Today is about love. Today we are given the New Commandment to love.

And some may feel like this is a classic; this is the no brainer; this is the one thing that we are called to do. But I feel like there's a little bit more to it. I feel like there's a little bit more to unpack, especially given the addendum, not only to love, but to love “as I have loved you.”

I think that was very much the human Jesus. Love is something that wasn't new to these apostles, right? They grew up and had education on the Ten Commandments. They understood that we were to love our mother and father and to love our neighbors. But then, in some of his final moments - a very vulnerable time for Jesus - he reminds his apostles: ‘I give you this new commandment to love, but to love as I have loved you.’ That’s the challenge. You know, it kind of takes away from, “walking on sunshine” kind of love. The “the spring is blooming”, the “whisked away” king of love. No – this is a challenge, right? Because not only is Jesus calling and asking for me to love others and to care for others and to serve others, but he’s asking me to do it in the way that he has shown me.

We know that this new commandment is given during Holy Week traditionally. And this is a time of uncertainty. This is a time of possibly fear. This is a time of the great unknown. And Jesus is now also reminding us that we need to love in the way that he is now showing us. And I think that's where the lesson comes in.

We know that this is a lesson because Jesus refers to his apostles as children. ‘My children, I have little time left with you, but I want to give you this new commandment.’ He's obviously not on his deathbed at this point, but he knows that this is the time. This is the time that we need to receive this message. This is the time that we need to really take it in. If there's one thing to take in, this is it.

I’m a very visual person. And so, I tend to lean into the question of what this challenge looks like. How do I envision it? And one of the first images that comes to mind is a piece of art by Corita Kent. Corita painted this beautiful piece - a vibrant rainbow with streaks of red and yellow and green and blue. And in this big, bold lettering, it says “LOVE.” It makes you feel good. You're attracted to it. It's vibrant. You want it hanging on your walls. But underneath, in this translucent writing, there's another message. Underneath, in yellow, she paints “is hard work.” And so, when you read the whole piece, it says, “Love is hard work.” And some folks may frown, may say, ‘well, what does that mean?’ And again, I think this is what Jesus meant - this new commandment is going to be a challenge. And guess what? That's okay. We are human. We are children, as he referred to us. We are still in need of teachers and mentors. We are still needing that guidance.

I think the beauty of our faith is that when the love that Jesus gave us may feel far away - because it’s unconditional, non-transactional, with no expectations, just love – we have people we can look to and learn from. And maybe we can say, “I may not be at that Jesus level of love today, but maybe I'm more Dorothy Day.” Dorothy Day is a beautiful example of a person who responded to that new commandment so beautifully. She gave. She offered shelter, homes, food, clothing, job support, all of that to the people that some were afraid to love.

I feel this commandment is so essential for us today. It's so essential based on what we are witnessing to respond to this commandment and to love. Yes, it may be hard because it may mean seeing things that we don't want to see. It may mean walking in spaces where we don’t feel safe. And it may mean being a witness to something that we don't want to witness. But it's necessary. It's necessary - not just because it’s called to do - but because it is necessary to bring about that Kingdom of Heaven to this earth.

That is why this commandment was created, right? To bring that Kingdom here to earth. That we witness in order to seek justice.

And so, I think this commandment is necessary now more than ever. I think this commandment is a challenge. But I also trust that Jesus is our teacher, our mentor. And as a teacher and mentor myself, I know that we don't give an assignment that we don't think our students can’t rise to.
So let us let us rejoice in that. Let us think about that. And let us think about how we are called to love. And that, though it may be hard work, we have support. We have community. We have others we can lean on. We have our faith to guide us. And so let us rise to that challenge. Let us accept the challenge of love.