Empowered By Love

by Fr. Clement Attah  |  05/05/2024  |  Weekly Reflection

In today’s Gospel Jesus says, “Love one another as I have loved you.” This command is foundational to the entire Christian life. It is simple and yet difficult. Most of us find it much easier to love an invisible God than a neighbor who is often in the way of our preferences, sensibilities, and personal rights. Loving others just seem to be the most difficult part of being a Christian. But if you have been baptized, know that you have all it takes to love others because you are connected to the source of love, the Holy Spirit. In Romans 5:5 St. Paul says, “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

So, every baptized Christian has been empowered to love, to love like Jesus in a sacrificial way. If we are not loving others as we should, it is because we are still very self-absorbed. For us to grow in practicing sacrificial love, we must learn and practice dying to the self. True love is the decision to die to your desires, your needs, and wants and instead lay down your life for your wife, kids, neighbor, friends, or co-worker.

To love in a sacrificial way, we must be sincerely committed to die to the self. We must be honest with ourselves and say, “By nature, I am selfish but by grace, I have been empowered to love. I need to start loving in a true way because this life is not about me. I am not the center of the universe. I must think of others and be willing to put their needs before mine. I must be humble and admit that the more selfish I am, the lonelier I am becoming. But when we choose to practice sacrificial love, we feel very connected to others, we feel more alive, and we experience life to be more exciting and more fulfilling.

May we never give up in our efforts to make our relationship with others better.

May the peace of the Risen Lord continue to be with you!