6th Sunday of Easter – Jn 14: 15-21

Loving Jesus and Keeping His Commandments

Introduction

- Why the drivers keep the laws of the road? It is because of the fear of the punishment.

- A story – an angel was walking with fire on one hand and water on the other hand. A person asked the angel, what is this for? The angel replied, “I am going to burn down all the mansions in heaven and put out the fire in the hell”. The person said, “Then nobody will obey the commandments anymore”. The angel said, “I want to know how many of you follow the commandments out of love towards Jesus”.

Content

- “If you love me you will keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15)

- What is our motivation behind following the commands of Jesus? It is love or fear or something else?

- If we are following the instructions of Jesus out of love we would have these characteristics in our life.

o Voluntariness, not moved by sense of external compulsion

§ Why we Sunday Mass? If it is voluntary act we would come in time, we would attend actively and spontaneous. We would think that “My Lord Jesus’ is waiting for me to give life through the sacraments. So I have to be there”.

o Aware of the others feelings

§ If we obey the law out of compulsion we will strictly follow it and insensitive to other.

§ Once a smoker said, “I do not smoke when I am with my friends since they do not like the smell of the smoke”. The decision comes from the love towards his friends through he has all the right to smoke in his home.

o Stop comparison and complaining

§ “I attended the novena but I did not get any reply”. We are praying and obeying God for a reward.

§ “I am praying more than them and obeying all the commandments. But why God gives me all the sufferings and they are enjoying the life”. Here I am obeying God for getting better things than them.

- The example for obeying because of reward or punishment the elder son of the parable of Prodigal Son.

- Jesus is the perfect example of obeying the will of father out of love.

Conclusion

- The commandment of Jesus is love of God and love of others.

- Why do we love?

o For example; the love of a husband towards his wife can be because of societal status of their family, or because of children, or because of some other motive. The real motive should be, “I love her because she is my wife whom God gave me to love and protect. Therefore whatever be her mistakes I will love her because I love God”.