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Human beings enjoy overcomplicating simple things. The Lord knows this and hits us with a simple, and yet deeply profound line in today’s Gospel: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
I don’t think it gets simpler than that. If we truly claim to love Jesus, then we will follow His commandments. Now, the rebellion in our hearts might squirm at the thought of linking love and obedience, but Jesus Himself tells us that the two go hand in hand. The commandments are boundaries to help us live holy and virtuous lives.
While some people may see this as an oppression of sorts, the truth is that they help us be truly free. The commandments help us avoid things that would hurt ourselves, our relationship with God, with others, and with Creation itself. They are guides to be loving and merciful – to be like the Father. Jesus’ words make sense then: if we love Him, we will love ourselves, others, and Creation properly in an orderly manner.
If we love Jesus, and keep His commandments, we will become holier and avoid sin. Even if we are cradle Catholics, or brilliant theologians, we have to constantly recall the reality of sin and what it means in our lives. After all, sin separates us from our Creator. This is a tragedy, one we often fall into far too easily. Sin is a rejection of love and goodness. It is a desire to kick God off the throne of our hearts and to place ourselves on it. While sin might feel good temporarily, it does not satisfy. It not only weakens, or completely kills, our relationship with God – but it also separates us from those around us.
We often fall into the trap of thinking that sin is an isolated act, but when we separate ourselves from Christ, we also separate ourselves from His Body, the Church. In fact, we need to remember that sin is not just breaking a rule, but breaking a heart. Our Father’s heart. To reject the call to goodness and sanctity is to look at the Father and reject Him. It is to look at Love Himself and renounce Him. If we love Jesus, this thought would break our heart.
The good news is that the Lord has not left us as orphans – He has sent an Advocate, the Holy Spirit. Because God is kind and merciful, if and when we do fall short, we can always seek forgiveness and reconciliation in the Sacrament of Confession. In pursuing the Sacraments, we can truly become more open to loving God as He asks us to. In doing this, we also receive the love He has been waiting all eternity to bestow on us as His beloved sons and daughters.
