Homily on John 14:23–29 :If you love me, you will keep my word

Homily on John 14: 23 – 29: True love for God is expressed through joyful obedience to His word, mirroring how love in human relationships inspires willing obedience

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

A group of college boys went for a picnic to a far-off place. That evening, some of them took out bottles of hot drinks and began drinking. However, one of the boys, who was quiet and respectful, refused to join them. They teased him and kept pressuring him to join them and to enjoy the drinks. Then he gently said, “My parents do not like it when I drink.” One of them laughed and said, “Your parents are 200 kilometres away and they will never know.”

He looked at them calmly and said, “That is not the point, I love my parents, and they love me so deeply. I know that they trust me, and even if they never find out, I know that I disobey them and do not want to hurt them, not even by doing something which they do not like, even though they never come to know. I do not drink hot drinks not because they will see, but because they love me and I love them.”

 Yes! Dear friends in Christ, Jesus says in today’s Gospel: “If you love me, you will keep my word.”  He does not say, “If you fear me” or “if others are watching” but “if you love me.” This is the heart of our faith. Love is the reason behind every true obedience. Without love, even our best prayers are empty. Without love, our worship becomes dry. Without love, rules feel like burdens. But when there is love, even a small act becomes very beautiful and the most difficult act becomes so simple.

Why do so many families break apart today? Why is there so much pain and misunderstanding between husband and wife, between parents and children?  It is simply because love has grown cold and in some cases it is frozen. If there is love, obedience is easy and even silence speaks. One, who loves one’s own spouse, will never insult him/her. It is same with parents, brothers and sisters.  If one loves them it is easy for him/her to listen to them and obey them. It is not because you have to but because love compels.

Why do people say prayer is boring? Mass is boring? The Bible is boring? Not because these things are boring, but because love is missing. When you love someone, you do not get tired of spending time with them. Even silence in their presence becomes sweet. But when love is not there, even one minute feels heavy.

 True love always leads to obedience. A child who loves his parents does not want to cause them sorrow. A husband who truly loves his wife does not cheat. A wife who loves her husband will still honour him even in silence. A student who loves a teacher will study, even when the subject is hard. If you love your priests and the sisters, you will not gossip about them and will find pleasure in following their valuable advices. If you love your neighbour, you will not cheat or harm them and try to find reason to live in harmony. If you love your country, you will not break its laws; instead, you will take extreme effort to maintain peace and order. And finally, if you truly love God, all these will naturally follow.

Look at Jesus. He loved the Father so deeply that He obeyed even to the Cross. And from that obedience Jesus gained our salvation. In the same way, our obedience, when it comes from love, can bring peace and joy to others.

Let love be our guiding principle in our daily lives.  Let love be the reason behind our daily choices and, let love guide our words, our thoughts, and our actions.  It is the fact that the one who truly loves will not ask, “How much must I do?” but will ask, “How much more can I do for”?

Jesus, teach me to love you so much that keeping your word becomes my greatest joy.

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God Bless…