Daily Reflection

It’s crucial whenever we hear talk of “commands” or “commandments” within the New Testament (and nowhere is this truer than in John’s Gospel!) to recall that the commandments referred to are not the 613 found in the Torah. Not that we who follow Christ should have any illusion about the ease of fulfilling the double-edged commandment Jesus issues here: love God; love our neighbour. On the contrary, Christ’s insistence—just prior to his own death—that the authenticity of one’s love can be measured by our willingness to “lay down one’s life for one’s friends” ought to provide not only a source of gratitude for His willingness to do just that, but also a sobering reminder of the strict limits we often place on our own willingness to live-love.