By loving in the way Jesus showed us, we allow God to stay with us. This is what he, in his love, wishes, and this is what satisfies our own most profound wishes.

All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. (1 John 3: 24)

When you love someone, you want to be with them always. This is also God’s desire, God who is Love. He created us so that we would be able to meet him, and we will only have the fullness of joy when we reach intimate union with him, for he alone can satisfy our hearts. He came down from heaven to be with us and lead us into communion with him.

John, in his letter, speaks about abiding in each other, God in us and we in him, reminding us of the deepest desire expressed by Jesus at the last supper. ‘Abide in me as I abide in you,’ he said. And using the comparison of the vine and the branches, he explained how strong and vital the link is that unites us to him. (see John 15: 1-5)

But how can we reach union with God?

John does not hesitate: we have only to observe his commandments:

All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them.

Are there many commandments we need to follow to reach this unity?

No, not from the moment Jesus condensed them into one. Just before the Word of Life chosen for this month, John gives this reminder: ‘And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us’. (1 John 3: 23)

Believing in Jesus and loving one another as he loved us: this is the one precept we must follow.

If human existence finds its fulfilment in God’s abiding among us, there is only one way to be fully ourselves: by loving! John is so convinced of this that he keeps repeating it throughout his letter: ‘those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them’ (1 John 4: 16); ‘if we love one another, God lives in us’. (1 John 4: 12)

Tradition holds that when John was very old, when he was asked about the Lord’s teachings he always repeated the words of the new commandment. If they asked him why he didn’t speak about anything else, he would answer, ‘Because it is the commandment of the Lord! If we put it into practice, that is enough.’

That’s how it is with every Word of Life: without fail each one leads us to love. It can’t be otherwise because God is Love, and each word of his contains love, expresses love and, if we live it, transforms us into love.

All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them.

This month’s Word of Life invites us to believe in Jesus and hold fast with all our being to his person and teachings. It invites us to believe that he is the love of God—as John teaches us again in this letter—and that for love he gave his life for us. (see 1 John 3: 16) It invites us to believe even when he seems far away, when we don’t feel his presence, when difficulties arise or suffering comes.

With the strength of this faith, we will know how to live by his example and, obeying his commandment, to love each other as he loved us.

We will know how to love even when someone no longer seems lovable, even when we have the impression that our love is inadequate, useless, not reciprocated. By loving this way, we’ll revive all our relationships, making them ever more sincere, ever deeper, and our unity will draw God’s presence among us.

All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them.

This is the experience of a couple from Japan.

‘We were really in love, my husband and I. Everything was fine during the first years of our marriage. Lately, however, he has been very tired and stressed out. Here in Japan, work weighs down on a man as a huge burden.

‘After coming home from work one evening, he sat down at the table for supper. I was about to sit down next to him when he shouted at me to go away, “You have no right to eat because you don’t work!”

‘That whole night I cried and thought about splitting up and going back to my family. The next day thousands of thoughts continued to nag at me: “I made a mistake marrying him. I can’t live with him anymore.”

‘In the afternoon I spoke to the friends I share my Christian life with. They listened with much love. From this communion with them I found the strength and courage I needed to start again.

‘I managed to cook my husband’s supper once more. As the hour of his return from work drew closer, however, my fear returned and grew stronger. “How is he going to react today?” But a voice inside me was saying, “Don’t give up. Welcome this suffering. Continue to love.”

‘Then he appeared at the door. He was holding a cake he had bought for me. “I’m sorry for what happened yesterday,” he said.’

 

 

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