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Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas

Today's Lectionary Readings
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Today's first reading from John feels like a late Christmas gift for
anyone looking for the Cliff Notes version to the Christian life - the
way we know that we are in union with Jesus is to walk just as he
walked; we must keep his commandments. John tells us that this is an
old commandment, one we should apparently be familiar with. Pretty
intuitive, I think. Straight forward, even. If you want to be a
follower of Jesus, just do what he said. 

Just when we think we're off the hook, John lays down a new
commandment: Love each other. Well shoot. 

Anyone who's sat across the table at a holiday celebration from
someone they haven't spoken to in a year knows that this piece
is a little more of a challenge. I think over the fractured
relationships in my own life and know that this part is not as easy as
it seems; it's where the hard work comes in. 

Years ago, Pope Benedict wrote that loving one another means that
we'll want what's good for each other and then do the work
to secure what's good for each other. In our ministry at
Catholic Charities, we try to manifest this every day. Loving one
another is a pillar of who we are corporately, and how we seek to show
up in the communities that we serve. We are the group that does the
serious business of knowing our neighbors, desiring their good, and
getting to work securing it. 

So today we receive two commandments - one old, one new, neither
that unfamiliar, both deceptively difficult.  

Keep his commandments, love each other.      

Let's get to work. 

Jay Brown is the CEO of Commonwealth Catholic Charities serving
communities across the Catholic Diocese of Richmond.  




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