of a Christian, isn’t the concept of the word love just something soulless? Above all, as Christians, we are obliged to realize that to love man means that we must be united.

The main topic of today’s liturgical readings at St. Mass is the word love. It is mainly about love for another person. But we cannot talk about the love of the neighbor when we are not talking about the love of God. Readings warn us that only then will we truly love God if we will also love our neighbor. The Lord Jesus says, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12).

Addressing Jesus to active love of neighbor has its justification and place. These words were spoken by the Lord Jesus shortly before He left this world. It is an excerpt from his beautiful intercession with his disciples. When Jesus spoke thus in farewell to his disciples, he certainly cared a lot about it. Jesus wants them to love one another. But as? He answers himself to this question: “… as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12). And as Jesus loved us: “No one has greater love than he who lays down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). ). From this, we see that our love for our neighbor must be as it is for Jesus. Let us try to stop and consider the main features of this speech of Jesus.

We meet the command to love one’s neighbor in the Old Testament. However, this command had different content. At that time, it was true that it is enough to love one’s neighbor in about such a range as a blood vessel or a native. This order did not apply to aliens. The new law already expresses a new understanding, such that we love all people, all nationalities, skin color, and the like.

This command also applies to the love of enemies. We have a lot of evidence for this from Jesus’ teaching. Perhaps you, brothers and sisters, would also like to speak discreetly with Jesus on this subject. Should we really love our enemies as well? But we realize that when Jesus said that, we should not doubt it. Such is his will, and so is the teaching of Jesus. He knows best what to do and what will benefit us the most. Therefore, let us trust Jesus.

Loving the other person has its basis already in natural causes, but also supernatural learning. Above all, it results from respect for the other person. After all, all people are equal. Everyone is human and has the right to be treated as a human being. That is why we should see a brother in every person. Whether he is black or white, has ordinary or slanted eyes, he is human. Therefore, a warm and friendly environment should be created between people. If we also remember that every person is created in the image of God, that he has something of God in him, the more he has the right to our love.
The Lord Jesus loved all people because he saw the image of his Father in their faces. He went so far in his love that he knelt before the people, as he had done in the case of the apostles when he’s kneeling washed their feet. But let’s see when he died on the cross for all of us. He could then rightly say, “No one has greater love than he who lays down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). Only Jesus and no one else has given us a more beautiful proof of love. All such examples of sacrificial love are only a weak following of Christ. However, they are followable if we do them for Christ.

What does it mean to remain in the love of Jesus? That means taking on the needs of other people. To love – it is not just to speak, but to do deeds as well. True love of neighbor is humble. It has signs of suddenness and delicacy. She doesn’t want to be known, celebrated. He is happy that he is unobtrusively fulfilling his mission. Thus, by the Scriptures, love applies: We feel happier when we give than when we take. We can compare true love to a river into which new tributaries are constantly flowing. As the waters fertilize the vast landscape, so true love enriches many. It is known that not a single act done out of love remains unanswered, but a new act of love is born immediately. A person who loves a neighbor does not grow old because he still feels the joy of the happiness of others.

Honey, this is something for us. Everyone wants to be happy. And in Jesus’ words, we find the recipe: “This is what you say. I say that ye love one another “(Jn 15:17). In other words, make others happy! When we read about what made the saints famous, we find that they are not great buildings, rare works of art, but a simple, humble love that often grew into heroic courage and brought them to the level of the altar. Let’s remember Maximilian Kolbe, prisoner no. 16670 of Oswiecim, a search for Pro of Mexico from the time of the persecution, Damian de Vester of the island of Molokai, who died among the lepers, to the Jew Edit Stein tortured in Oswiecim and the like. These and others proved to be one in common; they loved their neighbor according to the words of Jesus: “No one has greater love than he who lays down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). Can we love our neighbors like that? We must realize that love is a true sign that we belong to Christ, that we are Christ’s. If there is no love between us, there will be no Christ.

In 1889, the steamer Remus was drowning near the Philippines. There was panic on the ship. Many jumped into the water to save their lives. Only two – missionaries, Paul Raimond and Dorado, helped the elderly and children get into lifeboats. In the end, there was only one place left in the boats. Raimond knelt and began to pray. Dorado sat on the boat. The steamer also dropped below the surface with Raimond. The lifeboat was already away from the tragedy when one of those who jumped into the sea emerged from the boat and begged to be taken with them. However, there were no places. Only if someone released him. Dorado willingly got up, made room for him, and jumped into the sea himself. These are the words of Jesus lived traditionally.

L. N. Tolstoy can also teach us what mercy and love mean: Two friends went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On the way, they walked around a house. The first of them entered the bottom to drink some water while the second continued on his way. But he saw a terrible thing in the house. The family was starving. He stayed there; he helped, he shared with them his food. He even went to a nearby village, brought everything necessary, and treated them until they healed. He then wanted to set out on a journey, but he returned home as he missed all his possessions and supplies.
But the other came to Jerusalem and went into the temple to the tomb of God. There were many people there, and he couldn’t get to the grave. As he stood at the door and prayed, he noticed his neighbor praying directly on God’s tomb. It seemed to him that there was a great glow around him. He was waiting for him outside. He waited, waited, but in vain. He returned home. When he got home, he told everything he saw and experienced. Here he understood that the Lord God accepted his neighbor’s sacrifice more than his pilgrimage to Jerusalem to God’s tomb.

Really, if we don’t have love, nothing will help us. Only love makes us happy and content. It is not difficult for us Christians to live in love because we have a Teacher who has taught us not only by word but also by an example of how to love one another. God’s love is the foundation and model of our love. Away with anger, mischief, hatred, greed, selfishness, egoism, judgments, statements, exploitation, hostility …