On the night of the Last Supper, Jesus tells his apostles, “I give you a new commandment: love one another.” We use the word love to mean so many things. I love God. Love my family and friends. I love dogs. I love pizza. That’s a pretty wide range of meanings for the same word. But what does Jesus mean? That’s the important questions. Fortunately, Jesus gives us some interpretive help in his very next words, as related in today’s gospel.
“As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” To fulfill the new commandment of Jesus, we must love as he loved. The fact that he gives this commandment at the Last Supper is no coincidence. St. John tells us, “He loved his own in the world, and he loved them to the end.” Jesus doesn’t run away from suffering, but offers his very life, all the way to the end.
From the example of Jesus, we can see that the love he is talking about is not some fleeting feeling of happy thought or a warm heart. It’s not self interested. Rather, the love shown by Jesus is a concrete decision to do what is best for another. This love is willing to suffer for the good of another rather than seek one’s own fulfillment. Notice how counter-cultural this commandment is, especially for our modern society obsessed with immediate gratification of the self and sexual love.
Jesus gives us a new commandment to love one another. He also gives us the standard, “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” So, “What is love?” The answer is simple. Look at Jesus. If you want to see love, look at the crucifix. That’s what Jesus means by love. Now go and do likewise.