
To Love as God Loves
Today’s short gospel marks the beginning of Jesus’ long farewell discourse given at the last supper. He tells his apostles, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”Why does Jesus call it a new commandment? Is it not essentially the same as the “old” commandment written in Leviticus 19:18, which speaks of loving one’s neighbor as oneself? In substance, they are the same: love your neighbor. What is new is the standard of love. Jesus asks his disciples to love one another, not just as they love themselves, but as he loves them.On that evening, Jesus demonstrates his love by kneeling in front of his disciples and washing their feet. The following day, he shows the extent of his love by giving up his life for them. The ...