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Jn 15:9-11
[Jesus said to his disciples,] 9“As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
11“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.”
Reflection:
Remain in my love. To remain with Jesus does not mean only to stay with Jesus but to “know” him, to have a close relationship with him. The intimate union between the Father and Jesus is the model for the disciples’ relationship with their Master.
When Jesus calls the first disciples, he tells them, “Come and you will see”—and they stay with him for a day (Jn 1:39). Besides following the Master and listening to his teaching, the disciples share his very life, his very fate. They deepen their union with Jesus as they remain in him and he remains in them.
Yet union with Jesus cannot be reduced to sentiments alone. Jesus emphasizes that the true measure of union with him is imitating his love for the Father. The Father’s love is creative and gracious; Jesus’ love saves and forgives and brings new life. This is the kind of love that we must have in our hearts and keep in our lives. Just as Jesus shows his love by fulfilling the Father’s will, we express our love for Jesus by keeping his commandments.
How do you envision remaining with Jesus and his love?
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