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THE LOVE OF CHRIST IS THE BASIS FOR MISSION IN LOVE - stephenkhoo - 05-17-2013 11:02 AM
Scripture Reflections
17 May 2013, Friday, 7th Week of Easter
THE LOVE OF CHRIST IS THE BASIS FOR MISSION IN LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACT 25:13-21; JN 21:15-19
As we approach the end of Easter Season, the scripture readings close with the hint of the outcome of the life of St Paul and St Peter. Both would eventually arrive in Rome and die as martyrs in Rome. Symbolically, it means that the gospel has reached to the ends of the earth.
When we consider their lives, we cannot but be amazed as to how their lives had changed so much after they encountered Jesus. Saul was then a great persecutor of the Christians. He was ruthless in destroying the Church. Peter denied Christ three times. He was then a coward and afraid even to witness Christ before a servant. Yet both of them became the great apostles and pillars of the Church.
What could have caused them to make such a radical change in their lives? Indeed, both had this common experience; namely, they encountered the personal love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
St Peter who denied his master three times was not only forgiven of his betrayal when Jesus appeared to the disciples on the evening of Easter. But Jesus in today’s gospel went further to heal him of his broken memories by allowing him to go through the process of inner healing. He allowed Peter to repeat three times his confession of love as the antidote to the three denials of Him. Jesus knew that Peter could not be used for the ministry unless he experienced both unconditional forgiveness and inner healing of memories.
In a similar manner, Paul too was healed gradually after his life-conversion experience at Damascus, and subsequently, slowly accepted by the apostles, but only after he went away for a long retreat in Arabia. Paul too needed time to reflect on Christ’s love and mercy for him and be healed of his broken past before he could proclaim Christ’s mercy to all.
Indeed, this is true for those who have given their lives to the Lord. St Augustine too, made a radical transformation of his life when he experienced God’s love and mercy in spite of his weaknesses and sinfulness. In his Confessions, he wrote, “Late have I loved you, O Beauty so ancient and so new. Late have I loved you! …You shone your Self upon me to drive away my blindness. You breathed your fragrance upon me… and in astonishment I drew my breath…now I pant for you! I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst for you. You touched me! – and I burn to live within your peace. “(Confessions 10:27)
Consequently, it is important that if we want to follow the great examples set for us by Sts Peter and Paul in the ministry and mission of the Church, we must realize the importance of the deepening experience of Christ’s love for us if we are to be powerful witnesses of His love. The strength of our missionary zeal must come from this utter conviction of God’s love for us in Christ. This is the only reason why we want to give ourselves to the Lord in service. For how can we share our faith in Jesus and His love for us with others if we have not first experienced His love for us?
When we have been loved by Christ, we cannot but give ourselves also to those whom Christ loves as well, just as Christ chose to love us because the Father loves us. It is this love for Christ and for His lambs and sheep that precede zeal, compassion and commitment to our missionary responsibility.
Hence, St John Chrysostom said, if we have love in us, we will be among the apostles, even in the first rank, for Jesus said to Peter, “If you love me, tend my sheep.”
As such, he wrote, “Let us imitate the apostles in their virtues and we will not be inferior to them in anything. For it was not by their miracles that they became apostles, it was because of the holiness of their lives. That is how a disciple of Christ can be recognized.” Yes, the power of ministry comes from holiness which is the consequence of our union with Jesus. It does not depend on the marvels we do but on the fact that we have loved. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Jn 13:35)
Today, we should seriously reflect whether we have been receptive to the love of Jesus in our lives. We can only give up our lives for someone whom we love. Otherwise, our ministry will simply become activities to occupy our time, or means to give us a sense of purpose and fulfillment but not actually done for the love and glory of God. So when Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” He was not asking because He was feeling insecure of Peter’s love for Him as such, but He wanted Peter to examine the depth of His relationship with Him. For unless Peter was fully receptive of Jesus’ love, he would not be able to feed the flock of God to the extent of laying down his life as Jesus did by giving His body and blood to His Church and for the salvation of humanity.
And of course, Peter was annoyed because he knew he had not yet come to the point of loving Jesus the way he has been loved by Jesus, a divine and unconditional love that is expressed in laying down His life for him. Hence, he could only answer Jesus that he loved Him only with a human and conditional love. What is consoling is that Jesus accepted Peter’s limited love for Him, but at the same time He did not give up His confidence in Peter’s ability to follow Him completely one day to the extent of dying for God and His sheep on the cross.
Consequently, it behooves us to be patient with our limited love for God and for His people and our loved ones, especially when we know that we cannot give of our entire self to those whom we love. At the same time, we must not be satisfied with our imperfect love for them. We must continue to strive to purify and perfect our love for God and His people, of course, not by our strength alone, but through His grace and love that is given to us in the Holy Spirit. Once again, a reminder that we must continue to pray to the Holy Spirit during these days before Pentecost for the renewal of the love of God in our hearts so that filled with His love, we can love the way Jesus loves, a love that is forgiving, faithful, total and unconditional.
Written by Coadjutor Archbishop, William Goh
Spiritual Director, Catholic Spirituality Centre (CSC)
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