Now, what sort of love was the love of Jesus for us? It was a
compassionate love that reached out to all. It was a merciful love that
brought pardon to the sinner; a healing love that brought new life to
the sick. It was a forgiving love that prompted him to pray for
forgiveness for his enemies. It was a love that led Jesus to make the
supreme sacrifice of his life for all mankind. The love of Jesus made
God’s love present in our world. It revealed the presence of God in
every situation that Jesus encountered. It made God’s love present to
everyone Jesus met. The world always celebrates its heroes and rightly
so. Every country has its heroes. But there are also many unsung heroes
known only to God. They are carrying out Jesus’ commandment of love, to
love one another as he has loved them. And this they try to do to the
best of their ability cost what may. They may never make the headlines
of the newspapers, TV or radio. It can be an ordinary home where a
mother struggles against all odds to raise her family when the husband
has been permanently disabled through sickness or accident, or what is
far more painful, when the husband has abandoned her and the family for
another person.
It can be the hospital staff where doctor and nurses work round the
clock for days on end and give not only their medical skills but also
their money to poor patients.
Heroism does not depend on the place. It depends on a person’s heart,
mind and determination. Love is the driving force in each of these
instances and countless others. To love one’s fellowmen as Christ loves
us mean nothing less than to love even unto death.
Perhaps none of us will ever be called upon to lay down our lives for
our fellowmen. But let us take a good look at our own lives. Can we say
that we are obeying Jesus’ command to love one another as he has loved
us? Each one of us, without a single exception, is called upon to make
God’s love present in the lives of the people we live and work with. We
can do it in our family by our concern, our care, our forgiveness and
our compassion. We can do it with our neighbors and in our place of
work. There are millions of our brothers and sisters who are deprived
of an effective sign of God’s love because of injustice in our society,
the denial of their rights that keeps them forever dependent, insecure,
undernourished and deprived of the basic needs of life. We are called
to bring God’s love into their lives. Even in the little things of
life, love can manifest itself to a very high decree. Love is
inventive. It can always find ways and means to give itself to others
and to come to their aid.
Let us open our hearts to Jesus Christ and beg for the grace that like
him we may make God’s love present to the people around us.
