Feast of Saint Fidelis (24 Apr 2008)

“I love you.” Those “three little words,” as they have been called, are among the most beautiful in any language, and certainly have caused more joy down the centuries of human life than any other statements ever made.And in the gospel of today’s Mass, Our Divine Lord tells his apostles at the Last Supper, and tells us here and now, “I love you.” And then he goes on to say, “Remain in my love.” We could spend a lifetime meditating on this directive: remain in my love. The most perfect form of love is reciprocal love, when two persons love one another, when the powerful and wonderful current of love flows both ways. The young mother loves her newborn baby, but the baby cannot love in return right away. It takes several years for the human being to be able to love. And then there is the acute suffering caused when someone loves someone else, but the love in unrequited. This is why the sin of adultery, unfaithfulness in marriage, is so tragic and painful, and so offensive in the sight of God.

But Our Lord goes on to tell us that if we keep his commandments, we will remain in his love. And then he adds, “I told you this so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.” Down through the centuries of human existence, individuals and societies have spent a great deal of time and effort thinking, speaking, and writing about whether there is a God, what kind of God he might be, and how we can appropriately relate to God. We Christians have the tremendous advantage of knowing that God is Love, that God loves us, and that God asks us to keep his commandments. That, and our knowledge of his love for us, will make us happy in this world and infinitely so in the next.

The word “gospel” means “good news.” So as we approach the readings of today’s Mass, we have the best of all good news. We hear Jesus, the Incarnate Word of God saying to his apostles and to us, both individually and collectively, “I love you.” Thank you for seeking God’s truth. God bless you. Father Victor Brown, O.P.