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Gospel Reflection – Friday, May 23, 2025
The highest form of love
Dear friends,
In the Gospels, we can find three (or even four) levels of love. When a Pharisee asked Jesus which commandment was the greatest (cf. Mark 12:28–31), Jesus gave a double answer. First, love God with all your heart. Second, love your neighbor as yourself.
That means we are called to love ourselves too—to care for our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Loving ourselves gives us a good measure for loving others, who have needs just like ours. This love of self is not selfishness if it opens us up to the needs of others—with generosity and self-giving.
This applies not only to our close relationships, but also to every person, because the first commandment teaches us that God is the Father of all—and we are all brothers and sisters. That’s why in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus answers the Pharisee’s question with the parable of the Good Samaritan (cf. Luke 10:29–37).
That parable leads us to a higher level of love: loving others as we love Christ, serving Him in “the least of His brothers and sisters” (cf. Matthew 25:31–46). This Christian love reaches everyone—even those who love Christ without realizing it.
But the highest point of love is what Jesus tells us today:
“Love one another as I have loved you.”
This is unconditional love—a love that gives everything, without holding back, even to the point of giving one’s life, like Jesus did on the cross. This is the fullness of God’s love, the love that exists between the Father and the Son. Jesus brings this love into the world to free us, give us true freedom, and make us His friends.
The only way to grow in this love is to stay close to Jesus—to be His friend through prayer, listening to His Word, and receiving Him in the Eucharist. Even though we often resist this kind of love because of our human weakness, it is possible—because Jesus loved us first, with real and concrete love.
We see this love at work in the first reading too. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, creates community, heals divisions, and helps keep unity even in differences.
Warm regards,