“When Judas had gone out from the upper room, Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you.
‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
True love is not mere affirmation or what we say. It is not the sweet words or mantra we chant to excite our beloved. It is centred on the sacrifice we make of others. We should glory in the sacrifice we make for the welfares of those around us.
A truly loving person is one who, even before the pain begins, foresees the suffering that love will demand, and still chooses to love. This kind of love is not passive endurance but a courageous, conscious decision. It is not merely about enduring the suffering of the moment but about embracing the pain that is inevitably tied to sacrificial choices we make for the sake of another.
More so, love becomes most authentic when it is freely chosen, knowing it may lead to rejection, loss, or sacrifice. In this way, love reveals its strength, not in avoiding pain, but in embracing it for the good of the other.
Shortly after Judas had gone out from the upper room, Jesus began to talk about his glory. He didn’t not shrink in fear and anger. He rather saw the action of Judas as an avenue for the actualisation of his mission on earth.
While we do not pray for undue pain or suffering, lets pray for the discernment to know those sacrifices that truly rhyme with our unique destiny. Jesus says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
May we always be conscious of God’s love for us, that we love others the same way he did. Amen.
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