6th Sunday – Easter 2022
The law can be divided into two types. One of them tries to show the border that exists between good and evil.The second one is strictly pedagogical, educating and calling for growth.The first kind largely presents the Decalogue.The commandments tell about what is right and what is wrong.In this way, they mark out a safe space on earth in which to build temporal happiness, having the perspective of eternal happiness.The number of times we cross the boundaries set by the commandments, we enter a very dangerous area where not only our happiness, but also our spiritual life is at risk.
The commandment of love represents a higher kind of law. It does not show the border so precisely, but calls to make demands on oneself in order to grow up to love God and to love another human being. It is a powerful creative force.
The mother was hospitalized. The three children (ten, twelve and fourteen) discover that the responsibility for running the house on a daily basis lies largely in her hands. So far, the parents have had a lot of trouble with one child out of the three. Now a community of mutual love is emerging. The siblings divide their day – they find time for a short game, for learning and for taking care of the house. Programs what should be done on particular days. It turns out, then, that love for the mother and mutual love allow children to make demands on themselves. This is the power of love.
Love makes demands. And because he puts them up, man grows. This is what Christ speaks about in the Gospel: “If anyone loves me he will keep may word, (and this is the science of love) and my father will love him, and we shall come to him, and make our home with him.”
Let us thank God at the altar today for knowing the Decalogue, that we know how precisely God himself has shown the boundaries of good and evil. We know where there is a creative space for our freedom, where we can build a safe life. Let us also give thanks for the love that God pours into our hearts, and for the fact that this love allows and enables us to make demands on ourselves, thanks to which we can grow.
Love is a dynamic force. When we love someone, we are able to demand a lot from ourselves. The Decalogue will stay behind us when we cross the threshold of eternity. There is a world built solely out of good there. There are no longer defined borders there, they are unnecessary; but love is a gift of heaven that will last.
Love is the powerful force that enables man to make demands of himself, in the fulfilment of which he finds happiness. Every love opens us to God and to other people. We want to grow in it.
Let our standing at Christ’s altar turn into a great thanksgiving for God’s commandments which draw the line between good and evil, and for the law of love which shows the direction of our whole life.