June 2008

When you love someone, you want to stay 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 is the only one who 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 remaining or dwelling within each other, God in us and we in him, reminding us of that compelling appeal made by Jesus at the last supper, “Remain in me, as I remain in you.” And with the parable of the vine and the branches, he explained how strong and vital the link is that unites us to him (see Jn 15:1-5).
But how can we reach union with God?
John does not hesitate: we just have to observe his commandments:

“Those who keep [God’s] commandments remain in him, and he in them.”

Are there many commandments that must be followed in order to reach this unity?
No, because Jesus condensed them all into one. Just before stating the Word of Life that has been chosen for this month, John reminds us, “And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us” (1 Jn 3:23).
Believing in Jesus and loving one another as he loved us: these are the only precepts.
If human existence finds its fulfillment in God’s living 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 the letter: “whoever remains in love remains in God, and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16); “if we love one another, God remains in us” (1 Jn 4:12).
Tradition holds that when John was very old, he was asked about the Lord’s teachings and 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 they all lead us to love. It can’t be otherwise because God is Love, and each of his words contains love, expresses love and, if put into practice, transforms us into love.

“Those who keep [God’s] commandments remain in him, and he in them.”

This month’s Word of Life invites us to believe in Jesus and adhere 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 Jn 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.
Strengthened by this faith, we’ll know how to live by his example and obey his commandment to love each other as he loved us.
We’ll know how to love even when someone no longer seems lovable, even when we have the impression that our love is inadequate, useless, not returned. By loving this way, we’ll revive all our relationships, making them ever more sincere, ever deeper, and our unity will attract God’s presence among us.

“Those who keep [God’s] commandments remain in him, and he in them.”

Here’s one couple’s experience: “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, the responsibility to work weighs down on a man’s shoulders like a ton of bricks.
“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 don’t have the right to eat because you don’t work!’
“That whole night I cried and thought about leaving and splitting up. The next day thousands of thoughts continued to nag at me: ‘I made a mistake in marrying him. I can’t live with him anymore.’
“In the afternoon I spoke with my friends, those with whom I share the desire to live an authentic Christian life. They listened with much love. From this communion with them I found the strength and courage I needed to start over.
“I went home to prepare once again my husband’s supper. As the hour of his return from work drew closer, however, my fear returned and grew stronger. ‘How was he going to react tonight?’ But a voice inside of me was saying, ‘Don’t give up. Welcome this suffering. Continue to love.’
“Just then he appeared at the door. He held out a cake he bought for me. ‘I’m sorry for what happened yesterday,’ he said.”

Chiara Lubich