Gospel JN 15:9-11
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete.”
Reflection:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.”
How does the Father love Jesus?
The Father loves Jesus beyond measure because of the love Jesus has for others. God sees Jesus’ willingness to sacrifice his own comfort and happiness for the sake of His fellow man.
He sees Jesus’ desire to be obedient at all costs; Jesus’ trust that His Father “knows best” in all things.
Jesus says, “I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”
“And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)
We all “love” our children, but we are not always “well pleased” with them.
I am sure that both the Father and Jesus love me. But, like the prodigal son, I have been rebellious. I have strayed far from my father’s home and his commandments.
I have also known the “joy” of returning to my Father’s house and to His ways. However, my heart remains restless. As the great spiritualist Henri Nouwen wrote: “My mind and heart keep running away from my true dwelling place.”
Jesus tell his disciples and us, “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love…”
Jesus, “The Hound of Heaven,” relentlessly pursues me. In the words of Hosea, He calls, “Come back to me, with all your heart. Don’t let fear keep us apart.”
Jesus continues to invite me to surrender to His love so that “….my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.”

“True freedom is not in choosing our way, but in submitting to God’s way.” – – – Unknown