Introduction
Jesus lived by two laws: love God and love your neighbour. The religious sensibility that dominated Israel’s culture presented those closest to them as neighbours. Jesus challenged the prevailing view: our neighbour is not close to us, but far away, even diametrically opposed to us. Jesus chose a Samaritan as the ideal neighbour.
Love knows no boundaries because it is other-centred. Love is doing that which is for the good of the other. When the Jewish people settled on Ten Commandments to govern their lives, they chose seven rules for neighbour liness.
Religious conversion occurs when people turn towards their neighbour, who is far away from them, and move towards them. The conversion of heart does not entail the rejection of one’s beliefs, but rather, the recognition of the primacy of unconditional love and of its place in their belief system and in their lives.
And this is where the Gospel Enquiry becomes relevant. It is a tool meant to be used by groups of people who seek ways of loving their neighbours in the company of Jesus. While there is a place for the “just do it” mentality (seeing a need and addressing it directly) … even Cardijn advocated such an approach early in the life of a young Christian workers’ group … there is need for reflection on the action and judgment of one’s motives for acting.
And this brings us to the Gospel Enquiry presented here. Jesus encourages us to reflect on the reasons behind our actions and to search for signs of God’s love in our lives and in the lives of our neighbours.
The Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete.’ (John 15:9-11)
The Enquiry
See
What is the context for Jesus’ teaching about love? Which actions of Jesus show the Father’s love for him being reciprocated?
Why does Jesus tell his disciples to keep his commandments? Which commandments? Examine some of Jesus’ actions to show consistency between his words and his actions.
What does Jesus mean by “my joy may be in you and your joy be complete”? Which type of love brings the joy to which he refers?
Judge
What do you make of Jesus’ teaching about love? How is such love possible in our day-to-day lives in our society?
What would our society be like if everyone loved like Jesus?
How is your faith affirmed and challenged by what Jesus said to his disciples?
Act
What would you like to change in our society so that the joy Jesus experienced is shared with all people?
What small action can you carry out to help others experience the joy of the Gospel?
Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?
Image Source: Nathan Jeffers (Creator), ‘Jesus is at the center of our life - that's what our "heart" looks like’, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0